Metallica have been forced to pull out of this year’s Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus and Louder Than Life in Louisville due to “recovery events” that frontman James Hetfield has scheduled, following his release from addiction treatment. Hetfield issued this statement, “Dear Metallica Family, it pains me to write this, but I have to let all of you know that I cannot make it to Sonic Temple in Columbus and Louder Than Life in Louisville this year. As part of my continuing using effort to get and stay healthy, I have critical recovery events on those weekend that cannot be moved. I apologize to all of our fans who have bought tickets for these festivals. We are working with festival promoters to provide refunds or exchanges. My intent with this statement is saying “I apologize” to each one of you. The reality is that I have not prioritized my health in the past year of touring and I now know that my mental health comes first. That might sound like a no-brainer for most of you but I didn’t want to let the Metallica team/family down and, I alone, completely compromised myself. Looking on the brighter side, my therapy is going well. It was absolutely necessary for me to look after my mental, physical and spiritual health. I want to stress that the band will play all other announced 2020 shows.”