The band posted some news about the game on their Web site, revealing that the package “allows you to play as us in either single instrument or band career game modes”.
Players can virtually thrash in settings like Moscow’s Tushino Airfield, the site of 1991’s Monsters of Rock concert. The game boasts 28 Metallica tracks but the exact ones haven’t been announced.
Other playable songs in the set come from Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, Slayer and Queen. One other feature for drumming fans to look forward to is an “expert” difficulty level that employs two bass drum kick pedals.
Guitar Hero: Metallica is due out in the first half of next year.
A Japanese company that manufactures action figures of superheroes has created one for Metallica’s “Jump In the Fire” creature, which can be seen on the cover art for the single. The 12-inch tall soft vinyl character is a limited-edition piece – only one-thousand will be made.
Singer Kirk Hammett described the figure as “the most kick-ass toy we have made”.
• Metallica and More Used To Interrogate Detainees
It’s no secret that the US military uses music to help get information from detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Now, British law group Reprieve has released a list of some of the songs the armed forces are using during interrogations.
Among them are Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” --- “Shoot to Thrill” and “Hell’s Bells” by AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” and Queen’s “We Are the Champions”. Also on the list are the theme songs from Sesame Street and Barney and Friends. Additionally, music from Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, David Gray and Eminem made the cut.
The video for Metallica’s song “All Nightmare Long” is now available.
The band doesn’t appear in the nine-minute clip, which instead tells the story of a strange spore that falls to Earth. The spore seems great, healing people and even bringing a cat back to life, but eventually it leads to a zombie takeover in the former USSR. The Ruskies figure out how to stop the walking-dead but then use the spore as a weapon against America.
The video, which has a worn filmstrip look to it, is done with both live-action and animation.
Metallica is preparing the next single from their latest album, Death Magnetic, and according to their Web site, the band plans to give the track “the full-on treatment”.
Metallica.com reports that the song is called “All Nightmare Long” and the guys plan to release it as part of a CD-single collection in Europe – but not in North America.
The set comes out on December 15th and features “All Nightmare Long” along with “Wherever I May Roam” and “Master of Puppets” recorded live in Berlin at the Death Magnetic release party.
There will be another singles disc release as well as a DVD with movies and more live tracks; and while Americans can’t get the physical editions of the records, digital versions will be available as well.
• Original Metallica Cover Art Sells For $28k
A piece of Metallica history went on the auction block this week and brought in some big bucks. The item up for bids was the original cover artwork for the band’s classic 1986 album Master of Puppets.
The framed 17-by-17-inch piece was painted by Don Brautigam and has his initials in the corner. It sold for 28-thousand dollars.
If you’ve been worrying that metal music will one day run its course, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has some comforting words for you... kind of. The rocker spoke to Javno.com about the appeal of the genre of music, telling them that “there is a timelessness to metal” because it “sits outside of waves of popularity”.
Lars goes on to say that the music is “considered the ugly stepchild… the urrgghhh, all the smelly heavy metal kids”. He adds that because metal is never associated with anything that’s en vogue, “it just continues and it’s just like herpes or something; it never goes away" .
As if Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich wasn’t raking in enough money with the success of the band’s latest album, Death Magnetic, the rocker will soon be cashing a check for 13.5-million dollars. That’s because Ulrich found a buyer for his Jean-Michel Basquiat painting.
According to the New York Times, the piece was done in 1982 and is called “Untitled (Boxer)”. It’s estimated worth is 12 to 16-million dollars.
In 2002, Lars sold five pieces of art including another Basquiat which brought in 5.5-million dollars, a record for the artist at the time.
• Hetfield Not Losing Sleep Over Chinese Democracy
Guns N’ Roses’ long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy, is out now but Metallica’s James Hetfield isn’t giving it much thought.
The singer told the Houston Chronicle that he’ll listen to the record but hasn’t lost any sleep over the disc, which Axl Rose has been working on for over 14 years. Hetfield said: “I thought we took a long time to make an album. But, you know, he’s late for everything so it makes total sense”.
James added: “He's a good frontman. He’s eccentric, but all artists are. If they don’t show that they’re quirky, they’re lying to you. They’re either pretending they’re not or they’re pretending they’re an artist.”
Metallica’s latest album, Death Magnetic, has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America – a mere six weeks after it came out on September 12th.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, after moving another 52-thousand units last week, the record has sold 1.21-million copies to date.
Pacific-Northwest fans will see the guys play some music from Death Magnetic live when they perform in Portland, Oregon tonight.
• Justice Goes Retro
The "...And Justice for All" vinyl re-issue is now available in North America as a two disc package for the 33.3 version, and in a box for the four disc, 180 gram, 45 rpm edition.
Check out your fav local record shop, or just head over here to the Metallica store to pick up a copy.
• 2009 Calendar
The 2009 Metallica Calendar is NOW AVAILABLE in the Metallica Store, but only while supplies last. Take a trip back in time for 2009! This year's calendar features "vintage" Ross Halfin and Kevin Hodapp black and white photos sure to stir up some memories.
• Fans Want Metallica In The Rock Hall Of Fame
According to a new poll by Cleveland.com, out of all the bands nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, people want to see Metallica inducted more than any other group.
Drummer Lars Ulrich responded to the news by exclaiming, “That’s really nice to hear!” adding, “It’s been a great year for Metallica. There’s a lot of love and good will from the fans, from the critics, from the peers, from all the sixth graders over at my son’s school. There’s a lot of love everywhere I look.” Ulrich also stated, “It’s amazing to be able to say 27 years into your career that you actually feel like you’re on top of your game.”
Metallica beat out other Rock Hall finalists in the poll such as The Stooges, Jeff Beck and Bobby Womack. The official Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in January and will be honored during an April ceremony in Cleveland.
• Metallica To Play New Songs During Tour
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told Billboard magazine that concertgoers at the band's upcoming tour dates will hear “a lot of new songs” from their latest album Death Magnetic.
He added that the new tracks are fun to play and while in the past they’ve been hesitant to do more than three new tunes at a show, he explained, “We’re going to hit the ground running here. We’re probably gonna learn all of them and play, I hope, at least five a night and probably rotate ‘em so we get a lot of new songs in.”
The guys have just a few weeks to learn the tracks – their tour kicks off on October 21st in Glendale, Arizona.
• Lars Discusses 'Tallica Tour
Metallica's Death Magnetic is finally available for public consumption!
So, with the record on shelves, what’s up next for the guys? A tour, of course. Drummer Lars Ulrich talks about what we can expect from that trek.
“We’re actually going to do something that we’ve never done, we’re gonna do a very crazy tour schedule, we’re going to go on tour for a week and then we’re gonna go home for a week, we’re literally going to play five shows, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and then we’re going to go home and bring our kids to school and soccer practice and do homework and then we’re gonna go and play five shows again the next week and then we’re gonna go home, so it’ll be literally five months, week on, week off.”
Metallica starts their first “on week” on October 21st in Glendale, Arizona.
See all the tour dates at Metallica.com.
• Rolling Stone Reviews Death Magnetic
Rolling Stone has posted the first review of Metallica’s new album Death Magnetic.
The revealing analysis of the record shows that half of the tracks on the disc are “over seven minutes long, with song structures that are not so much verse/chorus/verse as long intro/heavy jam/verse/even heavier jam/chorus/bridge/wild solo/outro.”
The magazine also proclaims, “These songs rarely feel too long: At their best, they combine the melodic smarts of Metallica’s mature work with the fully armed-and-operational battle of power of their early days.”
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Stone Roses to Reunite in 2009
Well, it’s rumored that bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield has convinced the Stone Roses to reunite! Singer Ian Brown is the last hold-up, and he's just announced a solo album set for this summer. Either he'll be real busy or there will be some disappointed Roses fans.
• New Details On Guitar Hero: Metallica
