Hear Chris Stapleton Cover Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’
Chris Parton
Country star Chris Stapleton covers hard-rock giants Metallica in an expansive new anniversary set, putting his blowtorch vocal on the epic anthem, “Nothing Else Matters.” And epic it remains.
Sharing the blistering cover on Thursday (August 12), Stapleton’s version of the doom-rocking hit clocks in at more than eight minutes long, and puts his Kentucky drawl in a bold new setting.
The track is part of The Metallica Blacklist, an upcoming album marking the 30th anniversary of Metallica’s watershed self-titled LP, known around the world as “the black album.” Stapleton may seem like an unlikely contributor, but he’s hardly alone, with fellow country hitmakers Mickey Guyton, Jon Pardi and Darius Rucker also included, plus pop favorites like Weezer, Elton John, J Balvin and more. The massive tribute features 53 artists — with 12 versions of “Nothing Else Matters” alone — but Stapleton’s take is especially intriguing for country fans.
Placing his bourbon-soaked growl in a dark-and-dreary context, Chris Stapleton actually sounds right at home on the tune, who’s heartbroken headspace that would fit just fine in a Nashville writing room. His crunchy-but-twangy guitar work adds even more roadhouse-rocking flavor to the track, with a lengthy blues-guitar solo stretching out the low-down vibe in the song’s second half. The track eventually fades out to the sounds of police sirens wailing in the distance, completing the song’s hopeless presentation. Check it out above.
The Metallica Blacklist arrives on September 10, and all profits will be split between Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and a charity selected by each artist.
THE METALLICA BLACKLIST TRACKLIST:
Enter Sandman – Alessia Cara & The Warning
Enter Sandman – Mac DeMarco
Enter Sandman – Ghost
Enter Sandman – Juanes
Enter Sandman – Rina Sawayama
Enter Sandman – Weezer
Sad But True (Live) – Sam Fender
Sad But True – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Sad But True – Mexican Institute of Sound feat. La Perla & Gera MX
Sad But True – Royal Blood
Sad But True – St. Vincent
Sad But True – White Reaper
Sad But True – YB
Holier Than Thou – Biffy Clyro
Holier Than Thou – The Chats
Holier Than Thou – OFF!
Holier Than Thou – PUP
Holier Than Thou – Corey Taylor
The Unforgiven – Cage The Elephant
The Unforgiven – Vishal Dadlani, DIVINE, Shor Police
The Unforgiven – Diet Cig
The Unforgiven – Flatbush Zombies feat. DJ Scratch
The Unforgiven – Ha*Ash
The Unforgiven – José Madero
The Unforgiven – Moses Sumney
Wherever I May Roam – J Balvin
Wherever I May Roam – Chase & Status feat. BackRoad Gee
Wherever I May Roam – The Neptunes
Wherever I May Roam – Jon Pardi
Don’t Tread on Else Matters – SebastiAn
Don’t Tread on Me – Portugal. The Man
Don’t Tread on Me – Volbeat
Through the Never – The HU
Through the Never – Tomi Owó
Nothing Else Matters – Phoebe Bridgers
Nothing Else Matters – Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith