Metallica unleash colossal “Load” reissue featuring rare and unreleased gems

With previously unheard demos, rough mixes, films, live recordings, and more, Metallica has announced a huge re-release of their 1996 album “Load”, which peaked at number one on the charts. “Load (Remastered)” is currently available for preorder and will arrive on June 13. The announcement was accompanied by the release of a new lyric video for “Until It Sleeps“. The compilation will be offered in a number of formats, such as digital, CD, cassette, and the standard 180-gram 2LP. The Load Remastered Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set, however, is the true lure of this drop for die-hard Metallica fans. According to a press release, the “Load” deluxe box set is “an ambitious and comprehensive time capsule of 1995-1997 era Metallica,” and it includes live performances, rough mixes, previously unpublished demos, on-air and television performances, and more.

The edition includes the Loadapalooza ’96 triple album, which was recorded during the band’s August 1996 Lollapalooza performance at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in California, as well as a “Mama Said” picture disk. The package consists of 15 CDs with a wealth of live material, demos and rough mixes, B-sides and rarities, and never-before-released riffs. The band’s performance at the Polar Beach Party in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada, in September 1995, on-air and broadcast performances, and behind-the-scenes, in-studio, and live footage are all available on four more DVDs. A pack of 14 Rorschach Test cards, a Pushead patch, an 11-by-17″ Lollapalooza poster, a reproduction of the Rolling Stone cover, a five-pack of guitar and bass picks, lyric sheets, two laminated tour passes, and a deluxe 128-page book are among the exclusive memorabilia included in the Load Remastered Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set.