Metallica asked the US military to stop using their tracks as instruments of torture, reveals the Navy SEAL who shot Osama Bin Laden.
Named only as The Shooter, he’s told how James Hetfield’s band made contact after discovering their music was being used in war zones.
He tells Esquire (via Spin): “When we first started the war in Iraq we were using Metallica music to soften people up before we interrogated them.
“Metallica got wind of this and they said, ‘Hey, please don’t use our music because we don’t want to promote violence.’
“I thought, ‘Dude, you have an album called Kill ‘Em All.’”
Commanders responded to the band’s requests, however, and instead began using music by Christian metal band Demon Hunter after they made contact.
The Shooter reports: “Demon Hunter said, ‘We’re all about promoting what you do.’ They sent us CDs and patches. I wore my Demon Hunter patch on every mission – I wore it when I blasted Bin Laden.”
In 2008 Hetfield discussed reports that his music was being used to torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, saying: “Part of me is proud they chose Metallica, and then part of me is bummed about it. We’ve got nothing to do with this and we’re trying to be apolitical as possible – I think politics and music, at least for us, don’t mix.”
Demon Hunter say: “We have no specific knowledge of our music being used, nor have we ever volunteered it to be used. The debate about enhanced interrogation techniques is for politicians, military intelligence, pundits and others.
“The members of Seal Team 6 and The Shooter are American heroes who deserve our support. We are honoured, humbled and blessed that Demon Hunter was of any support or comfort to Seal Team 6 or anyone in the US military at any time.”
-Classic Rock
You must log in to post a comment.