Metallica are undisputed titans of the metal world but their influence in the fashion sphere is pretty far-reaching, too. Social media icons including Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner have been known to don 'Tallica T-shirts on occasion, prompting metal loyalists to question their knowledge on the band and qualification to represent the genre.
And that's exactly what TikTok star Zaria has faced as of late. The aspiring R&B/hip-hop vocalist and dancer received pushback from several of the platform's users after wearing a Ride The Lightning T-shirt in recent videos, with at least one challenging her to “name three Metallica songs.”
And boy, did she have the best response. In a clap-back video, she retorts, “My response to you guys is like, ‘Really, only three songs? How ’bout I play them on guitar for you!’”
@zariasmusic Reply to @paytonnsmith I hope this video finds the ##Metallica fans lol, not my best ##guitar playing but that wasn’t really the point ##guitarist
♬ original sound - Zaria
She then proceeds to rip through the main riff of Master of Puppets – using all-downpicking, no less – Enter Sandman, and, to showcase her lead playing abilities, the two-handed tapping section of One.
In subsequent videos, she responds to more challengers, playing the full solo of One and shredding through Master of Puppets album opener Battery.
Zaria currently boasts over 100,000 followers on TikTok, and has more than likely added swathes of pleasantly surprised metal fans in recent days. Check out a thread of the exchange below.
@zariasmusic Thoughts on top
♬ original sound - Zaria
@zariasmusic Reply to @paytonnsmith you’re a troll lil man the whole point was whether or not I knew any Metallica songs not whether or not I could play them on 🎸
♬ original sound - Zaria
@zariasmusic Reply to @davidgriffith970 too much reverb but u get the point. Comment suggestions and I’ll play for y’all ##guitar ##guitarist ##metallica
♬ original sound - Zaria
@zariasmusic Reply to @thedarkknlght working on that... very rusty but here’s a clip of me practicing The Unforgiven ##metallica ##guitar ##guitarist
♬ original sound - Zaria