Metallica announces deluxe remastered reissue of ‘ReLoad’ for June release
Metallica will release a definitive, remastered edition of its quadruple-platinum 1997 album “ReLoad” on June 26 via the band’s Blackened Recordings label, the group announced Tuesday.
The reissue, remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering and overseen by Greg Fidelman, will be available in several formats, including a limited-edition numbered deluxe box set. The box set features 15 CDs, four DVDs, and five vinyl records, comprising the original album alongside previously unreleased demos, rough mixes, and live recordings from the 1997-1998 era.
Among the archival material is a triple-vinyl recording of the band’s 1997 performance at Ministry of Sound and DVD footage of a pop-up concert held in the parking lot of the CoreStates Complex in Philadelphia. Memorabilia included in the deluxe set features a 128-page book, lyric sheets, tour passes, and a pack of Rorschach test cards.
Originally released Nov. 18, 1997, “ReLoad” was the band’s third consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album is noted for expanding the band’s sonic identity with tracks like “The Memory Remains,” featuring guest vocals by Marianne Faithfull, and “Low Man’s Lyric,” which incorporated hurdy-gurdy and violin.
To celebrate the release, the band also launched the “#GetTheReLoadOut” fan cover competition. The contest invites musicians and visual artists to submit interpretations of the album’s tracks, with grand prize winners receiving an autographed deluxe box set.
Standard configurations, including double vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital spatial audio, are also available for pre-order. Digital pre-orders include an “instant grat” download of the remastered version of “The Memory Remains.”
