Metallica To Celebrate 30th Birthday In Style

Metallica are planning to celebrate their 30th anniversary next year, says frontman James Hetfield.

The original line-up was put together in 1981 when Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in LA newspaper The Recycler, to which guitarist / singer James Hetfield replied.

In a new interview with Australia's Video Hits, Hetfield was asked if there are any plans for Metallica to celebrate its 30-year anniversary in 2011, "Yeah, we've gotta do something; there's no doubt about that.

"There are quite a few bands that have made it 30 years, but these days, I think it's getting a little harder to survive 30 years.

"The fact that we made it 30 years is pretty unbelievable. If you asked us, or if you told us, 30 years ago, 'You're gonna still be together...', we would have been like, 'Yeah, right. We're gonna explode in space, man.' . . . Even to be in the same room together... There are bands that tour that have multiple dressing rooms. 'Oh, you wanna talk to him? His lawyer is in building 3.' But we're still hanging together. We've been through hell together, and we're hopefully enjoying some heaven as well."

You can watch the whole video interview below: