Music
Metallica apologizes to Canadian tribute band for threatening to sue
by Richard Howard
January 14, 2016
Metallica blame their 'overzealous attorney' for sending Sandman a 41-page letter.
Ladies and gentlemen, you’re going to need to sit down for this one. It’s looks like in 2016 the boys in Metallica have decided they’re not going to be dicks to their fans.
You no doubt heard about the fiasco in which Canadian Metallica tribute band Sandman received a cease-and-desist letter from the world’s most famous metal band upon arrival at their recent London, ON gig. The 41-page letter demanded that the tribute group cease using their current logo which was deemed a rip-off of the immediately recognizable one used by Metallica.
Always tickled pink by more evidence of dickery from the band (and by band, the understood implication is a champagne sipping, fine art buying, James Hetfield yelling at Lars), the internet spread the story like wildfire.
Incredibly, the story reached all the way to Rolling Stone where a new twist was added – Metallica is totally cool with Sandman using the logo. Their statement reads:
“It turns out that a certain letter was delivered to the band Sandman that neither we nor our management were aware of until it surfaced online…we have a very overzealous attorney who sent this letter without our knowledge.”
Reminding us that they not only “have a long history of not only enjoying tribute bands, but [they] started as one,” the Metalli-dudes gave the Canadian band their full blessing:
“Sandman should file the letter in the trash. Keep doing what you’re doing… we totally support you!”
But wait – there’s more! The new cuddly version of Lars “I’ve Never Met A Lawsuit I Didn’t Like” Ulrich actually phoned Sandman vocalist/guitarist Joe Di Taranto on Wednesday to personally apologize for the mix up. Looks like a happy ending for everyone (except the overzealous lawyer in question that the band claims is now “permanently ice fishing in Alaska”) – but none more than Joe Di Taranto’s band.
No, not Sandman, but his original band Warmachine whose name he skillfully placed into Rolling Stone with the following humblebrag:
“The band have been using this logo for years with no problems at all; I only joined the band last summer and feel a little guilty that perhaps my (albeit humble) success with my main/original band Warmachine have brought a little extra attention to the band, leading to this little fiasco.”
