The US Department of Defense had to remove and re-upload a drone demonstration video after Metallica requested its takedown for using Enter Sandman without permission.
The track, one of Metallica’s most well-known, was originally released in 1991 on the band’s fifth album, colloquially known as The Black Album.
The video, posted on X/Twitter by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was originally paired with Metallica’s track. According to Rolling Stone, a representative confirmed to the site that the use of Enter Sandman had not been authorized.
Pentagon forced to pull video featuring Metallica song
A spokesperson for the Pentagon confirmed the reasons for the video’s removal and reupload, stating (via The Independent):
“This afternoon, representatives from X reached out to DoD regarding a video posted to our social media page and asked that the video be removed due to a copyright issue with the song ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica. The video has been taken down, corrected, and re-uploaded to our page.”
Metallica is well-known for their stance on unauthorized music use. Their legal action against Napster in 2000 is one high-profile example, and the band has consistently defended how their songs are used in other media.
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