Turnstile declined an invitation to tour with Metallica, according to Metallica frontman James Hetfield. Speaking on his SiriusXM show Riff Life, Hetfield said his band had approached the Baltimore hardcore group, but that Turnstile chose not to accept the opportunity.
“We wanted to get them on tour, and they said no. They’re doing good on their own already,” Hetfield said.
Despite the rejection, Hetfield praised Turnstile’s live performances and encouraged listeners to see the band in concert. He said the group brought an especially enjoyable atmosphere to the stage and that its energy was even clearer in person than on recordings.
Hetfield also described the members he had met as “super cool” and “super fun.” He referred to British guitarist Meg Mills, who joined Turnstile’s touring line-up in 2023.
The Metallica singer’s admiration for Turnstile is not new. In 2024, he was seen watching the band perform at Norway’s Tons Of Rock festival alongside Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford.
The declined invitation comes during a successful period for Turnstile. The band released its fourth studio album, ‘Never Enough’, in June 2025. The record received a five-star review from NME, which highlighted its bright, eccentric sound and its expansion of hardcore’s boundaries.
Turnstile later released ‘Never Enough: Versions’, featuring reworked tracks with contributions from Elton John, Hayley Williams, Blood Orange and A.G. Cook, among others.
Last weekend, the band performed a free concert at Washington DC’s National Mall, drawing an estimated 60,000 people to the Washington Monument. The event concluded its North American tour and raised more than $220,000 (£165,000) for humanitarian efforts in Palestine, Sudan and Lebanon.
Turnstile also won Best Rock Album for ‘Never Enough’ and Best Metal Performance for ‘Birds’ at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Metallica, meanwhile, continue their ‘M72’ world tour, which began in 2023 in support of ‘72 Seasons’. Earlier this year, the band took Knocked Loose on its UK and European stadium dates. Metallica are currently holding their ‘Life Burns Faster’ residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas and have announced additional North American stadium shows for 2027, with Limp Bizkit and Avatar set to join them from May 8 in Vancouver through June across the US and Canada.
Sources: NME.