In celebration of the 30th anniversary of their Grammy-winning, 16-times platinum-certified self-titled fifth album – better known as The Black Album – Metallica has announced not one but two new releases.
The first is a fully remastered version of the landmark album, available in a multitude of formats including double vinyl LP, standard CD and 3CD Expanded Edition and digital.
For Metallica mega-fans, a limited-edition deluxe box set is available, which contains a double vinyl LP, picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs containing rough mixes, demos, interviews and live shows, six DVDs featuring outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos and live shows, and a plethora of merch, including a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a Metallica lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets and a download card.
The second release – The Metallica Blacklist – is an absolutely monstrous tribute album, featuring a whopping 53 artists delivering renditions of their favorite Black Album cuts. Artists set to appear include Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Ghost, Volbeat, Weezer, Corey Taylor, Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood, PUP, St. Vincent, IDLES and tons more.
Check out Miley Cyrus's cover of Nothing Else Matters with WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith below.
Say the band: “The Metallica Blacklist offers up new dimensions of the record whose gravitational pull first drew the mainstream to Metallica – and provides new insights into the universal and timeless appeal that kept it there: the boundary-smashing influence these 12 songs have had on fans and musicians of all stripes.
“The [album's] 53 tracks find singer-songwriters, country artists, electronic and hip hop artists sharing their love of these songs alongside punk rockers, indie darlings, icons of rock, metal, world music and many, many more…
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“The Metallica Blacklist is a fitting and limitless homage, one that features bands who’ve shared stages with Metallica alongside artists who are younger than the original album.
“It’s a truly staggering, at times mystifying assemblage of musicians, dozens of whom have little to nothing in common other than the shared passion for the music that’s united them for this album: 1 Album. 12 Songs. 53 Artists. Unlimited Possibilities.”
Profits from The Metallica Blacklist will be divided evenly between Metallica's All Within My Hands foundation and over 50 charities chosen by artists who appear on the record.
Both the Black Album remastered and The Metallica Blacklist arrive September 10 via Blackened Recordings.
The Black Album is not only one of the most iconic records in metal history, it's also one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time. Debuting at number 1 in 10 countries – and staying there for four weeks in the US – Metallica fueled the band's rise to household name status.
