Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich has praised the bands relationship with their fans, especially those who have stuck by the group as they've continued to challenge their sound.

“We've always hovered in our own little bubble, and we've never really had to answer to anybody other than ourselves, and we have an amazing relationship with our fans,” Ulrich told MTV.

Metallica are due to release their long-awaited album 'Death Magnetic' next month, which critics have already suggested is a return to their routes.

Speaking about the band's evolving sound, Ulrich said he felt Metllica had always gone against the “conservative elements” of “heavy-metal” and “hard-rock thinking” with their music.

“We're the toothpaste-selling business — it's not about a product," Ulrich said.

"The people who really relate to us, they know we have this awkward — some even call it perverse — need to break free from stereotypes, and to be able to go wherever we want, and sometimes, to a fault, but at least it's been a varied, honest ride."

He added that, even if the group were to lose admirers, he had no interest in ever being “pigeonholed and held in to a particular thing people expect from you".

(by Jason Gregory)