Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 4, 2023 in East Rutherford, N.J. (photo: Theo Wargo / Getty Images).
Metallica is continuing its deep-dive catalog campaign with a massive reissue of 1997’s ReLoad, arriving June 26 via its own Blackened Recordings. Remastered by Reuben Cohen with longtime collaborator Greg Fidelman overseeing, ReLoad (Remastered) will be available across multiple formats, including vinyl, CD, cassette, digital and a Dolby Atmos mix.
The centerpiece is a sprawling deluxe box set that documents the band’s late-’90s era in exhaustive detail — packed with unreleased demos, rough mixes, live recordings and archival video footage, along with a hefty book and assorted memorabilia. The rollout is already underway with a refreshed version of “The Memory Remains,” the album’s Marianne Faithfull-featuring single, alongside a newly surfaced 1997 live performance clip. See the latter below.
Originally released on Nov. 18, 1997, ReLoad debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the band’s third straight chart-topper — and went on to spend nearly 80 weeks on the chart. Recorded during the same sessions that produced 1996’s Load, the album captured a period where Metallica was actively stretching beyond its thrash roots, folding in bluesy textures, alternative rock influences, and left-field instrumentation.
At the time, ReLoad divided fans, but its reputation has steadily evolved, with songs like “Fuel” and “The Memory Remains” becoming live staples — including on the band’s current M72 World Tour.
The reissue also launches the band’s latest fan engagement push, #GetTheReLoadOut, a follow-up to last year’s Load-focused cover contest. This time around, Metallica is expanding the scope beyond traditional covers to include visual and performance art, with winners set to receive signed deluxe box sets.
The timing of the reissue aligns with another forward-looking chapter for the band: its upcoming residency at Sphere in Las Vegas that gets underway Oct. 1. The final European leg of the hugely successful M72 tour restarts May 9 in Athens.
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