Everyone has their take on who the quintessential metal band is, and to Alice Cooper, it's Metallica. In a new interview with AXS TV for their "At Home and Social Online" series, The Godfather of Shock Rock declared he always saw Metallica as "the metal band."

Cooper first commented on the thrashers' 1984 song, "Fade to Black." By the year it came out, Cooper was sober, and he noticed a big shift in rock trends at the time. "All of a sudden, metal that was underground is now at the forefront — you know, your bands like Iron Maiden and all these bands, and then here's Metallica who are getting played on the radio who would not have ever gotten played in the '70s."

"I always looked at Metallica as being sort of the metal band," he emphasized, adding that their combination of talent, anger and good live performances made for the perfect cocktail.

"They spoke for a generation that before was a little bit afraid to say they were metal. Now these kids are going, 'We want a little anger in our rock and roll. We don't want it to be nice.' That's why they liked me — 'cause I wasn't nice. Alice Cooper was a threat. And I think Metallica was a threat, but they were also making hit records."

Watch the full segment below.

Alice Cooper recently released the song "Don't Give Up" to spread hope to his fans amidst the pandemic.

Alice Cooper Speaks With AXS-TV

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