Record Store Day recently announced it’s Ambassador for 2016, Grammy Award-winning, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees... Metallica!

An update from the band reads: “We are extremely excited to be spearheading this event we are so passionate about in such a personal way. To find out more about our connection to this cause and three special releases coming out in conjunction with it, check out the Record Store Day story and video  (streaming below) at Metallica.com.”

The band continue: “Get ready for the return of everyone’s favourite sale of the year. That’s right, it’s Garage Sale time! We’ve searched our shelves high and low to bring you the best offers on some of our favourite products. You know these items don’t last long, so head over to the Met Store this Thursday, March 10th at 1 PM ,PST to find special offers on exclusive Met Club merch, last of their kind products, and rock bottom prices on so much more.

“Lucky random orders will receive goodies like official shirts or guitar picks from The Night Before or even used guitar strings we snagged from the studio! And with all the merch flowing in and out of our doors, we’re bound to pile up a few items with minor flaws here and there, so we’re also offering a “mystery grab bag” shirt for only $2.99 that is the perfect add on to any Garage Sale order!

“And before the Garage Sale starts, be sure to hit up our St. Patrick’s Day Sale for some green gear and avoid getting pinched this year! Head over to the Met Store for 20% off “Whiskey In The Jar” and “No Leaf Clover” shirts along with barware to help you celebrate in style. Sale ends Monday, March 14th at 9:00 AM PST.”

Metallica is no stranger to Record Store Day, this year set for Saturday, April 16th, a special day in support of independent record stores and record store culture worldwide, now in its ninth year.

"Independent record stores are part of Metallica's DNA," said drummer Lars Ulrich. "They have been pivotal in shaping each one of us into the music fanatics we've all become. We could not be any prouder to be Record Store Day Ambassadors for 2016 and are looking forward to screaming from every rooftop the next few months about everything independent record store and beyond."

Throughout Record Store Day's near-decade lifespan, Metallica's support has been more than noteworthy with in-store appearances, (remember Mountain View, CA Rasputin Records in 2008, when the band met their fans for hours to kick off the very first Record Store Day) and a healthy handful of special releases. In fact, members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo made big news just last year when the band's cassette-issued demos collection, No Life Til Leather, ended up as Record Store Day 2015's highest seller. As well, Trujillo's lauded biopic, Jaco, about legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius, was RSD 2014's Official Film and a special Record Store Day exclusive version was released on DVD for Black Friday 2015, including a bonus CD featuring tracks from Trujillo himself.

This year the band's official release will fit into a wider theme of Record Store Day 2016, highlighting the relationship between US record stores and their French counterparts, between Record Store Day and 'Disquaire Day', between music-loving humans in the US and France, following the tragic events in Paris in November 2015. Metallica will release Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica! - Live at Le Bataclan. Paris, France - June 11th, 2003, a CD featuring a live recording from the club, with the band, Record Store Day and independent record stores donating proceeds to benefit Fondation de France's Give For France charity (details here).

The live recording setlist includes: "The Four Horsemen”, "Leper Messiah”, "No Remorse”, "Fade To Black”, "Frantic”, "Ride The Lightning”, “Blackened" and encores: "Seek & Destroy" and "Damage, Inc.”.

For now, let's all get ready for another great Saturday in April, when we celebrate the culture of the independent record store with Metallica.

For the full Ambassador statement, check out the newly relaunched Record Store Day website here.