Metallica’s ‘Some Kind of Monster’ EP, 18 Years Later

On July 13, 2004, Metallica released a limited-edition EP based around the St. Anger track, "Some Kind of Monster." The EP included two different versions of the song, six live tracks and, thanks to the enhanced nature of the CD, two movie trailers for the documentary of the same name. And as a member of the Metallica Family mentioned on our Facebook, the EP was packed with a special edition T-shirt, too.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, the tell-all documentary that pulled back every curtain on Metallica's personal and professional lives, first debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 24, 2004, and then had its wider theatrical release on July 9; the release of the EP coincided with the documentary hitting the big screen.

The EP's cover art was illustrated by Matt Mahurin, who also directed the official music videos for 1991's "The Unforgiven," 1996's "King Nothing" and 1998's "The Unforgiven II." The Some Kind of Monster EP featured the album version of the track as well as a shorter remix version, both produced by Bob Rock. The six live tracks were all recorded live on June 11, 2003, in Paris, France. You can see the full tracklist below; tracks 2, 3 4 and 6 were recorded at Le Bataclan, track 5 was recorded at Le Boule Noire and track 7 was recorded at Le Trabendo.

Yes, you read that correctly: Metallica performed three gigs in one day in Paris, which just so happened to be the hottest day in French history at the time.

Some Kind of Monster EP Tracklist

1. "Some Kind of Monster"
2. "The Four Horsemen" (Live)
3. "Damage, Inc." (Live)
4. "Leper Messiah" (Live)
5. "Motorbreath" (Live)
6. "Ride the Lightning" (Live)
7. "Hit the Lights" (Live)
8. "Some Kind of Monster" (Edit)

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Metallica have only performed "Some Kind of Monster" three times live, all in 2004 a few weeks after the release of the EP: Aug. 24 in Peoria, Ill., Aug. 25 in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Aug. 27 in Chicago. The band's latest Vinyl Club release features the live recording of their Chicago performance of the track.

St. Anger remains a point of controversy in Metallica's historic and unmatched career. The band realizes this, even poking fun at themselves on the anniversary of the record's release, referring to it as "Everyone's favorite album."

Some Kind of Monster captures this controversy and the band's career in one EP: The studio recording, the remixed edit and the live energy of a band crazy enough to play three concerts in one day, all while highlighting songs from their first three albums.

Watch Metallica Perform Three Songs From Their July 11, 2003 Shows in Paris