Metallica Unveil ‘Black Box’ of Rarities and Virtual Events
Metallica have unveiled the Black Box, a hulking collection of physical keepsakes and virtual goodies pulled from the band members' personal archives.
"When you’ve been around for 40 years, you manage to collect a few things!" the band said in a statement. "Along the way, the four of us have hung on to many keepsakes, photographs, articles of clothing, sketches and so much more, stashing these items away in attics, garages and storage spaces. But no more, as we’re excited to launch the Metallica Black Box!"
The Black Box will include both physical and digital media, from weekly livestream events to limited-edition signed memorabilia. "In the weeks, months and years ahead, the Black Box will venture progressively deeper into the vaults, the sounds, the visuals, the instruments, the culture and beyond," the band promised.
Early Black Box offerings include the “Riff ‘Em All” photo gallery, which contains behind-the-scenes footage of the band in the studio with Black Album producer Bob Rock, and the “Where I Lay My Head Is Home” gallery, which has dozens of live photos of the band from the early ‘90s. Fans can also purchase vintage photographs, commemorative album plaques and tour poster reproductions.
And, starting Nov. 20, Metallica will stream one show a week for 10 weeks from their Black Album tour, which ran from 1991-93. (You can see more details at the Black Box website.)
The Black Box announcement closely follows the release of The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-song tribute to Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album featuring performances by Weezer, Jason Isbell, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers and dozens of other artists across genres. The band also released a Black Album deluxe box set, which includes a remastered version of the original album, 24 hours of live material, demos, rough mixes and interviews, tour laminates, lithographs, guitar picks, lyric sheets and a 120-page hardcover photo book. The hulking collection comprises 14 CDs, five DVDs and five LPs.