James Hetfield, frontman of Metallica, has spoken about the artists who shaped his musical vision, tracing a line from the doom-laden heaviness of Black Sabbath to the melodic songwriting of Thin Lizzy. While Sabbath instilled the sense of dread and distortion that first drew him to heavy music, it was Thin Lizzy's gift for hooks and harmony that helps explain why Metallica later softened some of their thrash-metal edges, a shift that divided fans but reflected the breadth of Hetfield's influences.

Hetfield has described Black Sabbath's self-titled 1970 track as formative, recalling how he would secretly play his brother's record and be captivated by its "Devil's riff". By contrast, he named Thin Lizzy's 1976 hit "The Boys Are Back in Town" as the song he would choose as his walk-out music, praising its uplifting mood, sense of camaraderie and memorable harmony solos, saying "there's no doubt about it".