NZ Herals News' Scott Kara reports:

Lars Ulrich doesn't want to be reminded that METALLICA will be 30 years old next year.

"Don't say it. Don't say it," he laughs, holding his head in his hands.

He's kidding, kind of, because despite the ups and downs Metallica have had in the three decades since Ulrich placed an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper and hooked up with guitarist and singer James Hetfield, life inside the world's biggest metal band is better than ever.

"Pretty hunky-dory" is how Ulrich, the band's co-founder and drummer, describes the mighty Metallica machine.

"Everybody's playing nice and we've found a way in the last couple of years to balance family and Metallica. And we've finally solved the riddle of how long to stay on the road so we don't jump off the deep end and lose our sanity."

Ulrich is talking to TimeOut in a pokey backstage dressing room before the band's Christchurch shows. There's a massage table ("Sometimes a few of the body parts need a little bit of a repair"), an abundance of protein drinks ("a few years ago it would have been very different"), and the deadened thud of support band TAINTED seeping through the concrete walls.

Ulrich, a Dane who moved to Los Angeles when he was 17 to train for a blossoming tennis career before he ended up playing drums, has a reputation as a bit of a big mouth. Yes, the 46-year-old can talk, and probably answers questions with far too much repetitive detail than he has to, but he's a likeable and forthcoming chap. Twice he finishes his rants with "I don't know. I'm just a f***** drummer". He's a proud family man; and what strikes you most is his passion for music.

He watches videos of DEEP PURPLE almost every day on his iPad; on his iPod of late he's been listening to BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE and STATUS QUO; and says music is what he knows best and where "I dwell".

"It's my comfort zone. It gets me fired up, and to be able to make it your life for 30 years it's pretty amazing."

And while Metallica might be a multimillion-dollar business - with 100 million records sold and millions more in tour and merchandise earnings - Ulrich says these days it's all about the music. "When you strip all the nonsense away - all the hotel suites, the private planes, and all the hooplah - it's just four guys who really love to play music together."

It's especially satisfying these days now that they are getting on well. He sounds genuinely chuffed and amazed when he says the four of them went out for dinner together the previous night.

"It's kind of... I don't think pathetic is the word," he laughs, "but there is an underlying sweetness to the whole thing now. Everything's cool. Everybody's getting along. We're having a good time. It's stress free."

Read the full report at this location.

Live and behind-the-scenes footage from Metallica's October 13th and 14th shows in Auckland, New Zealand at the Vector Arena have been posted online by Metallica.com. Check it out below.

It was previously reported that Metallica performed their track 'Orion' in full on October 14th in Auckland, New Zealand. Pro-shot footage of the performance can now be seen below.

The track is featured on the classic 1986 album Master Of Puppets, and was primarily composed by deceased bass player Cliff Burton. It is the closing music used in Cliff ‘Em All, a tribute video the band released in honour of Burton after his death.

The eight and a half minute track has not been played live since 2007, and prior to 2006 had not ever been played live from start to finish.