Nine new azodye metal complexes of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Cr(III), Fe(III), Ru(III), Hf(IV) and Zr(IV) ions have been prepared via the reaction of 5,5′‐((1E,1′E)‐(methylenebis(1,4‐phenylene))bis(diazene‐2,1‐diyl))bis(6‐hydroxy‐2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydropyrimidin‐4(5H)‐one) (H4L) with the corresponding metal salts affording sandwich (1 L:1 M), mononuclear (2 L:1 M), binuclear (1 L,2 M) and tetranuclear (1 L,4 M) complexes. Elemental analyses, spectral methods, magnetic moment measurements and thermal studies were utilized to confirm the mode of bonding and geometrical structure for the ligand and its metal complexes. Infrared spectral data show that the H4L ligand chelates with some metal ions in keto–enol–thione or keto–thione manner. It behaves in a neutral/dibasic tetradentate fashion in sandwich and binuclear complexes. Also, it acts as a neutral bidentate moiety in the Cr(III) complex. The spectra reveal that azo group participates in chelation in all complexes. Octahedral geometry was suggested for all chelates but the Cu(II) complex with square planar geometry. The thermal stability and decomposition of the compounds were studied, the data showing that the thermal decomposition ended with metal or metal oxide mixed with carbon as final product. The electron spin resonance spectrum of the Cu(II) complex demonstrates that the free electron is located in the (
dx2−y2) orbital. Measurements of biological activity against human cell lines Hep‐G2 and MCF‐7 reveal that the Cu(II) complex has a higher cytotoxicity in comparison to the free ligand and other metal complexes, with IC50 values of 6.10 and 5.2 μg ml−1, respectively, while the ligand has anti‐tumour activity relative to some of the investigated metal complexes.