Metallica Replace Metallica Tribute Band's Stolen Gear

Metallica recently came to the aid of a Metallica tribute band—Blistered Earth—after their gear was stolen.

The Washington-state-based band's trailer—which was full of guitars, amps, effects, drums and more—was ransacked earlier this month in Oregon, and many key items were stolen:

After Blistered Earth spread the news about the incident via their Facebook page, Metallica came to the rescue. Just one day after the theft, James Hetfield & Co. offered to replace every bit of it.

"It's pretty cool that [Metallica] decided to do that. It's a pretty nice gesture," drummer and band spokesman Shawn Murphy told The Oregonian/OregonLive Thursday. "I just want to give a big thank-you from everybody in the band to the people of Portland. Everybody was just unbelievably cool and supportive."It was just awesome how everybody was standing out here and trying to help. It wasn't like, the thing of the day to chime in about on Facebook. People were legitimately trying to help.

• “The average person wouldn’t realize how common it is or how much of a target a band is when they’re on the road. You’re a stranger in a strange land, basically. People know that and they can take advantage.”
• Here's a clip of Blistered Earth performing Metallica's "Seek & Destroy" a few years ago.