Metallica Announce Next Round of Colored Vinyl Reissues

The band released the first batch of variants back in 2021

After reissuing a few albums from their catalog back in 2021, Metallica have confirmed “Phase 2” of their colored vinyl reissue project. Starting in April, the heavy metal icons will release four more albums on limited edition 140-gram colored vinyl.

“You may remember a series of colored vinyl releases in the United States through a collaboration with Walmart back in 2021,” Metallica said. “And if you’ve been keeping up with Metallica.com, you probably saw our first five of those albums made available outside of the US last October. We’re excited to have four more of these limited releases available outside the US beginning next month! One by one, Garage, Inc., St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and Hardwired…To Self-Destruct will roll out through July.”

The next phase starts on April 2 with the re-release of 1998’s Garage, Inc on Fade to Blue vinyl. The GRAMMY® Award-winning St. Anger (2003) will follow on May 3 on Some Kind of Orange vinyl. The band’s “return to form” records round out the reissues with 2009’s Death Magnetic on June 7 on Magnetic Silver vinyl, and 2016’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct on July 5 on Flame Orange vinyl.

Check out all the upcoming reissues below.

While the series will begin to hit shelves in April, be sure to check stores in your region for available pre-orders.

Initially, Metallica released their first five studio albums – Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …And Justice For All, and Metallica [The Black Album]. Now, the rest of their catalog is finally getting the colored vinyl treatment. The group’s latest release, 72 Seasons, was released last year on several vinyl variants including yellow marble, smoked marble, purple, and more.

Recently, Metallica have used their status as one of the most dominant music acts on the planet to take ultimate control of their career. Since 2012, the band has curated their own festival, released their own whiskey, and acquired their master recordings to start their own label, Blackened Recordings. Now, Metallica have their own way to release those recordings.

In 2022, Metallica sold over 900,000 pieces of vinyl. The staggering sales left the band wondering how they could take their vinyl output to next level, given the fact that supply chain issues have hindered artists with production and shipping issues. So, in 2023, the band purchased a majority stake in Furnace Record Pressing, a 70,000-square-foot facility in Alexandria, Virginia. The plant, which Metallica had been working with since 2008, churns out over 25,000 vinyl records a day.

“[Furnace’s] indie spirit, the passion they have for their craft – culturally we’re kindred souls,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement at the time.

Along with concert posters, vinyl records are among the most sought-after collectibles in music. In 2022, vinyl outsold CDs for the first time since 1987, according to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). In fact, over the last 16 consecutive years, vinyl albums have increased in sales every year. Now, after the initial digital boom of MP3 players and iPods, and then streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, and more, it’s clear that fans still want something tangible.

“Metallica over-indexes dramatically with physical product,” Marc Reiter, who plays in integral role in running the band’s label, Blackened Recordings, told Billboard. “The fans enjoy owning the physical product.”

Fans can pre-order all four releases now HERE