It starts with a flickering light. Usually, the house lights go down, the crowd starts roaring, and then you hear those first few notes of the piano. It’s haunting. It’s cinematic. It’s arguably the most iconic intro in the history of heavy metal. We’re talking about The Ecstasy of Gold, Ennio Morricone’s masterpiece from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which has served as Metallica’s entrance music since 1983.
Most bands just walk on stage. Metallica makes it an event.
Honestly, it’s kind of wild when you think about it. A thrash metal band from the Bay Area using a 1960s Spaghetti Western score to set the tone for a night of distorted guitars and double-bass drumming? On paper, it sounds like a mismatch. In reality, it’s pure magic.
The Weird History of How Metallica Found The Ecstasy of Gold
If you want to know why this specific piece of music is so baked into the band’s DNA, you have to look back at the early 80s. They weren’t always the stadium-filling giants they are now. Back then, they were just kids trying to find a way to make their show feel bigger than the dive bars they were playing in.
The story goes that their first manager, Jon "Jonny Z" Zazula, was the one who suggested it. He felt their previous intro—which was just a bunch of scary sound effects—wasn't doing them any favors. He wanted something epic. Something that felt like a showdown.
He was right.
James Hetfield has mentioned in various interviews that the song creates a specific tension. It builds. It swells. It’s got that operatic vocal that makes the hair on your arms stand up. By the time the song reaches its crescendo and the band finally hits the stage, the energy in the room is at a literal breaking point.
More Than Just an Intro
For a lot of fans, The Ecstasy of Gold isn't just "that song from the movie." It’s the Pavlovian trigger that says Metallica is here. You can find dozens of bootlegs and official live recordings where the crowd sings along to the melody. Think about that: thousands of metalheads in black t-shirts screaming along to a wordless vocal melody written for a movie about bounty hunters in the American Civil War.
It’s beautiful, really.
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But Metallica didn’t just play the recording. Over the years, they’ve actually performed it. If you go back to the S&M concerts in 1999 with the San Francisco Symphony, or the S&M2 shows in 2019, you can hear them take Morricone’s work and turn it into something heavy. They didn't ruin it. They paid homage to it. They kept the soul of the original but added that "Hetfield crunch" to the rhythm section.
Why Ennio Morricone and Metallica Actually Make Sense
You might think Ennio Morricone and James Hetfield have nothing in common. One was a legendary Italian composer who won Oscars; the other is the godfather of thrash. But look closer.
Morricone’s music was always about drama. It was about wide-open spaces, high stakes, and a sense of impending doom or glory. That is exactly what Metallica’s music does. Songs like "Fade to Black" or "The Outlaw Torn" have that same cinematic DNA. They aren't just songs; they’re compositions.
When Morricone passed away in 2020, Metallica was among the first to pay tribute. James Hetfield wrote a really touching message about how Morricone’s music was part of their family. It wasn't just a gimmick to them. It was a genuine influence on how they perceived melody and atmosphere.
The 2007 Tribute That Everyone Forgot
A lot of people don’t realize that Metallica actually recorded a studio version of The Ecstasy of Gold. It was for a tribute album titled We All Love Ennio Morricone.
Most of the artists on that record did pretty standard covers. Not Metallica. They turned it into an instrumental powerhouse. It starts with the familiar melody, but then the guitars kick in. It’s fast. It’s aggressive. It sounds like something that could have lived on Ride the Lightning.
It actually got nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. It lost, because of course it did—Grammys and metal have a rocky relationship—but it remains a fan favorite. It proved that the band didn't just view the song as a piece of "pre-roll" audio. They respected the composition enough to learn it, rearrange it, and put their stamp on it.
The Visual Component
If you’ve ever been to a Metallica show in the last twenty years, you know the visuals are just as important as the audio. Usually, when The Ecstasy of Gold plays, the big screens show the famous scene from the movie. Eli Wallach (Tuco) is running through the graveyard, frantically looking for the grave of Arch Stanton.
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The speed of his running matches the tempo of the music perfectly. It creates this sense of frantic searching—a quest for something valuable.
Is it gold? Is it the music? Is it the connection between the band and the fans? Probably all of the above.
The Longevity of the Tradition
Bands change their setlists all the time. They change their gear. They change their hair. But Metallica has stuck with this intro for over four decades. That kind of consistency is rare in rock and roll.
It has survived the departure of Cliff Burton. It survived the 90s makeover. It survived the St. Anger era. No matter what is going on with the band internally, that song remains the constant. It’s the bridge between the fans and the performance.
There’s a certain comfort in it. You know exactly what’s coming, yet it never gets old. Every time that piano starts, you feel that same rush of adrenaline. It’s a testament to Morricone’s genius that a piece written in 1966 can still dominate a stadium in 2026.
Misconceptions and Interesting Tidbits
Some people think Metallica owns the rights to the song because they use it so much. They don't. They pay licensing fees just like anyone else would. But they’ve used it so effectively that many younger fans actually discovered Ennio Morricone through Metallica.
That’s a cool legacy to have.
Another thing: people often ask why they don't use a song from their own catalog as an intro. They have plenty of "epic" openers. "Battery" or "Blackened" would work fine. But James has gone on record saying that the band needs that "buffer zone." They need those three minutes of Morricone to get their heads in the game. It’s their ritual.
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Specific Moments Where It Peaked
- S&M (1999): Hearing a full orchestra play the intro while the band stood there was a "peak" moment in 90s rock.
- The Big Four (2010): When they played with Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Even fans of the other bands couldn't help but respect the intro.
- Post-2020 shows: The first shows after Morricone’s death felt heavier. The tribute visuals were a bit more poignant.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Musicians
If you’re a fan or a musician looking to capture even a fraction of that energy, there are a few things to take away from the The Ecstasy of Gold and Metallica connection.
1. Study the Dynamics
The reason this song works is dynamics. It starts small and ends massive. If you're writing music or planning a performance, don't give everything away in the first ten seconds. Build the tension. Make the audience wait for the payoff.
2. Look Outside Your Genre
Metallica didn't look at other metal bands for their intro. They looked at cinema. They looked at classical arrangements. If you want to stand out, stop looking at what your direct competitors are doing and find inspiration in something completely different—like film scores, jazz, or even folk music.
3. Respect the Pioneers
Metallica never claimed they wrote the song. They always credit Morricone. They've invited his family to shows. This kind of respect for the "greats" builds a lot of goodwill in the industry and helps preserve the history of music across different genres.
4. Create a Ritual
If you're a performer, find your "Ecstasy of Gold." Find that one thing that signals to your audience—and yourself—that it's time to perform. It builds a psychological bridge that makes the transition from "person" to "performer" much easier.
5. Listen to the Tribute Version
If you haven't heard the studio version from the 2007 tribute album, go find it. It's a masterclass in how to cover a song while maintaining your own identity. It’s not just a copy; it’s a reimagining.
Metallica's use of this track is one of the few things in the music world that feels truly timeless. It’s a reminder that great art doesn't have an expiration date. Whether you're a fan of Sergio Leone’s films or Lars Ulrich’s drumming, the intersection of these two worlds is something special. It’s a bit of cinematic history that found a second home in the loudest venues on Earth.
Next time you hear those bells and that haunting vocal, don't just wait for the "heavy" part. Listen to the composition. Appreciate the way the melody snakes around the rhythm. It’s more than just an intro; it’s a lesson in atmosphere.