Silverball guide · Metallica
Four features, one counter
Sparky, the snake, the coffin and the grave markers look like four separate things to shoot. They are one counter, and filling it is how you reach the only modes that pay properly.
UK Machine Record
Metallica
Stern · 2013 · at 8 UK venues.
8
UK venues
8
machines mapped
#21
most-located of 245
2013
released
Dot matrix4 playersSolid state
DesignJohn Borg
SoftwareLyman F. Sheats Jr., Lonnie D. Ropp, Mike Kyzivat
Editions in the UKMaster of Puppets LEPremiumPro
About
Metallica has become one of the defining modern Stern music games, and its original layout was designed by John Borg with software by Lyman F. Sheats Jr. The game was later revisited as Metallica Remastered, retaining Borg's basic architecture while updating the toys, lighting, geometry and rules presentation.
The original machine is fast, aggressive and remarkably good at making a player feel as though they are permanently one shot away from something enormous. Sparky, the snake and the various song modes give the game plenty of personality without getting in the way of the shots.
The UK has a strong history with Metallica machines, and the title remains one of the more recognisable Sterns in the tournament scene. Metallica rewards controlled aggression; shoot hard, but know where the ball is going afterwards.
Written by Silverball
Collector · casual
Your rating
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The playfield
What you’re looking at · 4
- Sparky
The figure strapped into the electric chair at the top. One of the four main features, and the one you can watch take the hit.
- The snake
The open jaws on the right. Another of the four, and a shot you feed straight down the throat.
- The coffin
Dead centre of the playfield, with a captive ball to drive into it. The fourth main feature alongside Sparky, the snake and the grave markers; those four are what the whole game is built on.
- The fuel gauge
The segmented bar under the band's faces. Four hits on the FUEL targets fill it a step, and filling it opens the dead end target behind them for double playfield scoring.
Written by Silverball
No tips for this one yet
Tips come from PinTips, where players write them and vote them up. They’re not ours to author, so a machine has none here until somebody writes one there.
A closer look
Close-ups of the Metallica playfield, with our note on what each one is showing you.
The ball-eating snake, jaw open beside the ramp.
The grave marker, and its in-line cross drop targets.
The fuel gauge, E to F, under the band.
Sparky, the writhing figure in the electric chair.
Photographs via the Internet Pinball Database. The captions are ours.
Community tutorials on YouTube, not made by Silverball.
Metallica Pinball TutorialPAPApinball · 2021 · on YouTube
Metallica Pinball Tutorial - Mobile VersionPAPApinball · 2014 · on YouTube
Metallica Pinball TutorialPAPApinball · 2014 · on YouTube
Videos from YouTube, curated from channels we rate. They belong to their creators, who aren’t affiliated with Silverball; links open on YouTube so the view counts for them. A creator who’d rather not be listed can get in touch and we’ll remove it.
The original flyer
How Metallica was sold to operators — Stern, 2013. The back is the feature list the manufacturer led with, which is a fair record of what the machine was meant to be famous for.
Flyer scan via the Internet Pinball Database. The artwork is Stern’s.
Nobody we follow has reviewed this one
Same short list of channels as the tutorials. A machine with no review here has not been passed over — it simply hasn’t been covered by anyone we list.
Where a machine sits is Pinball Map’s work, not ours, find Metallica near you on their map. Ratings, tips and tournament results here are ours.