Metal giants Metallica have announced a special 12-inch vinyl release of their new single “Lords of Summer”. The record will feature the original studio recording of the track, as well as the live version from Rock In Roma Sonisphere back on July 1 on Side A. Side B will feature the etched Metallica “M” logo. The limited-edition vinyl will be released on Record Store Day on November 28 (Black Friday). Metallica played the track live all summer on their Metallica By Request World Tour which saw the band headline some of the world’s biggest festivals. In addition, Metallica will be releasing a special 10th Anniversary Edition of their landmark documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster on November 24. The film was originally released in July 2004 and was directed by the award-winning duo of Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky. The new edition will feature “Metallica: This Monster Lives,” a 25-minute follow-up piece that was filmed at Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 during the premiere of the band’s second film, Metallica: Through the Never. Metallica are currently working on more new music for their upcoming 10th studio album. In the meantime, the band will be releasing
Metallica will also be offering physical editions of live recordings from their download site LiveMetallica.com.
To commemorate the anniversary of the site, the group is offering CDs and LPs of every show they played in 2014. The band will be release the albums three at a time every Monday through the end of 2014 in the order they played the shows in The first release scheduled will be Bogotá, Colombia from their brief South American trek. Also available will be a box set of all 27 shows, which will be released in December, as well as four of the concerts available as limited-edition 180-gram vinyl releases. Just as fans voted on the setlists for their Metallica By Request shows, fans will be the deciding factor as to which four shows will be released on vinyl. Fans can cast their vote HERE until September 28. The top four shows will be released on vinyl in 2015, as well as other releases and box sets.
Despite not being on a current album cycle, Metallica had a very busy 2014. Along with world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, the band performed “One” at the 56th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Shortly after, the band released “One (Awards Show Rehearsal Version)”, a special recording made on January 23rd at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, CA during rehearsals for their dual performance. A portion of the single’s sales will be donated to MusiCares, a Grammy foundation that provides services and resources for musicians, including financial, medical, and personal assistance. The song is available for download on iTunes now. Shortly after the Grammys, Lang Lang headlined Carnegie Hall in New York City. Metallica released another live DVD from their World Magnetic Tour, Quebec Magnetic, last fall. It was the band’s first release on their own newly founded North American label, Blackened Recordings. In September 2013, the band released their first-ever feature film, Metallica Through The Never, an explosive live concert film combined with an original story line that thrilled fans in IMAX theaters around the world. Metallica toured the world over the summer, hitting many major festivals on their Metallica By Request Tour where fans chose the setlists nightly. – by Matt Bishop
