The album was almost universally panned on release in 2011, with many followers demanding to know why they hadn't concentrated on recording a follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic instead of turned to a side-project. Before his death last year, Reed admitted the work had resulted in death threats from angry thrash fans.

But Jericho argues the project proves Metallica's greatness. He tells Rolling Stone: "You want to keep things fresh if you want any sort of longevity. You can't do the same thing over and over. I think the general consensus is that the Beatles are the best band of all time. And why is that? Because you never knew what you were going to get. There were no restrictions; no rules on who they were as a band or what they did or who they wanted to be.

"Look at Metallica. The record they did with Lou Reed, people buried it, hated it. It wasn't really my kind of thing. But the concept of them doing it, I loved, because why not? If I was in Metallica and I wanted to make a record with Lou Reed, you're f***ing right I'd do it, because I can - and that's all that matters to me."