Metallica ‘Back To The Front’ book gets release date

Metallica: Back to the Front, the definitive story of Master of Puppets and the subsequent tour that followed its release, hits bookstores and online sellers on September 13th. A very special Collector’s Edition of the book will be available two weeks earlier on August 30th through Metallica.com. The book celebrates the 30th anniversary of the classic album.

“Two years in the making, we’re beyond excited to finally share it with you,” the band writes. “To refresh your memories, we teamed up with acclaimed award winning author Matt Taylor (Jaws: Memories From Martha’s Vineyard) and you all jumped in to assist us in putting the pieces together by sending your photos, videos, stories and mementos. We hit the storage lockers, attics and basements to fill the book with hundreds of never-before-seen images pulled from our personal archives and have been involved every step of the way to bring you the complete story.”

The deluxe edition comes in a sleek case that includes a hardcover, clothbound, limited edition copy of the 276 page book and a portfolio containing a 1.25” x 1.25” piece of an original roadcase used to ship the band’s equipment to Denmark for the recording of the album and on the tour that followed its release. The roadcase piece, an invaluable bit of Metallica memorabilia, comes in its own sophisticated display featuring “Damage, Inc.” artwork on the cover as well as “now and then” photographs of the band inside accented by embossed band signatures.

“Two years in the making, we’re beyond excited to finally share it with you.”

A handful of lucky fans will receive an autographed copy of the Collector’s Edition at random when ordered through Metallica.com.

Taylor met with Metallica for exclusive, intensive interviews as they we dug deep into their memories for stories, anecdotes, tidbits and tales from the studio, the road and beyond.

“A huge thanks to the people who were a part of our history at that time who sat with Matt, including record producer Flemming Rasmussen and the man who mixed it, Michael Wagener,” the band says. “Matt also tracked down the entire MOP road crew including John Marshall and members of the bands who toured with us, Anthrax and Armored Saint. Our booking agent, tour promoters and managers, Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch, all were overly generous with their time and recollections. Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin and drummer Mike Bordin and Diamond Head’s Brian Tatler spoke with Matt about their memories of those crazy times. Of course you, the fans who were at those shows gave us an amazing view of your memories and experiences. Finally, we’re honored that Cliff Burton’s dad Ray sat down for an extensive interview.”

As part of the 30th anniversary celebration, and in honor of the release of the book, Metallica has teamed up with ESP Guitars to give Fifth Members a chance to win a very limited edition Master of Puppets guitar with one lucky winner to be drawn on Tuesday, August 30th.

Also, fans can customize Metallica.com with the new Master of Puppets skin, and all eleven shows from the 2006 summer tour featuring live performances of the entire album are now available on CD in the Met Store. The band confirms that they’re currently digging through their vaults for material for remastered versions of Master Of Puppets.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn