Metallica's Lars Ulrich drinking nothing but Earl Grey tea is metal AF

An edited picture showing Lars Ulrich holding a superimposed cup of tea
(Image credit: (Unedited) Photo by Simon Hofmann/Getty Images)

Lars Ulrich puts his endless energy behind the kit down to his hopeless addiction to... Earl Grey tea.

The Metallica drummer and his bandmates were notorious hellraisers in their early days.

But as he approaches 60, Ulrich prefers a nice cuppa to get the creative juices flowing.

He tells the BBC: "I pretty much live on Earl Grey tea, with a little hint of vanilla in this particular blend. Not only is it yummy but it keeps me fired up. I drive everybody around me nuts with my crazy energy.

"There's a teapot and a cup right in front of me, within arm's reach."

It's a far cry from Metallica's breakthrough years, which Ulrich recalls as a little less civilised.

He adds: "The days of going off your rocker all night and watching the sun rise are somewhat behind us."

Metallica release their 11th album 72 Seasons on April 14. Leading up to the release date, the band will begin a four-night 'residency' on Jimmy Kimmel Live, starting on Monday, April 10.

They begin a world tour later this month.

Metallica are the cover stars of the new issues of Metal Hammer (opens in new tab) and Classic Rock (opens in new tab).

Metallica 2023/2024 World Tour

Apr 27, 2023: Amsterdam Johan Cruijff Arena, HOL
Apr 29, 2023: Amsterdam Johan Cruijff Arena, HOL

May 17, 2023 - Paris FR - Stade de France, FRA
May 19, 2023 - Paris FR - Stade de France, FRA

May 26, 2023: Hamburg Volksparkstadion, GER
May 28, 2023: Hamburg Volksparkstadion, GER

Jun 08, 2023: Download Festival, UK
Jun 10, 2023: Download Festival, UK

Jun 16, 2023: Gothenburg Ullevi Stadium, SWE
Jun 18 2023: Gothenburg Ullevi Stadium, SWE

Aug 04, 2023: East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium, USA
Aug 06, 2023: East Rutherford NJ MetLife Stadium, NJ, USA

Aug 11, 2023: Montreal Stade Olympique, CAN
Aug 13, 2023: Montreal Stade Olympique, CAN

Aug 18, 2023: Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium, USA
Aug 20, 2023: Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium, USA

Aug 25, 2023: Inglewood, CA SoFi Stadium, USA
Aug 27, 2023: Inglewood, CA - SoFi Stadium, USA

Sep 01, 2023: Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium, USA
Sep 03, 2023: Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium, USA

Nov 03, 2023: St. Louis, MO - The Dome at America’s Center, USA
Nov 05, 2023 - St. Louis, MO - The Dome at America’s Center

Nov 10, 2023: Detroit, MI Ford Field, USA
Nov 12, 2023: Detroit, MI Ford Field, USA

May 24, 2024: Munich Olympiastadion, GER
May 26, 2024 - Munich DE - Olympiastadion, GER

Jun 7, 2024: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, FIN
Jun 9, 2024: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, FIN

Jun 14, 2024: Copenhagen Parken Stadium, DEN
Jun 16, 2024: Copenhagen Parken Stadium, DEN

Jul 05 2024: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, POL
Jul 07 2024: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, POL

Jul 12, 2024: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, SPA
Jul 14 2024: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, SPA

Aug 02, 2024: Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium, USA
Aug 04, 2024: Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium, USA

Aug 09, 2024: Chicago, IL Soldier Field, USA
Aug 11, 2024: Chicago, IL Soldier Field, USA

Aug 16, 2024: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, USA
Aug 18, 2024: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, USA

Aug 23. 2024: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, CAN
Aug 25, 2024: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, CAN

Aug 30, 2024: Seattle, WA Lumen Field, USA
Sep 01, 2024: Seattle, WA Lumen Field, USA

Sep 20, 2024: Mexico City Foro Sol, MEX
Sep 22, 2024 - Mexico City Foro Sol, MEX

Sep 27, 2024: Mexico City Foro Sol, MEX
Sep 29, 2024: Mexico City Foro Sol, MEX

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.