After guitarist Kirk Hammett started dropping hints a few months back that Metallica had been working on a new album that's "not really 100% a Metallica record," the big secret has been revealed. The Bay Area thrashers announced last night on their official website that the band has completed recording of a collaborative full-length album with Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground.
"A true innovator and easily one of the most influential songwriters, musicians, and 
performers in rock music history, Lou's work with the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist has such an enduring quality that he has long been revered and respected by us and many of our peers," the band stated.
No release date or title has been issued, but ten songs are said to have been recorded during the sessions that wrapped up last week.
Metallica and Reed first collaborated during a performance at New York's Madison Square Garden in October 2009, where they celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Metallica's famed self-titled Black Album will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on August 12, 2011.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
This has got to rank as among the strangest, least likely rock collaborations ever. In other words, a classic in the making.
2 - Shaleem Hosein
Or a huge mistake!