Lars Ulrich’s ‘Whole Family Fell in Love With Royal Blood,’ Duo Influenced Sons’ Band

Metallica's Lars Ulrich has expressed his affinity for Brit rock over the years, professing his love for Oasis, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to see that he's also found a fondness for one of the U.K.'s top rock exports of recent years, Royal Blood. In fact, Ulrich reveals the duo of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher have had quite the impact on his family as a whole.

Speaking with NME about his Royal Blood fandom, the Metallica drummer recalls that her first heard about the duo "probably in the NME" when the band's 2014 self-titled debut arrived. "Our whole family fell in love with it," said Ulrich. "It was my kids’ favorite band and favorite album. The first time [Royal Blood] played in San Fran, my wife and I met them and hung out. We ended up driving them around and showing them the landmarks.”

Ulrich shared just how much Royal Blood impacted his sons, commenting that his eldest son's first band once had six Royal Blood covers in their live set. "They were basically a Royal Blood cover band. Now he and his brother have a band down in L.A. called Taipei Houston. They’re a two-piece very much inspired by Royal Blood so still even seven-eight years later, Royal Blood is a big part of our family’s musical enjoyment."

The admiration is mutual between Royal Blood and Lars, as Royal Blood recently took on "Sad But True" as part of the Metallica Blacklist covers compilation coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Metallica's self-titled release.

Thatcher told NME of Ulrich and his family's support, “It’s crazy! To have someone like that back your band and not just back it, but think that you’re great, is such a nice feeling.”

While Metallica are currently looking back on their historic release, Royal Blood have returned with new music this year. The evolutionary Typhoons album arrived in April, featuring such standouts as "Trouble's Coming," the title track, "Limbo" and "Boilermaker."