Classic metal bands are calling it quits left and right on their own volition, but don't think Metallica are throwing in the towel anytime soon. According to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich in an interview with Philadelphia radio station 93.3 WMMR, he doesn't see Metallica calling it a day for another 20 or 25 years. He adds he doesn't know what Metallica in 20 or 25 years will look or sound like, but it's what the band is hoping for.
“A lot of people are retiring, and we feel very energized and rejuvenated. I mean, we wanna go long. We hope we can get another 20, 25 years. I don’t know what it’s gonna look like, I don’t know what it’s gonna sound like, but that’s in our heads. So we’re not sitting there thinking retirement or this or that; we’re sort of more the opposite. So I would say, for us, everything we do is kind of a long game. And back then, when you were 17, you only think of, like, the next five minutes. ‘Where is the next beer? Whoo!’ So that’s kind of different mentality nowadays.”
“There’s more younger kids at our shows than I can ever remember. Half the audience is under 20. And it also feels more like it’s 50-50 between boys and girls now, which obviously [wasn’t the case] 20, 30 years ago. So it’s amazing how rock and roll and harder rock and what we’re doing just continues to appeal to… I don’t know if it’s a rite of passage, but it feels like it continues rather than regressing; it feels like it’s actually spreading.”
All the dudes in Metallica are between 54 and 55 years old currently. So I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to assume they'd be able to go for another 20 years. Though like Ulrich says, it'll be really interesting to see what Metallica is doing in terms of live shows and sound in 2038.
At the very least, maybe they'll start doing (at first one and then) more solo albums.
