all photos by Lyndsay Siegel

Wanna see where Metallica magnetically go when they’re thinking about Death? Interested in checking out the decor of the place where they’ve come up with some of their most captivating and complex musical ideas since 1988’s …And Justice For All? You won’t find any of drummer Lars Ulrich’s Jean-Michael Basquiat paintings there or posters for the warts-and-all 2004 documentary “Some Kind of Monster.” But many of the band’s creature comforts are right here: frontman James Hetfield’s Lazyboy (in which we sat), an electric chair (in which we didn’t sit), a surreal painting of guitarist Kirk Hammett’s idol Jimi Hendrix, the severed head of Lady Liberty from the …And Justice For All tour, memorabilia the band has collected from fans over the decades and boatloads of recording equipment and instruments.

Click “more” to see exclusive photos we shot inside Metallica HQ, and tune in to MTV2 next week during our “Headbangers Ball” 20th Anniversary, in which we take over the network for a week of video premieres and special programming, including the “MTV Essential: Metallica” (premiering Monday at 11 p.m.), which takes a look at the evolution of the biggest band in metal from their beginnings to the present. The program features new interviews with the band talking about their top-charting album Death Magnetic, and footage from their performance at this year’s Rock Am Ring festival. And don’t miss our exclusive video interview podcast with Lars Ulrich, which will premiere right here October 24.