San Francisco thrash pioneers Metallica enlist a hoard of music’s biggest for the 30th-anniversary reissue of their iconic Black Album.
Heavy metal icons Metallica have announced they are gifting the world with a re-release of their critically acclaimed self-titled record, more commonly known as The Black Album. This time they are enlisting the help of some of their most famous friends to create a deluxe remastering of the 1991 classic.
Metallica was formed in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich and are most known for their fast tempos, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship.
The band swiftly became one of the founding fathers of thrash metal alongside the epochal likes of Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. The rock powerhouse achieved what many only dream of, to have their relevancy transcend generations and ultimately attain ‘legendary’ status.
The band’s ascent was rapid following their signing to Indie Label Megaforce Records which took them to New York in the back of a stolen U-Haul van to record their first album. From this, they gained major traction amongst the underground music community with their popularity only increasing.
Metallica won critical acclaim for their first five albums, with their third, Master of Puppets (1986) being described as their heaviest and most influential.
However, it was the band’s self-titled album, released in 1991 that became Metallica’s gateway into the mainstream scene, awarding the band with major commercial success.
Recorded across an eight-month period, The Black Album’s recording process became troubled, clouded by the conflict between the band and their new producer, Bob Rock. Yet, it also marked the band’s transition from their previously showcased thrash metal sounds to slower and heavier notes and simpler arrangements.
Selling over 16 million copies in the US, the album skyrocketed to number one internationally and refused to budge for the next couple of years becoming the best selling album of the SoundScan era. And now, as we approach the record’s 30th anniversary, the band is enlisting the help of music royalty for a deluxe remastering of this collection of tracks.
Home to some of the bands biggest hits, the re-release of the album will come out in conjunction with The Metallica Blacklist, which will include the reimagined covers of some of The Black Album’s most popular tracks like, Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam and Sad But True, to be sung by this famous cohort.
Both releases, the definitive reissue of The Black Album and The Metallica Blacklist, will be available in a number of collectible formats as artists use their unique interpretation to cover some of their favourite songs. These will include a 180g double vinyl LP, a standard CD, expanded 3 x CD edition, digital download, streaming and a limited-edition deluxe box set.
All proceeds will be split between charities of the artists choice and Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation, with releases of the albums occurring on September 10th digitally and October 1st for physical copies.
But if you are just itching to get a feel for this huge release before the above dates, the band have released a trailer showcasing the tantalising sounds of Miley Cyrus’ cover of Nothing Else Matters, alongside Elton John, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Watt, and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, teasing fans with what they can expect to hear later in the year.
For more info head to Metallica.
