MTV News has issued the following report from Chris Harris/Todd Brown:

For four consecutive albums, METALLICA relied on the talents of producer Bob Rock, a man who has worked with the likes of THE CULT and MÖTLEY CRÜE over the course of his nearly 30-year career. The guys came to trust Rock after he'd helmed their 1991 self-titled breakthrough, and they even recruited him for their three subsequent follow-ups: 1996's Load, 1997's Reload and 2003's St. Anger.

But in 2006, Metallica revealed that their 15-year relationship with Rock had dissolved and that they'd be searching for a new producer for their forthcoming ninth LP, Death Magnetic, which hits stores September 12th. They found what they were looking for in Rick Rubin, one of the most important producers of the last 20 years, who has worked with artists as diverse as SLAYER, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, NEIL DIAMOND, WEEZER, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and JAY-Z.

At the start of the studio sessions, frontman James Hetfield said Rubin challenged them to think back to 1985, when they wrote and recorded 1986's Master Of Puppets. He wanted Metallica to return to that mind-set, to recall those elements, experiences and influences that drove them to what's widely acknowledged as their finest work.

"For us to accomplish that mission, we needed to shed a lot of extra baggage," Hetfield said. "We needed to focus a little more, we needed to make quicker decisions, we needed to be OK saying no to certain stuff, and we needed to weed through stuff quicker."

Read the full report at MTV News.

Metallica's forthcoming tour schedule is as follows:

October (with DOWN and THE SWORD)

21 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing Arena
23 - Albquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum
25 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
26 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena

November

1 - Portland, OR - Rose Quarter
3 - Salt Lake City, UT - Energy Solutions Arena
4 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
6 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
8 - Moline, IL - iWireless Center
9 - Columbus, - OH Schottenstein Center
17 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
18 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
20 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
22 - Little Rock, AR - Alltel Arena
23 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena

December (with LAMB OF GOD and The Sword)

1 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
2 - Vancouver, BC - GM Place
4 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
7 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
12 - Ontario, CA - Citizens Bank Arena
13 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
15 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena
17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
20 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena

January (with MACHINE HEAD and The Sword)

12 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center
13 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
15 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
17 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
18 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Center
26 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
29 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
31 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center

More dates will be announced soon.

Complete Death Magnetic details can be found here.