Metallica have issued the following message:

"Have you heard us refer to our fans as the Metallica Family? We really mean it! You make up an incredible community of people, and we’re honored to share our lives with you.

"Many of you are Fifth Members - part of our fan club. If you aren’t, you should sign up and enjoy perks like first crack at tickets plus access to giveaways, coupons, and more! The best part? It’s free!

"One of our favorite things about our fan club is hearing from local chapters worldwide. Check out just a few stories below, and if you’re interested, find a local chapter near you to become a member of one of these awesome communities."

Become a Fifth Member here; find a local chapter here.

"The Struggle Within Michigan, Chapter #555, had a BANNER year in 2023!

"We handed out gift bags at the 72 Seasons Global Movie Premiere in April, we were featured on WRIF radio, WRIF.com, AND The Metallica Report podcast, traveled to multiple shows, volunteered at a local food bank, and helped spread the MetFam love whenever and wherever we could! Plus, we met tons of new friends along the way.

"Of course, our year ended with a BANG during the M72 DETROIT TAKEOVER weekend here in November...what a BLAST! The chapter Welcome Party at Thomas Magee's kicked off the festivities, and our raffle raised over $1,400 for the AWMH Metallica Scholars Initiative!

"Thank you, MetFam, and thank you, Metallica!! It'll be a tough year for us to top, but we'll do our best. The LOVE is real." - Kurt Schwarz, Chapter Head, The Struggle Within Michigan, Michigan, United States

"This year, we are organizing the METALLICAMP European Chapter Meeting for the third time. It’s a small festival organized by the chapters Metal Militia Germany, St. Germany, and Dutch Militia with the help of the company Rock Entertainment. At the first metal camp, we celebrated 40 years of Metallica. At the second, the band My`tallica played Cliff's last concert. And this year, we are celebrating 40 years of Ride the Lightning.

"It always takes place at Canoe Camp Lingen, where canoe trips, archery, and much more are offered. On the first evening, all chapters meet at this camp to celebrate together. The concerts take place on the second and third days, and everyone is welcome. This year, for the first time, we are having a concert with ten bands on both days!" Michael Marter, Chapter Head, Metal Militia Germany, Germany

"It was an incredible inaugural year of events for The Sunforgiven! We started as a group of friends who shared our passion for Metallica. We had a couple of small get-togethers, passed out chapter cards at a few shows, and met members from other chapters around the world.

"We wanted to participate in AWMH’s Month of Giving but didn't know how or what to expect. During the Helping Hands concert in Los Angeles, my friend Jaime, who runs one of Arizona's premiere breweries and distilleries, and I discussed creating a first-of-its-kind chapter beer to benefit and promote the Month Of Giving. Once we got the ball rolling, I reached out to Tony Squindo, whom I met in San Francisco during S&M2. I asked if he would like to be involved, so we released the limited edition Squindo-designed can during the Month of Giving at a launch party and raised over $1700 for AWMH, placing us 7th for our first-ever participation in the contest!

"We also had the HUGE pleasure of being able to host some events during The Metallica Takeover here in Phoenix on the M72 World Tour, including another fundraising event that is now known as Enter Sandstorm due to a huge Haboob (an enormous dust storm) that swept through the festivities, hosted a party cruise with other chapters on the beautiful Canyon Lake, and passed out fan cards at the show in Phoenix. It's been an incredible experience since the start, and I can honestly say there is no other family like the Tallica family!!" - Robert Elliott, Chapter Head, The Sunforgiven, Arizona, United States

"Virginia Fuel has been Working with The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to help clean up local streets in our area. This partnership was inspired by the AWMH Beach Clean-up during the Metallica 40th anniversary shows in San Francisco.

"We get together twice a year and dawn our orange safety vests, put up warning signs (still not sure if it is to protect us from traffic or the community from us), and then we get to cleaning up the streets! We schedule this twice a year and make a party out of it. In return, VDOT has posted four signs along our clean-up route promoting our chapter.

"Virginia Fuel Loves the opportunity to represent Metallica and give back to our community!" - Ted Doran, Chapter Head, Virginia Fuel, Virginia, United States