Metallica to Reissue ‘Some Kind of Monster’ With Bonus Footage
A decade after Metallica released Some Kind of Monster, the 2004 documentary that chronicled the dark time in the group’s history when they nearly fell apart, the band is reissuing the film as a two-disc anniversary-edition Blu-ray and as a digital release. The reissue, which will come out on November 24th, includes a retrospective 25-minute feature, Metallica: This Monster Lives, that the group and the doc’s filmmakers, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, made in February 2013.
Equally engaging and uncomfortable, the original film captured Metallica’s internal struggles at the time that they were making the record that would became St. Anger. It captured everything from the aftermath of bassist Jason Newsted’s departure of the group to the touchy-feeling therapy sessions that ultimately healed the band.
The film also featured footage of James Hetfield entering rehab, a tearful and awkward reunion between Lars Ulrich and original guitarist Dave Mustaine and the auditions that led to the recruitment of current bassist Robert Trujillo. Some Kind of Monster went on to win several awards, including Best Documentary at the Independent Spirt Awards, and its honesty won it praise from critics, even if Ulrich characterized the doc as a “mindfuck” in 2010.
In addition to re-releasing Some Kind of Monster, Metallica are putting out a 12-inch single of “Lords of Summer,” the song they debuted on tour this year. The limited-edition single – which will be available at indie retailers and the band’s website as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday event, on November 28th – will feature the “first pass” studio version of the song as well as a live version of the tune that the group recorded in Rome this summer on its A side. The flipside will feature a laser etching of the group’s “M” logo.
Earlier this year, Ulrich told Rolling Stone that “Lords of Summer” was “fairly representative of where our creative headspace is right now.” Now that the group is done with touring for the year – a fact it’s commemorating by releasing 27 live albums of ever concert it played this year – it’s focusing on writing a new record. This past April, Ulrich estimated the band was in the “fourth inning” of its album-writing process.