Lars Ulrich 'illegally' downloads Death Magnetic

Lars Ulrich: he'll be sending email next.
Lars Ulrich: he'll be sending email next.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, one of the most vocal critics of the original version of Napster, has revealed that he downloaded his band's Death Magnetic album via an unnamed file-sharing network.

Speaking to VH1 Classic's That Metal Show, he said: "I sat there myself and downloaded Death Magnetic from the internet just to try it.

"I was like, 'Wow, this is how it works.' I figured if there is anybody that has a right to download Death Magnetic for free, it's me. I sat there one night at my house with about six of my friends and a bottle of wine.

"We found it — this was like two or three days after [Death Magnetic] leaked. I was like, 'You know what? I've gotta try this.' So we sat there, and 30 minutes later, I had 'Death Magnetic' in my computer. It was kind of bizarre."

In 2000, Metallica filed a lawsuit against the original incarnation of Napster after they discovered that a demo of their song I Disappear had appeared on it.

(Via Blabbermouth)

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.