On August 28, Metallica will release S&M²: Metallica And San Francisco Symphony Together Again. Live. Guitarist Kirk Hammett recently spoke to Jim Harrington of Marin Independent Journal about his band's new release, an excerpt from their chat follows:

How important is it for the band to take chances and try different things?

"We’re pretty restless musically. We’re pretty restless creatively. And as individuals, I think we get bored easily. I know that I am creatively hungry. I know that I share that with my own band members. If (something) sounds interesting to us, we’ll say yes.

We’ve said yes and then dealt with the outcome later. Usually, the outcome is our fans asking, 'What the (expletive) are you guys doing?' And we’ll say, 'We don’t know, but we like what we’re doing and we’re going in this direction because it’s somewhere we’ve never been before.'

At the end of the day, we want Metallica to be something that is not monochromatic. We don’t want it to be just black and white. We want a lot of colors in it."

What did you think when you first heard about collaborating with the symphony again for the opening of the Chase Center?

"As a musician, I got excited. For a guy like me to walk onstage and hit a power chord, and then hear 70-plus instruments fall right into place and support that power chord and make that power chord that much bigger and heavier — who would not want that? That feeling alone is worth it. And to be able to play material like that over the course of a couple of hours? It’s like going to an amusement park. It’s so much fun. I can feel the power. I can feel the glory."

Take me back to those opening moments, as the band walks onto the arena floor to the regular entrance music of Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold,” and 16,000 fans are screaming for the first time inside Chase Center. Did you feel like a heavyweight fighter walking into a championship bout?

"It felt more like coming home. And the welcoming party was the symphony and the people who we played those shows for 20 years ago — and all their extended family. It just felt like we were coming home to something glorious — to relive it all together. That’s what it felt like."

To read the complete interview, visit this location.

Says the band: "In September of 2019, we were on stage for two incredible nights with the San Francisco Symphony commemorating the opening of the new Chase Center here in our backyard as well as the 20th anniversary of the first S&M. Celebrating with fans from all around the world (almost 70 countries represented!) and sharing the stage with our hometown symphony, its legendary Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, and conductor Edwin Outwater, was beyond inspiring and a major highlight in our crazy, cool time as a band. Now we can all relive those two special nights as both video and audio versions of the shows are available for pre-order now, hitting stores on August 28.

"S&M2, is coming your way in a number of formats, ranging from standard 4LP vinyl, collectible colored vinyl, 2CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and Deluxe Box set, all the way up to the Fifth Member™ exclusive Super Deluxe Box, limited to 500 copies (which members can enter to reserve), each featuring original sheet music used in the show and signed by all four band members. Including the first-ever symphonic renditions of songs written and released since those first S&M shows, the album was produced by Greg Fidelman with Hetfield & Ulrich.

“So why did this take almost 12 months to release?” The concert film is a brand-new edit done by Joe Hutshing (Through The Never) and both the audio and visuals have been taken to the next level from the October 2019 theatrical version that played in over 3,700 cinemas worldwide. Originally planned for a mid-June release, unfortunately pressing plants and printers closed due to COVID-19 just as we were getting ready to manufacture the various configurations. We’re excited that we’re back on track, everything’s in motion, and we can finally get the music to you.

"Fifth Members™ should login for a 20% discount and all pre-orders will receive MP3 downloads of the S&M2 versions of “All Within My Hands” and “Nothing Else Matters.”

Learn more here. Pre-order here. Pre-save on Digital here. 

Tracklisting:

"The Ecstasy Of Gold"
"The Call Of Ktulu"
"For Whom the Bell Tolls"
"The Day That Never Comes"
"The Memory Remains"
"Confusion"
"Moth Into Flame"
"The Outlaw Torn"
"No Leaf Clover"
"Halo On Fire"
Intro to Scythian Suite
"Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God And The Dance Of The Dark Spirits"
Intro to The Iron Foundry
"The Iron Foundry, Opus 19"
"The Unforgiven III"
"All Within My Hands"
"(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth"
"Wherever I May Roam"
"One"
"Master Of Puppets"
"Nothing Else Matters"
"Enter Sandman"

"Moth Into Flame" video:

"All Within My Hands" video:

"Nothing Else Matters" video:

Trailer:

Robert Trujillo unboxes the Deluxe Box Set edition: