Metallica might've ended their M72 Tour - for this year, at least - but the bands who took part in this summer's European and UK legs are still giddy about joining the thrash legends on the road.
That's certainly the case for Sweden's Avatar, who Metallica gave a shout-out to on Instagram, thanking them for "raising the bar and keeping crowds across Europe and the UK on their toes!"
In a new interview with Metal Hammer, frontman Johannes Eckerström shared how Metallica aren't just metal's biggest band - they might also be its nicest...
“Seeing how they go the extra mile in how they treat their opening bands was really eye-blowing for me," he says. "Honestly, the whole tour was incredible. We had dinner with them in Dublin, and at the final show [in London] James comes walking up in this Abba t-shirt, ‘Thank you for being here.’ All that extra effort to make us feel welcome, how they treated us and our crew, was just amazing."
"It’s a very cool thing," he continues. "I can remember being 11 and thinking, ‘What if I could meet my favourite bands, would they think I was cool?’ It doesn’t always work out that way, but this time it did. So, I recommend opening for Metallica when you get the chance.”
Avatar will get another chance next year, when they rejoin the M72 world tour in North America alongside Limp Bizkit. But for Metallica, the rest of their year is already accounted for. The band kicked off their residency at the Las Vegas sphere with two unique sets with eye-popping visuals that have gone viral over social media. Their residency is set to continue tonight (October 8) and continues with two shows a week until November 7, when the band will end the year with two shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
Avatar are set to tour the UK in November with support from Neckbreakker. The band also recently announced a special Feathers And Flesh 10th anniversary show at London's Royal Albert Hall for March 30, 2027.
View Metallica's upcoming tour dates on their official website. Avatar's full tour dates can be viewed at Avatarmetal.com.
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