Metallica awakens hard rock spirit in Seoul

Metallica performs at the Gocheok Sky Dome, Wednesday. / Courtesy of A.I.M.

By Park Jin-hai

Some 18,000 fans of all ages braved the cold to crowd the giant spaceship-like Gocheok Sky Dome for Metallica's concert on Wednesday night.

The iconic U.S. heavy metal band chose Seoul as the first destination for their Asian tour for their new album "Hardwired to Self-Destruct." The band last visited Korea four years ago.

Expectations ran high as the band, which has a strong fan base in Korea, became the first foreign musical act to perform at the new stadium.

Kicking off the gig at 9 p.m. with new titles "Hardwired to Self-Destruct" and "Atlas, Rise!," band leader James Hetfield, clad in black leather, shouted: "Hello, Seoul. Good to see you again. So you came here to see your friend Metallica. It's been a long time, so we will play new songs and play old songs."

In front of five big LED screens that zoomed in to each of the band's four members, Metallica, with their imposing, charismatic figures, rough and abrasive vocals and god-like guitar playing, drove fans into a two-hour, non-stop frenzy.

Metallica, whose members' average age is over 50, looked tough but sensuous. Like a powerful new engine, the band raced ahead with 18 new songs and previous hits.

After performing "Now That We're Dead," "Moth Into Flame," "Harvester" and "Halo On Fire," "The Four Horsemen" heated up the concert even further.

The four songs, "One," "Master of Puppets," "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Fade to Black," drove the crowd's excitement to its peak.

The multiple strands of laser beams ― shot to the top of the dome with background gunshot sounds during "One" and "Fade to Black" ― made the concert a great event.

The concert was not a one-man show. All four members produced their best performances. At one stage, Hetfield asked the audience, "Are you alive?" and led the masses like a cult leader, while Lars Ulrich beat his drums powerfully, deeply and loudly.

Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett alternated bullet-fast picking and bending his strings and went wild, hitting his guitar strings against an amplifier and a camera.

Bassist Robert Trujillo played enthusiastically and rhythmically, as if he was playing a traditional African djembe drum, and did his usual ape-like strutting on stage.

To the band's best performance, the audience answered by shouting the refrain of "Master" and hummed to the guitar riff in the iconic "Master of Puppets." The audience's voices reverberated filling the large stadium while many excited fans moved their bodies as if they were playing instruments.

The night ended with three encore songs: "Battery," "Nothing Else Matters" and "Enter Sandman."

"How could that be possible? Without so much splendid stage gear, their presence has been great," a man in his late 20s said after the concert.

A young female audience member said: "Hetfield is the reason that brings me here again. Compared with the 2013 Seoul concert, his performance hasn't diminished, not a bit."

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