They've played with a full orchestra so they're used to penguin suits, but now Metallica are going the full penguin. The veteran metallurgists will be playing in Antarctica in January in only the second show ever staged on the extreme southern continent.

In a statement issued after drummer Lars Ulrich let the cat (or penguin) out of the bag a few days earlier, the band confirmed they'll be heading south to play inside a dome near the Argentine base, Carlini, on December 8.

Veteran rockers Metallica will play in Antarctica in January in only the second show ever staged on the extreme southern continent. Credit:Ross Halfinn

“After 30 years as a band we have been unbelievably fortunate to visit just about every corner of the earth,” the band's statement said. “ Except for one.”

Given the usual population of Antarctica would fit sidestage at a regular mammoth Metallica concert, fans will be shipped in – literally, on a cruise ship – from Tierra del Fuego. However, while the concert will be filmed and screened simultaneously in South America (and later for non-South Americans), those who make it all the way south will have a unique experience during the concert, according to the band's statement.