Norway - With portraits of every Metallica member since 1983 adorning his thigh and the entire right side of his body dedicated to the band, it's no surprise that fan Tom Engelbrecht has the most Metallica tattoos.

There are few people more certain of their fandom than Tom Engelbrecht, who has been into Metallica since he was young.

With more than 24 of the band's shows under his belt and absolutely all of their records, his love of heavy metal and Metallica in particular can hardly be paralleled.

So, who is Tom Engelbrecht, and what did it take to get him a much coveted world record? He certainly loves tattoos, but how did he end up with the most tattoos of a single band ever adorned upon a singular person?

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Tom Engelbrecht is covered in so many Metallica tattoos from head to toe that he was awarded the world record for most tattoos of the same band. Guinness World Records announced the new record on January 4, 2024, revealing that despite the Norwegian native focusing his body art exclusively on the right-hand side of his body, he still has more Metallica tats than any other.

Having covered his thigh in portraits of every member of Metallica since 1983, Engelbrecht also has a number of skulls on his arms, each identifying a separate Metallica album or official t-shirt. On his ribs, he has several song lyrics, and on his shoulder are the notes of Fade to Black.

Guinness World Records revealed that Tom has likely spent around $20,000 to $25,000 on his various tats and intends to keep going, despite admitting he has given up counting them at this point. While he is a huge fan of heavy metal in general, Metallica is the only band he's willing to have inked into his skin.

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Speaking to Guinness World Records, Tom Engelbrecht revealed his body art is mostly targeted as a celebration of the band. On top of that, his record was featured in the January 5 edition of Records Weekly.

"From ankle to my knee is Metallica's history: Album covers, DVD covers, letters, newspaper clips, and some lyrics," he said.

At only 33 years old, Tom Engelbrecht has 43 Metallica tattoos covering exclusively the right-hand side of his body. Most of them were inked by a tattooist named Bjarte Nødtvedt, who works for the New Roots Tattoo & Art Collective in Bergen, Norway. Prior to meeting the tattooist, Tom only had 18 Metallica tats.

More than 25 tattoos later and with more than 20 Metallica concerts under his belt, it seems his record is only set to increase over the coming years. Speaking to Norwegian news outlet Bergensavisen, he made it clear that his love for Metallica was in part due to the extraordinary fandom that surrounds the band, and the sense of belonging that they create.

"When you go to so many Metallica concerts around the world, you get to know people well," he said. "You get to know people from all over the world.”

No matter what you think of your favorite band, it seems unlikely that you are as devoted to them as Tom Engelbrecht has proven himself to be. It might be a niche record to have – though the record is for "Most tattoos of the same band," not specific to Metallic – but it's certainly proof of just how deep his fandom has gone.

What's most special about Engelbrecht's selection, though, is the creativity that his many different tattoos put on display. They are bright, colorful and, most importantly, a statement that Metallica well-deserves.