The “ReLoad” remastered limited-edition deluxe box set is a passionately and thoroughly curated document of 1997-1998 era METALLICA, bursting with exclusives including previously unreleased demos, rough mixes, live performances, on-air and television appearances, and much more. This one-time numbered pressing features the remastered “ReLoad” album on 180g double vinyl, “The Memory Remains” 7″, and “Live At Ministry Of Sound ’97”, a 140g triple album recorded live. The set’s 15 CDs range from the remastered “ReLoad” album to never-before-released collections of riffs, demos and rough mixes, B-Sides and rarities, and a wealth of live material, while its 4 DVDs offer a plethora of behind the scenes, in-studio and live footage, on-air and television appearances, the band’s pop-up performance at the CoreStates Complex Parking Lot in Philadelphia, visits to Seoul, and more. Rounding out the box’s content are memorabilia including a pack of 13 Rorschach Test cards, an 11×17 Gimme Fuel poster, a sticker, a Pushead print, a 10-pack of guitar/bass picks, lyric sheets, three laminated tour passes and a deluxe 128-page book with never-before-seen photos and stories from whose who were there.

The release of “ReLoad (Remastered)” also marks the opening of the #GetTheReLoadOut fan cover competition. Last year, thousands of METALLICA fans across social media submitted their interpretations of “Load” tracks for the #GetTheLoadOut Fan Cover Competition. The band is opening up round two — this time as #GetTheReLoadOut — to celebrate the “ReLoad” reissue with a new second category: In addition to the more traditional musical covers, performance and visual artists are also invited to participate. A different track off the album will be highlighted each week throughout the competition, culminating in two Grand Prize Winners each taking home a METALLICA-autographed “ReLoad” remastered limited-edition deluxe box set.

Originally released November 18, 1997, “ReLoad” was the third consecutive METALLICA album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ultimately spending nearly 80 weeks on the chart and attaining No. 1 status in six countries, and top 10 in nearly a dozen more. The 1995-1997 sessions at The Plant in Sausalito, California that yielded both “ReLoad” and “Load” found James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted exploring expanded creative terrain and pushing the boundaries of METALLICA‘s sonic identity. On “ReLoad”, this meant bold decisions ranging from the inclusion of hurdy-gurdy and violin on the somber “Low Man’s Lyric” to Marianne Faithfull‘s haunting guest vocal on “The Memory Remains”.

Released in 1996, “Load” marked a new direction for METALLICA, featuring what one critic has described as “a fresh take on LYNYRD SKYNYRD-tinged boogie rock for the 1990s.”

Although “Load” and “ReLoad” were warmly received by critics at the time, they’ve since taken their place among the most reviled work of METALLICA‘s career.

In a 2013 interview with Revolver magazine, Ulrich said that “Load” and “ReLoad” are “great records” that “are creatively on par with every other record we’ve made. Obviously, they’re bluesier records, and at that time, we were listening to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and AC/DC, and we had a different kind of foundation than records before or after,” he said. “And I understand that there are people who couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with the haircuts and the rest of it, and that’s fine. But musically, if you strip all that other stuff away, if you just listen to the 27 songs — ‘Load’ and ‘ReLoad’ were intended as one double-record — it’s a great collection of songs that is on par with everything else that we’ve done creatively.”

Hetfield has repeatedly expressed his dislike of the “Load” album cover and its inspiration, telling Classic Rock magazine in a 2009 interview: “Lars and Kirk were very into abstract art, pretending they were gay. I think they knew it bugged me. It was a statement around all that. I love art, but not for the sake of shocking others. I think the cover of ‘Load’ was just a piss-take around all that. I just went along with the make-up and all of this crazy, stupid shit that they felt they needed to do.”