Metallica to open vinyl club featuring rare cuts, demos, rough mixes and more

From Loudersound.

Metallica have opened membership sign-ups to their new vinyl club.

Those in the band’s Fifth Members fan club have until March 31 to register and they’ll then have access to a variety of special releases throughout the year.

Metallica say: “It’s another first for us… our very own vinyl club! As huge music fans ourselves, it’s been super exciting to see the resurgence of vinyl and how much enjoyment we all get collecting, exploring and connecting with other fans mining for lost treasures.

“Those of us who love the look, feel and sonic warmth of vinyl are sorta in our little exclusive club, so with that in mind, we thought it would be fun to start adding to our collections on a regular basis.”

Metallica report that vinyl club members will be able to get their hands on “rare cuts, demos, rough mixes and live rarities,” adding: “Who knows what we’ll dig up! Obviously they’ll all be cuts that have never been released on vinyl before.”

Each subscription comes with a personalised membership card, four 7-inch vinyl records and “select releases throughout the year will include additional collectibles – this could be anything from exclusive stickers to picks or even posters!”

Metallica conclude: “We’re excited to kick off this new endeavour, and whether you get the subscription for yourself or a friend, we hope you have a blast collecting some good-old-school vinyl.”

Last week, Metallica were forced to cancel two US festival appearances due to vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield having to attend ‘mandatory sobriety weekends’, according to festival organisers.

The metal icons were due to headline the Sonic Temple and Louder Than Life festivals in May.