Metallica were honored by members of Deep Purple, Ghost and more as they received Sweden’s prestigious Polar Music Prize at a June 14 event in Stockholm.
Following a citation read by Deep Purple members Ian Paice and Roger Glover recognizing the veteran metal band at the Grand Hotel, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo accepted the honor as presented by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
"The type of music that we played was not supposed to be acknowledged or embraced by the mainstream, the media or even large audiences," said Ulrich. “In 1981 when this band formed, I just wanted to play music in a collective setting and feel like it belonged to something bigger than myself.
“From the beginning, we always felt like outsiders. We always felt like somehow we were not good enough, not cool enough to be accepted by a general music audience. So we found strength and solace in the little bubble we occupied way out in left field….then an unexpected thing happened. The mainstream audience began moving closer and closer to the area where the musically disenfranchised like ourselves were hovering.”
“…About 10/15 years later, we found ourselves right in the middle of that very mainstream which we had felt so vengefully ostracised from,” the drummer added. “Receiving this prize solidifies the idea that no matter how alienated you feel, connecting to other people through music is not only possible but can be outright inspirational and life changing.”
A number of tribute performances were featured during the event: Cardinal Copia of Ghost was joined by Candlemass and Vargas & Lagola to perform Metallica’s 1991 smash, “Enter Sandman”; Loney Dear delivered versions of the group’s "No Leaf Clover" and "Wherever I May Roam"; Tuva Syvertsen played “One”; and, Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén and Scorpions/ex-Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee rocked a cover of "Whiplash."
Metallica were recognized alongside fellow laureates Afghanistan National Institute Of Music (ANIM) and Dr. Ahmad Sarmast with the award, which celebrates the power and importance of music and is given to individuals, groups or institutions for international recognition of excellence in the world of music.
Each honoree receives a total amount of one million Swedish kronor ($125,000); Metallica will donate the funds to their All Within My Hands Foundation, which is dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.
Previous winners of The Polar Music prize include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Chuck Berry and Ennio Morricone, among others.
Currently enjoying an extended summer break from their WorldWired tour in support of their tenth album, “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct”, Metallica will return to action for a North American arena run this fall that will begin in Madison, WI on September 2.
See also:
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