Metallica originally released their cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" as a B-side to the "Creeping Death" single in 1984. Despite being a staple in Metallica's live set throughout the '80s and '90s, the song has only been played live 13 times since 2011 (with the last performance coming in 2018).
So it was a pretty big deal that Metallica broke out the cover at the Tons of Rock Festival in Oslo, Norway, but an even bigger deal that Diamond Head guitarist (and co-writer of the original) Brian Tatler joined them on stage for the cover! Check it out above complete with a very happy looking Tatler, who was already at the festival since he joined fellow Tons of Rock performers Saxon in 2023.
In a 2022 interview with Metal Pilgrim, Tatler said he doesn't think he'd have a career if Metallica didn't cover "Am I Evil?"
"I think if Metallica hadn't covered Diamond Head — the first cover was '84 when they did 'Am I Evil?' on the B-side of 'Creeping Death' — so I think if they hadn't, I may have looked elsewhere for employment. I think it would have been harder to keep Diamond Head going without that introduction to their fanbase. 'Cause that record sold millions of copies — versions of 'Am I Evil?' have sold millions of copies through Metallica — and so so many more people know Diamond Head thanks to Lars [Ulrich] and Co.
"And it may be that a lot of the opportunities that we get now would not be there without that Metallica connection. So I'm eternally grateful. Obviously, myself and Sean [Harris, original Diamond Head singer] still get writers' royalties, but even so, I just think it's helped Diamond Head as a name and a brand to get on more and more opportunities — get festivals and supports. Because they link it with Metallica; they think, 'Okay, well, you're potentially tapping into a huge market.'"
