guitar hero world tour metallica

GHWT: DE works best off of the following:

• OS: Windows 10 (64 bit)
• CPU: Intel Core i5 6th generation or AMD equivalent
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• GPU: Dedicated GPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900 or AMD equivalent

Take a peek through our helpful Getting Started guide for more information.

This guide should cover most problems that you may encounter when installing or trying to play the mod. Read on!

Mods go in the DATA/MODS directory.

Read the Installing Mods page on the Wiki for a complete guide on how to install characters, songs, and other modded content.

Primary Nav Tour Upcoming Dates Past Dates News News In The Press ...And On Top Of That Band Timeline History Metallica Music Releases Songs & Lyrics Media Videos Photos Podcast Fan Club Sign Up News So What! Contests Videos Photos Forums Local Chapters Shop New & Featured Collaborations Sale Clearance Gift Certificates Media Return to Media Reissues Vinyl Digital Downloads Live Metallica CDs CDs DVDs Books Apparel Return to Apparel Shirts Pants & Shorts Outerwear Headwear Footwear Kids & Babies Accessories Return to Accessories Stickers, Patches & Buttons Puzzles, Games & Figures Wall Art Picks, Sticks & Straps Vinyl Care Jewelry Drinkware Collections Return to Collections 72 Seasons All Within My Hands Fifth Member™ Blackened Whiskey Probity UK Shop Metallica Black Box

Guitar Hero World Tour

• See Lyrics & Stats For This SONG
• See all concerts with this SONG

Downloadable Content Available:

• Dragon's Dogma 2
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Helldivers 2
• Stardew Valley
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy

Metallica’s ‘Death Magnetic’ coming to Guitar Hero III and World Tour

Today, Metallica announced on their official Web site that their upcoming album, Death Magnetic , will be available for download on Guitar Hero III the day it debuts in stores. If only being able to act like a guitarist is not enough to suit your fancy, don’t worry. Death Magnetic will also be available on Guitar Hero World Tour this fall.

I always wanted an opportunity to play the drums like Lars, or groan like Hetfield. I wonder if this upcoming album will be able to match the inspiring records of old. Hopefully, we won’t be bothered with another “St. Anger.” What the hell was with Lars’ drum kit on that CD anyway? It sounded like he had a cat tethered across the snare.

According to GuitarHeroNews , the album is set to drop this September. No price point or exact date has been pinpointed as of yet. What do you guys think of this move? I always visualized playing some of Metallica’s older stuff, like what has been previously offered — not necessarily a brand new album. Do you think this will open doors to the entire Metallica library?

Guitar Hero: Metallica Review

• First Released Mar 29, 2009 released

Guitar Hero: Metallica is a juiced-up track pack likely to please both solo guitarists and full-on bands.

By Chris Watters on March 31, 2009 at 6:02PM PDT

Although the old adage about books is usually applicable to video games, it's actually just fine to judge Guitar Hero: Metallica by its cover. It conveys that, in this game, you can play Metallica songs "on guitar or with the whole band," as well as other tracks from "over 20 guest acts." Which songs and which guest acts, you wonder? The 49-song setlist is on the back cover, and how you feel about it will play a large part in how keen you are to pay full retail price for this game. Aside from some new online features and an intense Expert+ drummer mode (with two kick pedals!), this is little more than a Guitar Hero track pack jammed with metal songs and Metallica extras. Fortunately, a lot of the songs are fun to play, and there are plenty of tough tracks to challenge expert players. It's a bit overpriced when compared to the 80+ songs of the similarly priced World Tour, but Guitar Hero: Metallica is still great fun for those who like to rock out in their living rooms.

The 28 Metallica songs span the band's long career, from their first studio album Kill 'Em All up through last year's Death Magnetic . The previously released downloadable tracks from Death Magnetic will work with Guitar Hero: Metallica, but to play any other downloaded songs or to download new songs, you'll have to put in the Guitar Hero: World Tour disc. However, this doesn't mean that your session will be strictly Metallica; the game includes songs by other bands such as Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, Judas Priest, and System of a Down. You can check out the full Guitar Hero: Metallica setlist to get a better idea of how the game will jibe with your musical tastes, but on the whole it's a surprisingly thoughtful and well-rounded list.

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Another Crab's Treasure Is A Soulslike 3D Platformer | GameSpot Review

Stellar Blade Review

Nintendo 64 – April 2024 Game Updates – Nintendo Switch Online

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble - Official Multiplayer Features Trailer

PUBG | Erangel Classic Returns

Gori: Cuddly Carnage | Meow Launch Date Announcement Trailer

MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED – Official OP “MUSASHI English Ver.” Trailer

Stellar Blade - Official Launch Trailer | PS5 Games

Gothic 1 Remake | Official Collector's Edition Trailer

SaGa Emerald Beyond – Official Launch Trailer

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Official Switch Overview Trailer

Sand Land Review

Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

Sign up or Sign in now!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Now Playing: Guitar Hero: Metallica Video Review

Whatever your feelings about Metallica may be, there's no denying that this game has a lot to offer folks who are looking for a challenge. The guitar solos can be blistering, especially given that many of the songs are quite long. There is also an Expert+ mode for drummers, which demands that you use two bass pedals (splitter required) to keep up with the fierce onslaught of percussion. The suite of online competitive modes from World Tour is back with a few new additions, notably a four-versus-four Battle of the Bands mode. Online competition is still as fierce as ever, so casual players are advised to stick to the accommodating difficulty range of local play.

The presentation benefits from the metal theme, and the avatars of James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Rob Trujillo, and Lars Ulrich are instantly recognizable. Their animations are unique and add a lot of character to any Metallica song you play, though their lack of shoulder straps and occasionally goofy faces will still remind you that you're playing a Guitar Hero game. When you're not playing a Metallica song, you can use one of the iconic Guitar Hero characters (Axel Steel, anyone?) or you can use your own created character. Career mode (either solo or in a band) is structured in the same dull list format, but the arenas are quite impressive and you don't even have to play all of the songs to complete a career. This allows a welcome bit of flexibility, so you can avoid Metallica's heavier early work in favor of their more melodic stuff if you like, or vice versa.

There are a bunch of Metallica-themed extras included, from live video of performances to Metallifacts, which are performances of each song accompanied by trivia about the band, the song, and the game. The robust music studio from World Tour is back with a few new guitar sounds, but this game is really about playing songs, not recording them. At 49 songs, the game gives you less than the $60 World Tour, but $60 is less than you pay for 49 downloaded songs, so it's really a matter of perspective. Metallica haters should steer clear, and metalheads should snatch it up. For World Tour players who are on the fence, Guitar Hero: Metallica is a solid game with a strong setlist that offers you a great fake-plastic-rock experience.

• Leave Blank
• Great array of Metallica songs
• Solid setlist includes plenty of other acts
• Good Metallica-flavored extras
• New level of challenge for expert drummers
• Not a great value
• Only supports Death Magnetic DLC

About the Author

Chris Watters

More gamespot reviews.

Use your keyboard!

Log in to comment

• Video Games
• Legacy Systems
• Xbox Systems

Buy new: #buybox .a-accordion .a-accordion-active .a-price[data-a-size=l].reinventPriceAccordionT2 .a-price-whole { font-size: 28px !important; } #buybox .a-accordion .a-accordion-active .a-price[data-a-size=l].reinventPriceAccordionT2 .a-price-fraction, #buybox .a-accordion .a-accordion-active .a-price[data-a-size=l].reinventPriceAccordionT2 .a-price-symbol { top: -0.75em; font-size: 13px; } $75.99 $ 75 . 99 FREE delivery: May 8 - 15 Ships from: Nationaldistributioncentral Sold by: Nationaldistributioncentral

Save with used - very good #buybox .a-accordion .a-accordion-active .a-price[data-a-size=l].reinventpriceaccordiont2 .a-price-whole { font-size: 28px important; } #buybox .a-accordion .a-accordion-active .a-price[data-a-size=l].reinventpriceaccordiont2 .a-price-fraction, #buybox .a-accordion .a-accordion-active .a-price[data-a-size=l].reinventpriceaccordiont2 .a-price-symbol { top: -0.75em; font-size: 13px; } $61.54 $ 61 . 54 free delivery: thursday, may 2 ships from: amazon sold by: jjvideogames, return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Guitar Hero Metallica - Xbox 360

PlayStation2

PlayStation 3

Nintendo Wii

Purchase options and add-ons

About this item.

• Follow Metallica on a tour through their career while playing their greatest hits
• Play 28 Metallica songs and 21 songs by artists that influenced their career
• Grab your friends and make up the entire band with guitars, drums, and vocals
• Expert Plus difficult lets you plug in a second bass pedal
• Enter the Music Studio to create your own music that you can share with others

Buy this product as Renewed and save $13.09 off the current New price.

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

Product information

Warranty & support, product description, product description.

Nothing Else Matters, because Guitar Hero: Metallica will focus on the career and songs of Metallica. With 28 Metallica songs and 21 other songs that influenced the band, fans will love to Ride The Lightning playing guitars, drums, and singing vocals alongside Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, and Robert Trujillo. So Hit The Lights put some Whiskey In The Jar and be the Hero of the Day!

As you progress in the game, you'll start to unlock bonus features such as videos of old Metallica performances, backstage photos, and "Metallifacts," which enables different trivia to show up while a song is playing, similar to VH1's Pop-Up Video.

Metallica Recordings from Original Masters and More Via Download Guitar Hero: Metallica features 49 songs in total, 28 Metallica songs, and 21 songs that are favorites of the band and have influenced them. The Metallica songs are sourced from original masters so you'll have the best audio quality available. You'll also be able play downloadable content from their latest album, Death Magnetic.

Game Difficulty Goes from One All The Way Up to Eleven Metallica exhibit technical prowess while performing, and this game goes from Beginner all the way to Expert Plus difficulty. Hardcore gamers will not be disappointed. You'll have to play guitars, drums, and sing, and in the "Expert Plus" difficulty, you'll have to plug in a second bass pedal for double bass pedal drum work.

Real-Life Venues As you go on tour, you'll be playing venues small and large, and you might recognize some that you've been to. Famous venues that played a part in Metallica's career such as The Stone and the Hammersmith Odeon are included in the game and have been duplicated with great detail.

Grab Your Friends and Play Together Multiplayer is part of what made Guitar Hero such a hit and it is no different here. Gather your friends and family, and jam Metallica tunes together. The game also features Metallica-specific power ups for competitive multiplayer. For example, "Fade to Black" will black out your opponent's notes, and "Trapped Under Ice" will freeze their whammy bar.

Create Your Own Music Those familiar with Guitar Hero World Tour will welcome back the Music Studio, where you can create new music and then upload and share them through the GHTunes service. The Music Studio in Guitar Hero: Metallica gives you Metallica specific tones such as Hetfields' ESP Truckster guitar, as well as Metallica drum sounds. Songs made in Metallica and World Tour are compatible with each other through the GHTunes service.

Videos for this product

Click to play video

Guitar Hero Metallica

Merchant Video

My honest opinion of guitar hero Metallica for Wii!

Honest Reviews From A Regular Blue Collar Guy!

Looking for specific info?

Customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the quality, music selection, value, and appearance of the video game. For example, they mention it works great, has some great tunes, and is worth the purchase. Some appreciate the proper looking characters.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the quality of the game. They say it's a great game, works great, and has many of Metallica's greatest songs. Some say the solos are fun with this game. Overall, most find it to be the best guitar hero game out there.

"... Works perfict ." Read more

"... Its awesome ." Read more

" Works just fine ." Read more

" This game is magnificent . Just a little shorter than I had wanted...." Read more

Customers find the music selection in the video game software great, incredible, and challenging. They also say the songs are new and old Metallica songs, with a few selections from various artists. Overall, customers say the soundtrack is sick and the setlist is pretty good.

"...then aerosmith, colder then Van Halen though to be fair, each game is unique and good ..but the Metallica has the music to make you step your game up...." Read more

"...just defines what Guitar Hero is and should be...catchy riffs, challenging songs , proper looking characters and a steady dose of ROCK and METAL that..." Read more

"...This game is amazing with all the graphics and the incredible song list ...." Read more

"...It has new and old Metallica songs , with a few selections from various artists such as Motorhead and System of a Down...." Read more

Customers like the value of the video game software. They mention it's worth the purchase, and a good deal.

"...Rockband instruments, pro-drums, etc...so it was a good deal, and inexpensive ...." Read more

"...Works and kids enjoying. Great price , too" Read more

"It didn't work, wasted money " Read more

"...Its worth the purchase and buy , if you are a fan of Guitar Hero and Metallica. A game full of great songs from Metallica's early days, to later days." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the appearance of the video game. They mention that it has amazing graphics and performance. They also appreciate the proper looking characters.

"...Hero is and should be...catchy riffs, challenging songs, proper looking characters and a steady dose of ROCK and METAL that pounds and pounds, but..." Read more

"...This game is amazing with all the graphics and the incredible song list...." Read more

"The game was very good, the visuals were great and the movement of the characters too, the thing that i seem rare was the story, because you take a..." Read more

"...The songs are challenging to say the very least. The graphics on this game were awesome ...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the condition of the video game software. Some mention it's in great condition, while others say the case was broken, the package was torn, and the disc is totally scratched.

"The cd got some scratches but is working properly.It was posted like new that is why I bought it but it's real condition will be average." Read more

" Great condition , plays perfect. Very good price for such a hard-to-find game." Read more

" Package was torn and game case was broken.Checked the game and it played ok, but I was not sure when it arrived theway the pkg...." Read more

"...can't buff it anymore because it's been done to many times it ruined the disc horrible !!!!" Read more

Reviews with images

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

• To use just connect the dongle to your PC, no drivers to install or software needed.
• Plug in the wireless adapter
• Hold the PS/Sync button on your Instrument and then do the same on the wireless adapter until both blink rapidly.
• After a moment it should connect and show the corresponding player LED lit.
• Repeat for other players or move on to binding your controller.

• Plug in the wireless adapter.
• Open the start menu and search for "Device manager"

• Right click on the "Unknown device" in the "Other Devices" section and click "Update driver"

• Click on "Browse my computer for drivers"

• Click "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer"

• Scroll to the bottom of the list and click "Xbox 360 Peripherals" then click Next

• Click "Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows" then click next

• You will get a warning, disregard and Click Yes to continue.

• After a moment it will install.

• You should now see the "Xbox 360 Peripherals" category and "Xbox 360 Wireless Reciever for Windows" within it.

• Now click the Sync button on your Instrument and then do the same on the wireless adapter. After a moment it should connect and show the corresponding player LED lit.

• Right click on the "Guitar Hero" in the "Other Devices" section and click "Update driver"

• Click "Xbox 360 Controller for Windows" then click next

• You should now see the "Xbox 360 Peripherals" category and "Xbox 360 Controller for Windows" within it. Your adapter should now light up.

• Now click the Sync button on your Guitar until the LEDs blink rapidly and then do the same on the wireless adapter. After a moment it should connect and show the corresponding player LED lit.

• Plug the Wiimote into the peripheral before continuing.

• Click the REMOVE ALL WIIMOTES button to make sure you do not have any Wiimotes registered to your computer.

• Wiitar thing will restart.

• Press the SYNC Button in the top left corner of WiitarThing
• Press the red SYNC button on the inside of your Wiimote's battery cover (1+2 may also work if this is giving you issues.)

• Once the device Is connected successfully then click "ok".

• The Wiimote should appear in the list on the left side of the window.
• If or plan to use your Guitar, Drums or DJ Hero Turn Table with dolphin close Wiitar Thing and move on to dolphin.

• Click the CONNECT button on the menu next to the Wiimote you want to use and then choose Player 1, 2, 3, or 4.

• Press 1+2 on the Wiimote you want to use and click OK on the prompt telling you to do so.

• If functioning properly your Wiitar/Wiidrums will be connected.

“Honoring Jimi Hendrix, the greatest guitar player of all time”: The Experience Hendrix Tour is returning for the first time in 5 years, with a mega lineup including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Samantha Fish and Zakk Wylde

The all-star lineup will tour the US later this year, marking the 20th anniversary of the multi-artist celebration of Jimi Hendrix’s trailblazing guitar-playing

The Experience Hendrix Tour will return for 24 US dates this fall, celebrating Jimi Hendrix’s fretboard-burning work with a huge ensemble of all-star electric guitar stars. 

The tour marks the 20th anniversary of what its curators are calling a “multi-artist celebration of Jimi Hendrix’s musical genius”, and comes five years after its last tour. 

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Zakk Wylde, and Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram will head up a “powerhouse three-hour concert experience”, which also helps shine a light on up-and-coming blues rock talent. 

“I’m excited to rejoin the Experience Hendrix tour this year,” says Shepherd. “It’s always been a great tour with exceptional artists honoring Jimi Hendrix, the greatest guitar player of all time, and his amazing and expansive catalog of songs. 

“Being able to do a tour with friends always makes for a great time and this show is not to be missed.”

Other notable artists tapped for the multi-generational line-up include Taj Mahal, Samantha Fish, and Dweezil Zappa, as well as Indigenous guitarist, Mato Nanji.  

Flag bearers for a new generation of blues players include Ally Venable – who headlined the 60-date European Blues Caravan tour at just 20 years old – and Blues Foundation’s 2023 International Blues Challenge winner, Mathias Lattin. 

Get The Pick Newsletter

All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!

There’s even room for two-hand tapping jazz virtuoso Stanley Jordan, who is sure to offer a fresh take on some of Hendrix’s cuts.

The full list of artists confirmed reads: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Kingfish, Eric Johnson, Zakk Wylde, Samantha Fish, Dweezil Zappa, Taj Mahal, Noah Hunt, Chuck Campbell and Calvin Cooke (The Slide Brothers), Stanley Jordan, Ally Venable, Mato Nanji (Indigenous), Dylan Triplett, Ayron Jones, Artur Menezes, Mathias Lattin and Hendri Brown. 

Some dates will also feature additional special guests, including legendary Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, with more set to be announced in the future. 

The tour’s concept dates back to 2001, when a single concert was held in San Diego. The show was repeated a year later, before hitting the road as a fully fledged tour in 2004. 

The 2024 edition stops in the Pacific Northwest, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, before travelling through Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. Aptly, the showcase kicks off in Hendrix’s hometown, at Seattle’s Paramount Theater. 

The tour works with a rotating line-up, meaning the guitarists performing each night will vary. For detailed information, head to the Experience Hendrix Tour website . 

2024 Experience Hendrix Tour dates:

• Sept 19: Seattle WA, Paramount Theatre
• Sept 20: Spokane WA, First Interstate Center for the Arts
• Sept 21: Forest Grove OR, Grand Lodge
• Sept 22: Reno NV, Grand Theatre/Grand Sierra Resort
• Sept 25: Santa Rosa CA, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
• Sept 26: Saratoga, CA, The Mountain Winery
• Sept 27: Las Vegas NV, Smith Center
• Sept 28: Highland CA, Yaamaya Theater
• Sept 29: Tucson AZ, Fox Theatre
• Oct 01: Anaheim CA, City National Grove
• Oct 03: San Diego CA, Rady Shell
• Oct 04: Mesa AZ, Mesa Arts Center/Ikeda Theater
• Oct 05: Albuquerque NM, Mesa Arts Center/Ikva Auditorium
• Oct 06:Colorado Springs CO, Pikes Peak Center
• Oct 09: San Antonio TX, Majestic Theatre
• Oct 10: Houston TX, Bayou Music Center
• Oct 11: Ft. Worth TX, Will Rogers Auditorium
• Oct 12: Tulsa OK, River Spirit Casino
• Oct 13: Shreveport LA, Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
• Oct 15: Nashville TN, Ryman Auditorium
• Oct 16: Evans GA, Columbia Country Performing Arts Center
• Oct 17: Clearwater FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall
• Oct 18: Pompano Beach FL, Pompano Beach Amphitheater
• Oct 19: St. Augustine, FL, St. Augustine Amphitheater 

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog , Guitar World , and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis , in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.

“Your voice has been heard”: At long last, left-handed versions of John Mayer’s PRS SE Silver Sky are officially on the way – and they’re arriving sooner than you might think

“You might not be fooled into thinking it’s a tube amp, but it’s close enough for silent practice”: Blackstar amPlug 2 FLY review

“Marvel said, ‘Whatever you’re playing has been floating around in the universe for a while…’ I said, ‘Well, why don’t you just mess this guitar up?’” Kevin and Michael Bacon on trashing Taylors for Guardians of the Galaxy and love of Fender Acoustasonics

Most Popular

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Mdou Moctar’s Guitar Is a Screaming Siren Against Africa’s Colonial Legacy

“Funeral for Justice,” the musician from Niger’s album due next month, amps up the urgency in his work: “I want you to know how serious this is.”

By Ben Sisario

“Funeral for Justice,” the new album by the African musician Mdou Moctar , opens with a blast of angry, snarling guitar and an accusation raised like a fist against the rulers of his native Niger and beyond.

“African leaders, hear my burning question,” Moctar sings, as his band churns with a ragged intensity reminiscent of vintage White Stripes. “Why does your ear only heed France and America?”

Over about a decade of touring in the West, Moctar, 40, has carved out a niche as a modern African guitar hero and one of the very few voices in the pop world calling attention to the struggles of the Tuareg people, a historically nomadic ethnic group in the Sahara region. On the guitar, he is a spellbinding psychedelic soloist, with a style that draws as much from Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen as from traditional Tuareg wedding dances, and he has earned an awed respect from some of rock’s most famous axe-wielders.

“Us guitar players in the West, we all have the same base vocabulary, the same handful of stereotypical licks,” Kirk Hammett of Metallica said in an interview. “But Mdou’s music, it’s almost free of that stuff. And because of that, it sounds more spontaneous. It sounds fresh. It’s amazing.”

Moctar’s last album, “ Afrique Victime ,” was on many music critics’ year-end lists in 2021, with Jon Pareles of The New York Times saying it “expands the sonic possibilities of Tuareg rock.” But “Funeral for Justice,” due May 3, amps up the urgency in his work. It is a cri de coeur of screaming guitars and lyrics decrying the legacy of colonialism in Niger and throughout Africa, where Western powers retain a strong but not always welcome influence, and political and economic instability are endemic hazards.

In a wide-ranging recent interview at the Manhattan offices of his record label, the lanky, bearded Moctar — who often wears a turban and robes onstage but was dressed in a teal hoodie and matching socks — described the political and social crisis behind his latest songs. Among those are “Oh France,” a bitter broadside against Niger’s former ruling power, which maintained a military presence there until late last year ; and “Modern Slaves,” inspired by the desperate, sometimes deadly, paths of African migrants in the West.

“What we’re seeing today is just a modernized version of colonialism, something that’s been inherited by the descendants of colonizers,” said Moctar, who spoke in English and French, with the help of an interpreter. “Of course, today it’s being done with modern technologies and more subtle ways of manipulating people.”

“It seems that only our raw resources that are extracted from the ground are free,” he added. “But our currency, which was created by others for us, is not welcome. And neither are we. Is that freedom? Is that justice? Is that equality?”

The problems of Niger, a landlocked desert nation in West Africa, may be little known to most Americans, and Google Translate is no help when it comes to Tamasheq, the Tuareg language that Moctar sings in (along with some French). But it could be time for Moctar to get his message heard widely. “Funeral for Justice,” his seventh LP, is the second one released by Matador Records, an indie-rock powerhouse with a legacy of acts like Pavement, Yo La Tengo and Liz Phair. Last summer, Moctar and his band performed at Central Park SummerStage, and earlier this month they played at Coachella, alongside stars like Lana Del Rey and Tyler, the Creator.

“I want to be calling out crimes or injustice in the world, and I want you to feel like the sound you’re hearing is someone calling out, ‘Help!’” he said. “If you hear a siren going ‘wee-oo, wee-oo,’ that tells you that something terrible is happening, right? So I want you to know how serious this is.”

MOCTAR’S ORIGINS ARE about as far from the Coachella stage as you can get.

He grew up in Tchintabaraden, near Niger’s western border with Mali, with minimal knowledge of Western pop culture. He said he was aware of Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and Celine Dion but knew little about them, calling them all “white,” which he defined as meaning “not from my hometown.” (“But Michael Jackson,” Moctar added with a sly smile, “when I see him, he is not dark, right?”)

Moctar built his first guitar using brake wires from a bicycle, and by the late 2000s he was tinkering with the fundamentals of desert blues — the sound the Tuaregs are known for — blending guitars with electronic tools like Auto-Tune and drum machines. One such hybrid track, “ Tahoultine ,” became a regional underground hit when people traded it via cellphones. In 2010, the tune made its way to Christopher Kirkley, an American who had quit his tech job and was traveling in West Africa and blogging about its musical culture.

Back home in Portland, Ore., Kirkley was fascinated by “Tahoultine,” but the song’s author was a mystery, identified on the track only as “Mdou” (pronounced EM-doo). After a year of online sleuthing, Kirkley finally made contact with Moctar and traveled back to Niger to meet him and discuss working together. One of the first things Moctar said to him, Kirkley recalled, was, “How do I get to tour?”

Kirkley became Moctar’s promoter, making five albums with Moctar on his small label, Sahel Sounds, and helping organize his first tours in Europe. In 2015, Kirkley raised $18,000 on Kickstarter to direct Moctar in a Tuareg remake of Prince’s “Purple Rain,” casting Moctar as a motorcycle-riding guitar rebel struggling to make his mark. Its title was “ Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai ,” or “Rain the Color of Blue With a Little Red in It” — Tamasheq, Moctar told Kirkley, has no word for purple.

On tour in Europe and the United States, Moctar played dive bars, D.I.Y. punk spaces and sedate world-music venues. With his band, he began to develop a sound that could wow any audience: hypnotic grooves built on the harmonic foundations that West African music shares with the blues, lit up by Moctar’s pyrotechnic solos — a type of shredding that, to Western ears, can sound completely uninhibited, like an inspired poet crying in some unknown language.

“When I compose my solos,” Moctar said, “I’m not trying to look for them very hard. It’s more that they come to me.”

By 2019, when Moctar released “Ilana (The Creator),” his last record on Sahel Sounds, he was touring more widely in the West, and his music was beginning to circulate among rock’s cognoscenti. Last summer, when military leaders staged a coup in Niger, temporarily closing the nation’s borders, the band was on tour in the United States, and a crowdfunding campaign was begun to support the members until they could return. The biggest donation — $10,000 — came from Jack White.

Moctar signed with Matador in 2020. To some extent, the rock market has been primed for an artist like him. About a decade ago, American indie labels signed a raft of African artists , including Blk Jks and Sidi Touré. And other Tuareg acts have made inroads, including Tinariwen, a Malian collective, and Bombino , a fellow Nigerien guitarist whose 2013 album “Nomad” was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.

Gerard Cosloy, a co-owner of Matador, acknowledged that language barriers are a problem not easily overcome in the selling of a rock band, but he said the label was committed to helping Moctar reach as wide an audience as possible.

“We’re going to find people one at a time, five at a time, 10 at a time,” Cosloy said. “And if this doesn’t achieve critical mass on the level of the biggest acts in the world, well, that’ll be something else that Mdou has in common with Pavement and Yo La Tengo.”

SINCE 2017, MOCTAR’S bassist and primary musical collaborator has been Mikey Coltun, 31, who grew up amid the punk scene in Washington, D.C., and, as a teenager, made a life-changing trip to Africa with his guitarist father. Moctar — who at one point during our interview excused himself for Islamic prayers — praised Coltun’s musicianship and added: “The fact that Mikey doesn’t smoke or drink helps us on tour.”

“Funeral for Justice” was recorded over five days in 2022 in a rented house near the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. Moctar’s band had been developing the songs on the road, and Coltun, who produced the album, wanted to capture the same spontaneity and fire of their live show. He encouraged Moctar to ignore the clock and “just play,” and told Souleymane Ibrahim, the drummer, to bash away without restraint.

“In the moments where I’m maybe speeding up a bit, I can read in the other members’ faces that I’m doing good,” Ibrahim said. “And that’s the moment where I want to go even more crazy.” (The band also includes Ahmoudou Madassane on rhythm guitar.)

Coltun took digital files of the band’s long jams and edited them into tighter cuts of four to five minutes. The result is more focused and intense than any of the band’s previous work. “This is a record that we couldn’t have made until now,” Coltun says. “There’s a trust that we have between the four of us.”

In the lyrics, Moctar attacks weak African leaders (“Occupiers are carving up your lands,” he sings, “gallantly marching all over your resources”) and calls for pride among the Tuareg, a people divided by national borders who have fought Niger over land and access to resources like uranium. In calling out France, Moctar says that his musical ancestors may have written more oblique complaints, but he prefers to name names.

“I would rather say the truth directly, even if it endangers me,” Moctar said, adding that he received death threats after voicing support for Niger’s ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. Moctar said he was not in favor of the coup, but was glad that the new leaders asked the French to leave. “That’s a good thing in and of itself.”

The cover art for Moctar’s last three albums, including “Funeral for Justice,” established a sleek, retro visual brand for the group, adapting a classic rock look with African iconography including a purple-black pied crow — common in Niger — and various iterations of the continent’s horned shape.

All were created by Robert Beatty, a musician and artist in Lexington, Ky., who said that when he was first approached, for “Ilana,” the band gave a very specific brief, including the crow and the Cross of Agadez . The band also cited airbrushed rock albums from the late 1970s and early ’80s by Judas Priest, ELO and Journey, with a dramatic, cartoonish aesthetic and repeated motifs and characters.

For “Funeral for Justice,” Beatty depicted bleeding crows falling over a coffin surrounded by a rising tide of blood. As he sent drafts of the image for approval, Beatty said, the band made a request: “More blood! More blood!”

Despite the mythos, Moctar is a typically practical working musician. Cosloy, of Matador, said that at their first meeting Moctar asked specific questions about getting vinyl records pressed. And behind the scenes, Moctar’s career has also involved a standard music-industry story of a rising star shedding business partners along the way.

After the band’s profile was raised by “Ilana,” Moctar took on new management and began to negotiate with Matador. Kirkley, who said he never had any contracts with Moctar for his work on Sahel Sounds, was left out of the loop. After the deal was done, Moctar took his earlier recordings with him, which are now being released online by Matador. Kirkley said he has not spoken to Moctar since. “In retrospect,” he said, “I was really naïve to think that I could be friends with musicians on the label.”

When asked why left Sahel Sounds, Moctar said: “Matador offered me a new market and I found it interesting. It’s not me who’s trying to leave Sahel, it’s my music that has taken on dimension. And if you grow up, you have to change the size.”

Moctar is more interested in talking about how his music can convey the struggles of Niger and, possibly, change them. The specifics of the political situation there may be obscure to many Americans, but the anticolonial sentiment at the heart of his music may well register.

He criticizes the United States for maintaining a drone base in his country, ostensibly to help combat terrorism, though, he says, the American forces have accomplished little in that regard. He points to an attack in March 2021 by “criminals on motorbikes” near his home in the Tahoua area, which he says left 270 dead. (The U.S. State Department has reported an incident at that time in which “ terrorists ” killed an estimated 177 civilians in three villages there.)

“As long as Americans see the situation as acceptable the way it is now,” he said, “things don’t change.”

He added: “I’m coming from very far in a country in which people today are being killed every day with all this suffering, and I come to the U.S. to make people smile and dance. And it is a big effort. So what I would like is for people to then also want to help improve the lives of where I come from.”

Ben Sisario covers the music industry. He has been writing for The Times since 1998. More about Ben Sisario

Find the Right Soundtrack for You

Trying to expand your musical horizons take a listen to something new..

Our review of Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Mdou Moctar ’s guitar is a screaming siren against Africa’s colonial legacy.

How “Stereophonic” made musicians  out of actors.

Judith Hill sang with pop royalty. Now she is composing her own story .

St. Vincent  dives headfirst into the darkness.