The Polar Music Prize, which is known to be a coveted Swedish award, has been recently given to the famed metal band Metallica. The band, which was first formed back in 1981 by founding members Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, has now been added to the short list of recipients of the Polar Music Prize. Other past receivers of the prize include Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Sting, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder.

Wednesday saw the band Metallica being recognized by the Swedish committee for their ensemble playing and for the reach their music has had with their fans over the years. The Polar Music Prize was first created in 1989 by Stig Anderson. Aside from creating the award, Anderson is also known for being the publisher and manager of the Swedish band ABBA. The popularity and the sales of over 100 million records is what helped cement the award being given to Metallica.

“Not since Wagner’s emotional turmoil and Tchaikovsky’s cannons has anyone created music that is so physical and furious, and yet still so accessible,” said the Polar Music committee about the metal band.

Ulrich also expressed his thoughts on receiving the award along with his bandmates saying, “Receiving the Polar Music Prize is an incredible thing. It puts us in very distinguished company. It’s a great validation of everything that Metallica has done over the last 35 years. At the same time, we feel like we’re in our prime with a lot of good years ahead of us.”

Metallica has always had fame with their fans since their creation in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until the band’s 1991 single “Enter Sandman” that they found themselves in mainstream popularity. Only two prizes are given yearly, one towards the category of classical, and the other closely relating to pop music. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music and its founder Ahmad Sarmast also found themselves receiving the prize for their contribution in music.