Asked by Thrasher magazine in a recent interview if he is offended at all by the CIA's use of METALLICA's music to torture prisoners, Hetfield said: "Ha! We've tortured people with it for a long time. A lot longer than the CIA."

He continued: "I've got nothing to say about that, really. I'm honored my country is using something to help us stay safe, if they are. But then again, once the music is out, I don't have control over that. Just like how someone's giving it away online. They're using it to do what they do.

So really he couldn't give a shit.

In the article you linked, it sounds like Metallica's PR people did the asking; the interview with Ulrich is pretty equivocal:

With the debate over the military and CIA's use of torture front and center in the news lately, Maddow also asked Ulrich how he felt about METALLICA's music being used to psychologically torture prisoners of war. "There is a lot of METALLICA music that's helping a lot of scared 18-, 19- and 20-year-old kids out there who are out on the front lines and who are doing a hell of a job on behalf of you and me and the rest of us," he said. "But obviously when you hear stories like the one you're telling, it all seems so bizarre and so strange that METALLICA's music, which generally sort of facilitates bringing people together, is used in these bizarre circumstances. It's certainly not something that we in any way advocate or condone."

So not going to advocate or condone the use of their music in torture.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

It is possible that James and his bandmates have different opinions about it. Hetfield has always come across as a bit dumb/rednecky(?) fwiw.

However the band as a whole did ask the US army to stop using their music.