Watch Metallica perform lockdown version of '...And Justice for All' classic 'Blackened'
This is very good
Metallica have performed a stripped-back version of their ‘...And Justice for All’ classic ‘Blackened’ from their homes while in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
The heavy metal titans shared the video shared the video late last night (1st May) and wrote: “Here’s a little something we cooked up over the last few days. Hope you’re all safe & sound. Have a great weekend.”
With lyrics written by James Hetfield and music by Papa Het, Lars Ulrich and former bassist Jason Newsted, ‘Blackened’ is the opening track on Metallica’s fourth studio album ‘… And Justice for All’, which was released back in August 1988.
Watch Metallica’s 2020 version of ‘Blackened’:
And here's the original version of 'Blackened':
Earlier this week, Metallica drummer and co-founding member Lars Ulrich said there’s a “very good chance” the band could make a new album during lockdown.
In a live chat with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on Tuesday (28th April), Lars said: “Like I said, the guys in Metallica, as we sit here and go, well, maybe in a month or two from now, is there a chance that the four of us can be together maybe at our studio here in Northern California, if the quarantine and stay-at-home orders subside – so on and so forth.
“So, right now, as everybody who has creative juices flowing through their veins, they’re being challenged to try to come up with new ways to be creative, and I think that those are wonderful takeaways from the devastation that’s happening all over the world at the moment.
“Everywhere in the world of not just music, but in the world of anything entertainment – obviously, film, theatre, art; anything that has to do with creativity – I can guarantee there are thousands of conversations right now about how do we make records? How do we make filmed entertainment? How do we make art? How do we share it with this new paradigm that’s happening? What can it look like on the other side of the new normal?
“Even if you bring it into our world, the people that make all the software and all the stuff that all use to record are sitting right now trying to figure out how Lars and James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo can make a Metallica record from four different locations in four different states. And that’s something that we’re obviously circling and very excited about…”
He added: “So, will there be a Metallica quarantine record?” he concluded. “I can’t tell you, because, again, I don’t know how long the quarantine will last. But if you and I and the rest of the world are sitting here six months from now or a year from now, I’d say there’s a very good chance.”
At the start of April, Metallica donated four grants totalling $350,000 (£283,000) to charities helping the vulnerable during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The generous pledge via Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation went to Feeding America, Direct Relief, Crew Nation and The USBG National Charity Foundation.
Additionally, Metallica's #MetallicaMondays concert series each Monday night, which sees them stream a classic concert in its entirety, is raising money for the coronavirus fight.