Metallica have released the official video for “The Call of Ktulu,” filmed during the opening night of their Life Burns Faster residency at the Las Vegas Sphere on October 1.
The instrumental is one of the highlights of Ride the Lightning, Metallica’s 1984 second album. Inspired by the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, the nearly nine-minute track takes its name from the author’s short story The Call of Cthulhu, with the creature’s name deliberately respelled as “Ktulu.” The song was co-written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton and former Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine, who received songwriting credit despite leaving the band before the album was recorded.
The Sphere performance brings the song’s ominous atmosphere to a venue built around immersive audiovisual effects. Since opening in September 2023, the 17,600-capacity arena has hosted residencies by artists including U2, Phish, Dead & Company and the Eagles. Its defining features include a wraparound 16K-resolution screen and Sphere Immersive Sound, an advanced audio system designed to deliver consistent sound throughout the venue.
Metallica’s residency runs through March 13, 2027, with 24 performances scheduled on Thursdays and Saturdays. Following the format of the band’s ongoing M72 world tour, each Thursday-Saturday pairing features two completely different set lists.
Drummer Lars Ulrich said the band knew it wanted to play the Sphere after attending U2’s concert during the venue’s opening run.
“About 12 seconds into the opening night of Sphere with U2 back in ’23, I thought, ‘We have to do this. It’s completely uncharted territory,’” Ulrich said. “This residency gives us another chance to reinvent how we interact with our fans in a live setting. We are beyond excited to share this with the world … and way fuckin’ psyched to go next level!”
