Metallica have shared a “socially distanced” video of them performing classic …And Justice for All track ‘Blackened’.
The split-screen performance sees each band member playing the song from their respective homes.
“Here’s a little something we cooked up over the last few days,” commented the band alongside the video. “Hope you’re all safe & sound. Have a great weekend.”
As Consequence of Sound points out, the socially distanced performance marks the first time the band have played together publicly since James Hetfield’s time in rehab, which saw the band cancel their planned 2019 Australian tour.
Metallica have been doing their best to keep fans entertained throughout lockdown, with their #MetallicaMonday series seeing the legendary band stream archival concerts in full on YouTube and Facebook every Monday.
Last month, the band’s Lars Ulrich suggested in a video chat with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff that the band could use their time in quarantine to write a new album.
“The four members of Metallica connect via Zoom once a week, and it’s great to connect,” Ulrich said.
“All four of us are in four different locations in four different states right now. But one topic of conversation on these weekly sessions is what does it look like going forward … in terms of how do we create, how do we write music, how do we record music, how do we share music, and how is it all going to look with the uncertainties ahead of us.”
Whether we’ll get a Metallica quarantine record remains a mystery, but Ulrich expressed confidence should stay-at-home orders be eased.
“On these weekly Zoom sessions, we are talking about how we can just be a band again. And there are many different phases to being in a band, but the most basic one, and certainly where it started 37 years ago, is to just have four guys playing music together.
“I can tell you that all four of us are really excited about what that could look like. So, will there be a Metallica quarantine record? I can’t tell you, because, again, I don’t know how long the quarantine will last. But if you and I and the rest of the world are still sitting here six months from now or a year from now, I’d say there’s a very good chance.”
Watch Metallica perform ‘Blackened 2020’ below.
