Reason to celebrate: The “Black Album” turns 30

30 years have passed since Metallica released their album “Metallica,” also known as “The Black Album.”

To mark the anniversary of this heavy metal milestone, the band is releasing the album again in 2021. But that's not all. In addition to a remastered CD and double LP, there is a three CD box and a limited super deluxe box.

“Metallica” was originally released on the 12th. August 1991. It is the fifth album by the American heavy metal band. It was nicknamed “The Black Album” because of its simple and almost completely black cover artwork.

The record includes a total of twelve songs that Metallica recorded together with Canadian producer Bob Rock at “One on One Recording” in Los Angeles, California. This collaboration would mark a new chapter in their work. Instead of long, progressive songs, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Jason Newsted now wrote shorter, simpler but catchier songs. This also includes the five singles “Enter Sandman”, “The Unforgiven”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “Wherever I May Roam” and “Sad But True”.

The success of their musical rethinking didn't take long to arrive: "Metallica" landed at number one in the charts in ten countries, including the USA, Great Britain and Germany. In Germany it stayed in the album charts for a full 150 weeks. With more than 28 million copies sold worldwide, it is also the best-selling metal album of all time.

The remastered album will be released in September 2021 as a CD and double LP as well as a 3-CD box with the album, a “Demos & Roughs” CD and the 13-track live compilation “Wherever We May Roam”. The absolute highlight of the anniversary editions, however, is the Limited Super Deluxe box with six LPs, 14 CDs and six DVDs as well as numerous other extras, including a 120-page hardcover book.

And, as if that wasn't enough reason to be happy, Metallica will be presenting on January 1st. October 2021 another album to celebrate their “Black Album”, namely the “The Metallica Blacklist” cover album. To achieve this, 53 different artists each took a song from the album and gave it a completely new, individual interpretation. Stars like Elton John, Miley Cyrus and Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers are there. All income that Metallica generates from the album sales of “The Metallica Blacklist” is donated equally to Metallica’s own foundation “All Within My Hands” and to a charitable institution of their choice.

Both Metallica releases appear on the band's own label "Blackened Recordings".
 

The Limited Super Deluxe Box at a glance:

The limited, numbered deluxe box (with magnetic flap) of "Metallica (Remastered)" contains the remastered album on LP and CD, a "Sad But True" picture disc (45 RPM), three live LPs (some 45 RPM), a total of 14 CDs and six DVDs with unreleased material (live shows, rough mixes, demos, etc.), an MP3 download card with Allen Audio files, four tour laminates, a lanyard, three lithographs, three guitar picks, a text folder and sheets, and a 120-page hardcover book with never-before-seen photos and stories from those who were there.