Metallica may have gone off to Never-Neverland if it weren't for the Rolling Stones.

Lars Ulrich revealed that after a huge rift in 2004, the band nearly broke up for good.

"You can’t keep people guessing forever and, if you try to, you look silly so trying to maintain a mystique went out of the door for us a while ago," the drummer admitted to The Sun. “For us, it’s all about inviting ­people in and making ourselves as ­accessible as possible to fans. That period certainly wasn’t easy for us and, since then, we have learned boundaries and where our breaking points are."

METALLICA 'ENTERS' INTO THE BREWING INDUSTRY

"That was the last time we had a real break," he continued. "We haven’t shut down the band in 14 years, but we disappeared then for about a year."

Then the legendary British rockers reached out and changed everything.

METALLICA DONATES $10,000 TO UTAH FOOD BANK AFTER SOLDOUT SHOW

"And then the Rolling Stones called us up and said, ‘Come and play some shows with us in ­California,’" Ulrich recalled. "And we sort of agreed: You’re not going to say no to the Stones. So that was it."

“It gave us the way to start it back up again. Whether you’re a team in an office or a bunch of dudes in a rock and roll band, at some point people have to figure out how to get along and work as a team," he explained.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“If you don’t care, it’s easier to walk away, but fortunately we cared enough about Metallica on behalf of ourselves and  the fans to figure out a way to make it function," Ulrich said. "I’m happy that we did.”