Metallica are considering recording a new covers album.

Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed that the heavy metal group have been inspired to release an album of cover versions by their recent live performances, reports Loudwire.

“While we were doing the Bridge show last month, we had a bunch of covers that we were throwing around and playing. I just realized how fun it is to actually play other peoples’ songs in this band,” Hammett said. “No matter what song you give us, when we start playing it, it’s just going to naturally sound different.”


Kirk continued, “I recognize there’s a lot of uniqueness to that and a lot of beauty and a lot of fun. It kind of got me thinking and other guys in the band thinking that maybe it’s time to think about doing a covers album. Just a fun sort of thing, something that we want to do that we think would be fun to share with everyone.”

At the Bridge School Benefit in October, Metallica played covers of Deep Purple’s ‘When a Blind Man Cries’, The Clash’s ‘Clampdown’ and Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young’s ‘Mr. Soul’.

The American group have previously released an album of covers, titled ‘Garage Inc.’, in 1998 featuring reimagined versions of Misfits’ ‘Last Caress’, Thin Lizzy’s ‘Whisky in the Jar’, Diamond Head’s ‘Am I Evil?’ and many others. It went on to sell over six million copies making it one of the most successful cover albums of all time.

Metallica release their first new album in eight years ‘Hardwired…To Self Destruct’ on 18 November. They are scheduled to play an intimate show in London the following day.