Metallica are back with a new live album. Frontman James Hetfield seems to be on the mend again.
Shortly after the first public appearance in months, a new live album will be released: On Friday (August 28) the new long player "S & M2" by the metal band Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony will be released. Fans have been waiting for it for a long time: The metal band and the orchestra gave two concerts together in September 2019, now the performances are available as an album for all fans. The longplayer is the continuation of the album "S&M", with which the musicians entered the German charts at number one in 1999 and earned five gold medals in this country.
The follow-up "S & M2" combines in two and a half hours a best of the biggest hits from Metallica with songs like "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman", "One" and "Master of Puppets", but also more recent ones like "The Day That Never Comes "," Confusion "and" Moth Into Flame ".
James Hetfield on the mend
At the beginning of the year, fans were very concerned about singer James Hetfield (57): Metallica had to cancel two headlining shows for May and September in February that clashed with appointments from Hetfield's therapy program. "My health comes first," the front man wrote in a statement. In autumn 2019, he went into withdrawal again because of his long-standing alcohol addiction.
In an interview with the magazine "Metal Hammer" Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo talked about the rehabilitation therapy of the front man, which began in September 2019. "We didn't see it coming," said Trujillo. "James seemed fine, but then you look back and try to analyze the situation over time and see where there were signs." It is a "big challenge" to always appear in front of so many people and to be present while the family is not there.
Then came the corona crisis. In May James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo came back from isolation for the first time and presented a new version of their song "Blackened". In the spring, Hetfield seemed to be doing better, now the metal icons followed up with a live performance in the summer. On August 12, Metallica were guests on the show by US radio great Howard Stern (66). There the musicians performed the three songs "Wherever I May Roam", "The Unforgiven" and "All Within My Hands". James Hetfield showed himself fit again, fans on YouTube even commented that his voice sounded better than ever before.
Kirk Hammett: "James is fine"
"Whenever something like this happens to a band member, it's deeply disturbing," said Hammett. "It's a shock." Drummer Lars Ulrich added: "I'm an only child, so these guys have been in my life longer than anyone but my parents. When you see your brothers, friends and partners going through decades of ups and downs, you know what's going on." comes out. " In another interview with "laut.de", lead guitarist Kirk Hammett also emphasized: "James is fine." Metallica have a band meeting every week "to keep us updated and to make sure everyone is healthy, sane and on the move".
"James does what he has to do," he continued. "When things like this happen, you do your best to support those affected. Just be there for them, support them in whatever way you can. That is important."
Is there a new album coming soon?
Is there any more new music coming soon? In a video conversation with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff (55), drummer Lars Ulrich spoke in April about the corona crisis and a possible "quarantine album". "If you and I and the rest of the world are still here in six months or a year, I can assure you that the odds are very good," he said.