Ahead of their upcoming opening slot for Metallica on a European leg of their WorldWired Tour, Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge was asked by Metal Hammer to build his perfect Metallica setlist from start to finish.
Being a lifelong Metallica nerd, Forge not only constructed a killer setlist stacked with deep cuts, he also provided some notes about some of his picks — dribbling in Metallica live show minutia and justifying some of his more controversial selections.
His pick for track two, "Creeping Death," comes with a bit of Metallica touring history for reference: "They used to open with this a lot, and I'm sticking it in the set early," Forge said. "They've not played it as much recently, so I'm bringing it back." He goes for a "Black Album" deep cut, "Of Wolf and Man" next, explaining, "I'm not sure they play this very often. But I love it, especially that howling midsection."
"This is a very special part of the set," Forge said of his eighth pick, "Fade to Black," claiming the song "showed even that early [on in their career], they were willing to go to places that their peers were not." He then thew a wild card in the mix with "Until It Sleeps" from Load, one of Metallica's most contentious (and widely derided) records among serious thrash connoisseurs. The frontman doesn't exactly enjoy that album either, but justfied, "even I have to admit that this is a brilliant song, even though it's from an album that I am really not a fan of."
"Am I Evil" and "Master of Puppets" get their rightful shout-outs, but Forge decided his closer would be "Enter Sandman," Metallica's most popular song among casual fans and typical radio listeners. "The all-time greatest banger you can have," he said of the tune, "You can say whatever you like, but you can't argue with this song."
See his entire setlist below and read all of his notes here.
Tobias Forge's dream Metallica setlist:
Battery
Creeping Death
Of Wolf and Man
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Fight Fire With Fire
Ride the Lightning
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fade to Black
Blackened
Until it Sleeps
One
Master of Puppets
Encore:
Am I Evil? (Diamond Head cover)
Last Caress (Misfits cover)
Enter Sandman
