The First Record in Metallica’s Latest Vinyl Club Has Shipped

When the latest iteration of The Metallica Vinyl Club was announced, the band promised that the first record would arrive in early April. As of Monday, March 21, if you are a subscriber of the Vinyl Club 2.0 experience, you should have received a notification that your order has shipped.

While the email doesn't list any details about the record—leaving fans in suspense until the postman cometh—Metallica have already updated their website with all the information fans need if they can't wait.

This is the first of four releases for the second edition of The Metallica Vinyl Club.

The Metallica Vinyl Club — Release No. 1 — March 21, 2022

Officially titled Blackened 2020, the new 12-inch record features three tracks: "Blackened 2020," "Blackened 2020 (Live)" and "Would?". All three tracks feature the band performing acoustically and all were recorded in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

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"Blackened 2020" is Metallica's acoustic take on the classic from ...And Justice For All and was recorded remotely via Zoom by each band member. The four individual tracks were then assembled at Metallica HQ in San Rafael, California. This isn't the first official release of the track as the band shared it on streaming services, but this will be its first physical release.

Watch Metallica Record "Blackened 2020" via Zoom

"Blackened 2020 (Live)" is the same take on the Justice song, but this time all four band members were in the same room as they performed it live at Metallica HQ during their livestream concert that benefited the All Within My Hands Foundation. This performance was on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020.

Watch Metallica Perform "Blackened 2020 (Live)" For the All Within My Hands Foundation

The final track on the record is "Would?", Metallica's cover of the Alice In Chains song that first appeared on the 1992 soundtrack for Singles, and then later landed on Dirt, which also came out in '92. Metallica covered "Would?" for the MoPOP Founders Award Honoring Alice In Chains: A Benefit For the Museum of Pop Culture, an album that features various performances from the museum's annual benefit; the 2020 benefit honoring Alice In Chains was livestreamed virtually.

Watch Metallica Perform "Would?" For MoPOP Founders Award 2020

The cover of the record is a nod to ...And Justice For All as well as Zoom, the virtual communication service that played a role in all three of these songs.

Blackened 2020 Album Cover

What fans won't get to see until the record lands in their mailbox is who wrote the liner notes and what they have to say about Blackened 2020.

The four 7-inch records that were part of the first Vinyl Club all featured liner notes penned by Lars Ulrich, and each release included an extra surprise, like stickers, a poster, postcards and more.