A3LiveOct 29, 2026By Lockgroove

Metallica share live "Leper Messiah" filmed inside the Sphere

The Master of Puppets deep cut gets the full Las Vegas treatment, as Black Sabbath fans get a soundtrack date of their own.

Metallica have released a new live video of "Leper Messiah," filmed during their run at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The song, a fan favourite from 1986's Master of Puppets, is shown against the venue's wraparound screen, which has become a showcase for whatever band plays it.

The clip continues the band's habit of putting out pro-shot live footage from recent shows. It is a good look at how a song built for clubs and arenas plays inside the most talked-about room in live music.

Elsewhere in heavy music this week, the soundtrack to the Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath film is set for release in December. In lineup news, drummer Dana Burnell has left the US metal band Crimson Glory.

The Lockgroove take

A song about selling faith, played in the most expensive room in music

There is an irony here worth enjoying. "Leper Messiah" is Metallica's 1986 attack on televangelists and the business of selling belief to crowds. Forty years later the band are playing it inside the Sphere, a venue built to make audiences gasp at the screen.

The choice of song matters too. Bands at the Sphere usually lean on their biggest hits, because the visuals do the heavy lifting. Releasing a deep cut instead says Metallica trust their catalogue to carry the room. Master of Puppets found a new audience after its title track appeared in Stranger Things in 2022, and clips like this one invite those newer fans past the obvious songs.

Put this on

01
"Leper Messiah" (Master of Puppets, 1986)
The studio original. Hear how tight and mid-tempo it is compared with the rest of the album.
Play on Apple Music
02
"Orion" (Master of Puppets, 1986)
The instrumental from the same record, and a showcase for Cliff Burton's bass.
Play on Apple Music
03
"Master of Puppets" (Master of Puppets, 1986)
The title track that went viral again, decades after release.
Play on Apple Music

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