When METALLICA Brought Back 'FRANTIC' Live And JAMES HETFIELD Roasted St. Anger

Back in 2021, Metallica briefly resurrected “Frantic”, the chaotic opener from their 2003 punching bag of an album, St. Anger.

The band pulled the song out of retirement for a set at the Aftershock Festival on October 8 (watch the video below), years after it had mostly vanished from live shows following a few scattered appearances in 2019 and a much longer break since 2011.

The reintroduction came with a wink and a jab. As the familiar chug kicked in, James Hetfield delivered a deadpan intro: “Here’s a song from your favorite album,” complete with a crooked smirk.

Metallica had already leaned into this self-aware trolling before. In a 2019 Twitter post, the band “celebrated” St. Anger’s 16th anniversary by tweeting: “Everyone’s favorite album, ‘St. Anger,’ was released on this day in 2003. What’s your favorite song on it?” Cue the collective internet eye-roll.

It’s not exactly news that St. Anger never reached beloved status. The eighth studio album in Metallica’s catalog, it took a beating from fans and critics alike for sounding like a nu metal demo recorded inside a shipping container.

Lars Ulrich’s snare drum, famously compared to a paint can falling down stairs, became the poster child for the album’s unfiltered, raw because we say so aesthetic. Kirk Hammett’s complete absence of guitar solos didn’t help matters either.

Still, I don’t know, whether out of curiosity, loyalty, or sheer masochism, people bought it. St. Anger managed to move around six million copies globally, a number that continues to baffle and entertain in equal measure.

The Backstory of “Frantic”

Before it became a punchline in Hetfield’s live set intros, “Frantic” had its own chaotic origin story, one that neatly sums up St. Anger’s messy legacy.

Released on June 5, 2003, St. Anger was born out of total dysfunction. Metallica had just lost longtime bassist Jason Newsted, James Hetfield had checked himself into rehab, and the band was basically a therapy session pretending to be a recording project.

The result? A raw, volatile, no-solos, tin-can-drum-sounding album that baffled as much as it bludgeoned. And “Frantic” was the first thing you heard when you pressed play.

Originally performed live for the first time on May 3, 2003, “Frantic” set the tone, literally, for everything that followed. It was the second single from St. Anger, and if you thought the opening snare hit sounded like Lars Ulrich dropped a toolbox down a stairwell, you weren’t alone.

Critics pounced, fans argued, and yet somehow the song still carved out its place as the distillation of Metallica’s inner turbulence.

The lyrics explore themes of rage, addiction, and self-destruction. James once introduced the song live by saying, “This song’s about life, like right f—ing now.” Subtle. Meanwhile, Kirk Hammett sprinkled a bit of philosophy into the track, adding background vocals referencing dukkha, a Buddhist concept about suffering.

Oddly enough, Lars originally wanted to name the album Frantic, but the rest of the band vetoed it, claiming the title was too intense. And this from the people who went with St. Anger instead. Make of that what you will.

Despite being the lead track on one of the band’s most talked-about records, “Frantic” has rarely made it into live setlists, fewer than 200 performances over two decades.

It’s the kind of song that shows up, causes a scene, and disappears again before anyone can decide if they liked it.

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