In a new video premiered by Metallica, legendary former bassist Jason Newsted gives fans an exclusive, detailed unboxing of the upcoming remastered limited-edition deluxe box set for their seventh studio album, ReLoad. The massive reissue is officially scheduled to drop on June 26 through the band’s own label, Blackened Recordings.
Overseen by producer Greg Fidelman and remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, the new edition of ReLoad is available for pre-order now. The expansive reissue is being offered in a variety of physical and digital formats to suit any collector. Fans can pick up the release as a standard 180-gram double LP, a Walmart-exclusive colored 140-gram double LP, a standard CD, a three-CD expanded edition, and even on cassette. Digital listeners can also enjoy a Spatial Audio mix utilizing Dolby Atmos. Anyone who pre-orders or pre-saves any configuration will receive instant access to the remastered version of “The Memory Remains“, while deluxe box set pre-orders also include an instrumental mix of the track and a live cut from Brisbane. Additionally, a live performance video for “The Memory Remains” filmed in Philadelphia is already streaming online and you can see it down below.
The limited-edition deluxe box set serves as a thoroughly curated time capsule of the 1997 to 1998 Metallica era. This one-time numbered pressing contains the remastered ReLoad album on 180-gram double vinyl, a seven-inch vinyl of “The Memory Remains“, and a 140-gram triple live album titled Live At Ministry Of Sound ’97. The massive collection boasts an incredible fifteen CDs featuring the core album, unreleased riffs, demos, rough mixes, B-sides, and a wealth of rare live recordings. Visual content is spread across four DVDs, offering in-studio footage, television appearances, international visits to Seoul, and the legendary pop-up performance at the CoreStates Complex parking lot in Philadelphia. The physical package is rounded out with premium memorabilia, including a 128-page book featuring unseen photos and stories, a Pushead print, thirteen Rorschach test cards, an 11×17 Gimme Fuel poster, a sticker, ten guitar and bass picks, lyric sheets, and three laminated tour passes.
To celebrate the release, the band is launching the #GetTheReLoadOut fan cover competition. Building on the massive success of last year’s campaign for Load, this new contest features an expanded format. In addition to traditional musical covers, visual and performance artists are now invited to submit their creative interpretations of the music. A different track from the album will be highlighted each week, leading up to the selection of two grand prize winners who will each receive a deluxe box set autographed by the members of Metallica.
Originally released on November 18, 1997, ReLoad marked the third consecutive album from Metallica to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It dominated global charts, hitting number one in six different countries and spending nearly eighty weeks on the Billboard charts. The recording sessions at The Plant in Sausalito, California, captured James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Jason Newsted pushing the boundaries of heavy metal and redefining their sonic identity. This era saw the band exploring entirely new creative territory, making bold decisions like incorporating unconventional instrumentation such as the hurdy-gurdy and violin on the somber track “Low Man’s Lyric“, and recruiting legendary vocalist Marianne Faithfull for a haunting guest appearance on “The Memory Remains“.
