Here are all the artists that have opened for Metallica over the last decade.

The thrash legends have had an impressive lineup of artists supporting them throughout their M72 World Tour, which began in 2023 following the release of their latest album 72 Seasons.

We wanted to take it a step further and look back at all of the acts that have opened for them over the past ten years, starting from their tour in support of Hardwired… To Self Destruct!

Since then, Metallica has performed several times each year, even in 2020. They embarked on multiple headlining tours and played numerous festivals around the globe. On some tours, they featured a few set opening acts, while on others, they chose local groups based on the performance location.

We compiled the list of artists from various sources, including the “Past Tour Dates” section of Metallica’s website and the online Concert Archives database. We did not include festivals as those artists were not technically supporting Metallica directly.

This year alone, Pantera, Gojira, Knocked Loose, and Avatar will join Metallica as they continue with the next European leg of their M72 World Tour. It remains uncertain whether anyone will open for them during their residency at the Las Vegas Sphere this fall (making them the first metal band to do so!).

READ MORE: The 2 Metallica Songs James Hetfield Finds ‘Difficult’ to Play Live

As you scroll through the gallery below, you will see the artists and bands listed chronologically since 2016, with the location and year they opened noted beneath each image. We included the new 2026 openers even though those shows have yet to occur.

Scroll down to see all of the artists that have opened for Metallica over the last decade.

For more on Metallica’s history, scroll through a photo timeline of their career below.