Metallica Classic So Timeless That It Can Work in (Almost) Any Genre: These 6 Creative Covers Prove It

By 1990, Metallica had become a global phenomenon due to their intense riffs, shredding guitar solos, and aggressive vocals. They were pioneers of a new sound called thrash metal that took them around the world.

However, the hard-touring lifestyle took its toll on lead singer and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield, who channeled his homesickness into music while in a hotel room on tour. The result became one of the band’s most enduring songs: “Nothing Else Matters.”

It was a major departure from the band’s sound. It starts with acoustic instrumentation and even features light orchestration. The lyrics are sentimental, contrary to prior songs that bashed the evils of war.

“It’s absolutely crazy, that was the song that I thought was least Metallica, least likely to ever played by us, the last song anyone would really want to hear,” Hetfield told the Village Voice in 2012. “It was a song for myself in my room on tour when I was bumming out about being away from home. It’s quite amazing, it’s a true testament to honesty and exposing yourself, putting your real self out there, and taking the risk, taking a gamble that someone’s either going to step on your heart with spikes on or they’re going to put their heart right next to it, and you never know until you try. That solidified, I think, that we were doing the right thing, writing from the heart about what we felt, and you can’t go wrong that way.”

Not only has it become a staple of Metallica’s catalog, but it’s also become a standard for musicians from all walks of life to cover. Today, we’re checking out six awesome versions by artists from around the globe.

Erie’s First to Eleven Bring Fresh Vocals to the Metallica Classic

First to Eleven is a cover band out of Erie, Pennsylvania that nails “Nothing Else Matters.” The group pays tribute to Metallica’s version, including the original guitar solos, but vocalist Audra Miller adds a new dimension with her soaring vocals.

The Finnish Quartet Apocalyptica Reinvents Metallica on Strings

Apocalyptica is a Finnish cello quartet, and they’ve been in the Metallica cover game for a long time. Their debut album, “Plays Metallica for Four Cellos,” featured all Metallica songs from “Master of Puppets” and the self-titled “Black Album.” “Nothing Else Matters” didn’t make the initial cut, but they did include it on their second album, 1998’s “Inquisition Symphony.”

The classically trained cellists have some insane chops to help them pull off the song, but it’s their expressiveness that really brings the music to life. Even though they’ve been playing it for nearly 30 years, “Nothing Else Matters” is still satisfying to perform.

“Compared to the starting point, when it was inspiration and we were young, it’s still a lot of fun to play these songs nowadays,” says Paavo Lötjönen. “We have played, maybe, 1500 times ‘Nothing Else Matters,’ but it’s still a fantastic feeling with that song, when the audience is singing with us… It’s connecting people.”

“Nothing Else Matters” on Handpan: Mumi’s Strikingly Intimate Cover

“Nothing Else Matters” stripped back Metallica’s sound, but this cover by Mumi is about as reduced as you can get. Mumi plays the accompaniment on a handpan, which has fourteen notes. She even built it herself.

“When I was a teenager I listened to it on and on and I would never imagine that one day I would do a cover with an instrument built by myself!” She writes. “Some months ago I built my first “Windflower” sound model. When I first played it the first notes of “Nothing Else Matters” just naturally flew out of my hands. Oh, after all the times I listened to it, this song still gives me goosebumps.”

Shakira Surprises Fans With a “Nothing Else Matters” Performance in Paris

In a cover nobody saw coming, Colombian pop star Shakira performed the song during a concert in Paris. She medleyed the Metallica hit into her own song, “Despedida.”

Aside from Shakira’s powerful vocal delivery, this version features traditional South American instrumentation, including the bandola, an instrument with 12 metallic strings grouped into four sets of three.

This version also reinforces the song’s international recognition with the crowd singing along to the chorus.

Steve’N’Seagulls Go Bluegrass With “Nothing Else Matters”

This cover of “Nothing Else Matters” by Steve’N’Seagulls has a very different arrangement. It leans on Appalachian instruments like the banjo, mandolin, and double bass, as well as a reduced drum set. The plodding rhythm gives it a feeling closer to folk and bluegrass.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, an accordionist paddles to shore to join in on the action.

Igor Presnyakov’s Fingerstyle Guitar Masterclass With “Nothing Else Matters”

“Nothing Else Matters” is often taught by guitar teachers for its fingerpicking style. However, Igor Presnyakov takes it a step further to arrange the entire song for fingerstyle guitar.

Between his plucking technique and the fretting hand acrobatics, this video is just as fun to watch as it is to listen to.