Back to the Beginning: How Metallica Set the Stage on Fire at Black Sabbath’s Final Roar
On July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham, the unthinkable became real—Black Sabbath, the forefathers of heavy metal, played their final show. While the night belonged to Ozzy Osbourne and his legendary bandmates, the show opened with a seismic jolt courtesy of Metallica, the heirs to Sabbath’s throne. And in those thunderous opening moments, it was clear: the torch wasn’t just passed—it was hurled like a fireball across generations of metal.
A Homecoming with History
Birmingham, the birthplace of Black Sabbath, vibrated with both nostalgia and reverence. Metallica, handpicked by Sabbath for this historic farewell, arrived not just as openers—but as disciples returning to the altar. James Hetfield, grizzled and thunderous, stood center stage with a grin that said it all: “We’re not just here to play—we’re here to honor the gods.”
They opened with “Creeping Death”, a song that roared like a war cry. Lars Ulrich’s drums pounded like the march of giants, Kirk Hammett unleashed riffs that stabbed the night air, and Robert Trujillo’s bass rolled like an oncoming storm. The crowd—already electrified by the gravity of the night—erupted.
Paying Tribute, Metallica Style
Between songs, Hetfield spoke humbly but fiercely. “If there were no Sabbath, there’d be no Metallica. No ‘Master of Puppets,’ no ‘One,’ no nothing. Tonight, we salute the fathers of all this madness.”
Then came the surprise—a rendition of “Sabbra Cadabra”, one of Sabbath’s funkier, underrated gems. It wasn’t just a cover; it was a resurrection. Metallica made it their own while channeling the spirit of the original. Fans who knew their metal history wept. Newer ones just moshed like hell.
But the peak of their tribute came with a blistering, reverent take on “Iron Man”. Rather than the usual slow intro, Metallica cranked up the tempo and merged it with the tail end of “Seek & Destroy”, giving it an entirely new shape. The result? A wall of sound that united old-school Sabbath fans and hardcore Metallica followers in a single, headbanging communion.
Metallica’s Setlist: A Timeline of Influence
The genius of Metallica’s set wasn’t just in the energy—it was in the curation. Each track played that night formed a timeline of their own musical DNA, tracing back to Sabbath’s influence:
Creeping Death – The biblical epic that echoed Sabbath’s dark storytelling roots.For Whom the Bell Tolls – Doom-laden and deliberate, echoing “Black Sabbath”’s crawling menace.
The Thing That Should Not Be – Drenched in Lovecraftian horror, a nod to Sabbath’s obsession with the occult.
Battery – A thrash-fueled explosion, the natural evolution of Sabbath’s aggression.
Sabbra Cadabra (Cover) – Pure reverence.Iron Man x Seek & Destroy (Mash-up) – A thunderous bridge between past and future.
Master of Puppets – The final blow. Controlled chaos, lyrical despair, and crushing riffs—Sabbath’s legacy, reimagined.
Setting the Stage—Literally and Spiritually
The stage itself was a cathedral of metal. Massive iron crucifixes lit with fire, screens playing archival footage of Sabbath through the decades, and subtle nods to Birmingham’s industrial roots. Before Sabbath even appeared, Metallica had already baptized the stage in molten riffs and raw emotion.
And when they exited—after over 75 minutes of musical warfare—Hetfield turned back toward the audience, eyes gleaming, and simply said: “We’re forever grateful. Now bow to the masters.”
Sabbath’s Roar, Echoed in Metallica’s Fire
It’s impossible to overstate the symbolism of that night. Metallica wasn’t just an opening act. They were the sons returning to honor the fathers. The stadium, packed with over 50,000 screaming fans, felt like it could collapse under the weight of history. For many, this wasn’t just another concert. It was metal’s equivalent of passing the crown.
Even Ozzy himself, later in the night, tipped his hat from center stage: “When we first heard Metallica in the ’80s, we knew heavy metal was in good hands. Tonight, they proved it.”
A Night Carved in Steel
By the end of the night, as fireworks lit up the Birmingham sky and Sabbath closed with a haunting “Paranoid,” Metallica’s presence still lingered. Not as ghosts or memories—but as the living, thrashing future of the genre Sabbath created.
Their performance was more than an opening act—it was a love letter, a tribute, and a battle cry. A reminder that though Sabbath may have roared for the last time, the fire they lit will burn forever.
And no one—absolutely no one—carries that flame higher than Metallica.
