Metallica Announce 29-Hour 'Reload' Box Set (Yes, Really)

Metallica diehards… this one’s for the collectors, the crate diggers, and the “yes I do need 15 CDs of demos” crowd.

The thrash titans have announced a monster reissue of their 1997 album Reload, landing June 26 via their own Blackened Recordings – and it’s about as stacked as you’d expect from a band that treats the archive like sacred scripture.

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The headline grab is a super-deluxe box set that goes full “leave no riff behind”: we’re talking 15 CDs, 4 DVDs and nearly 29 hours of material, spanning demos, riff tapes, remixes, and a metric shit-ton of previously unreleased live recordings. If you’ve ever wanted to sit inside the Reload era and hear it evolve in real time… congrats, this is your new personality.

Remastered by Reuben Cohen with longtime collaborator Greg Fidelman overseeing, the set also comes loaded with physical goodies – including a “Gimme Fuel” poster, a Pushead “Fixxxer” print, tour laminates, guitar picks, a 128-page book, and even Rorschach test cards (because of course Metallica made this a whole experience).

On the audio side, highlights include:

70 demo and riff tracks charting the album’s creation
Multiple unreleased live sets across Europe, North America and AUSTRALIA (!!)
Rare acoustic performances featuring guests like Les Claypool and Jerry Cantrell
The previously unreleased Banned in Philly live footage
Plus a remastered “The Memory Remains” – now out with fresh live visuals

And yep – if you pre-order, you’ll instantly cop multiple versions of “The Memory Remains”, including demo takes and live cuts, because Metallica know exactly how to bait the completionists.

When Reload landed in 1997, it wasn’t just another Metallica record – it was a full-blown identity shift. The band had already rattled purists with Load a year earlier, ditching thrash for a groovier, hard rock lean and (gasp) cutting their hair, sparking one of the most infamous fan meltdowns in metal history.

Reload doubled down on that era: bluesy swagger, alt-rock textures, and a willingness to experiment that split the fanbase right down the middle. But time’s been kind to it. Tracks like Fuel and The Memory Remains have become live staples, and what once felt controversial now reads as a bold, transitional chapter that proved Metallica weren’t afraid to evolve, even if it meant dragging their audience along kicking and screaming.

The band are also launching a fan comp dubbed #GetTheReLoudOut, inviting fans to submit covers, performances and art inspired by the album – with signed box sets up for grabs.

If Reload was the era where Metallica doubled down on groove, swagger and left turns, this reissue is the full autopsy – every layer, every experiment, every late-night studio rabbit hole.

Short version: it’s big, it’s loud, it’s wildly excessive, it’s… very on brand for Metallica.

Peep the full tracklist down below.