Lars Ulrich, drummer for metal legends Metallica, has dismissed the controversy surrounding his band being revealed as the third and final headliner of this summer's Glastonbury festival as "ridiculous".

Metallica will become the first metal band to headline Glastonbury in its 44 year history but their inclusion alongside co-headliners Kasabian and Arcade Fire has sparked a fierce debate as to whether their brand of music has a place at the festival which has traditionally housed more mellow acts in their line-ups.

Ulrich is convinced that Metallica have a rightful place at one of the world's most prestigious music festivals though, telling Metal Hammer magazine: "Glastonbury is like the Holy Grail in England and we're respectful to that, but when somebody sits there and talks about petitions or what some other guys says, there's a point that it just becomes ridiculous."

Musicians (and former Glastonbury headliners past and present) Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian have been among those who have questioned Metallica's inclusion. More recently, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker - himself a headliner in 1995 and 1998 - said that he considered Metallica's music as "a bit abrasive".

Speaking to BBC 5 Live, Cocker said (sounding very much like the middle-aged man he is): "[Fans] have probably not had much sleep and they've been indulging in certain things. So the main thing is to be a vague, warm, friendly presence."

"Whether a full-borne rendition of 'Enter Sandman' is going to fill those criteria I don't know."

It isn't just Jarvis Cocker and Alex Turner who are upset either, as animal rights campaigners have petitioned for Metallica to be banned from this year's festival due to lead singer James Hetfield's narration or a TV series called The Hunt, which documents a group of hunters on a bear hunt in Alaska.

A Facebook page has been set up to protest the band's inclusion, which claims their ideologies are "incompatible" with Glastonbury has so far garnered over 30,000 'likes'.

This isn't the first act who've caused controversy at Glastonbury, as virtually the same ruckus was caused when Jay Z was announced as a headliner back in 2008. Then the campaigners were suggesting that hip-hop has no place at Glastonbury but the festival survived, just as it will this time around.