James Hetfield turned heads at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas this week, sporting a bold new look: a dark black streak running through his gray hair. The 63-year-old Metallica frontman was photographed at the 12,000-square-foot museum, which opened in 2023 and documents punk music history, wearing a black Misfits T-shirt.
The new hairstyle matters to fans because Hetfield will carry this look into Metallica's major Las Vegas residency. The band will perform 24 shows at Sphere, beginning October 1 and running through March 13. The residency also includes pop-up shops, Metallica's Black Box museum, and themed events throughout the city.
Metallica fans on social media compared the style to the "reverse Alex Skolnick," referencing Testament's guitarist who is known for a silver streak in his black hair. Hetfield's choice to wear a Misfits shirt reflects his long connection to the band—he has cited Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein as an inspiration for his rhythm playing, and Metallica covered two Misfits songs on their 1987 EP "Garage Days Re-Revisited."
The frontman has experimented with various hairstyles throughout his decades in the band, most notably cutting his hair in 1996 ahead of promoting the Load album.