Metallica To Celebrate 'Record Store Day' With Demo Tape Cassette Release

Metallica‘s 2015 ‘Record Store Day‘ release will be quite the time warp with the band due to release a replica cassette of their 1982 demo tape. The band said of their plans:

“This year we decided to celebrate Record Store Day with our friends at independent retail by taking a huge leap back in time to our humble beginnings with that little rectangle of plastic known as the “demo tape.” In 1982 we recorded seven songs that became our initial calling card known as No Life ’til Leather and it led us to our first record deal . . . the rest, as you some of you may know, is history! On Record Store Day, April 18th that demo tape will be available as a limited edition cassette (yes, cassette!!) at your favorite neighborhood record store and Metallica.com.

We’ve been digging through the archives, gone to the original source material and re-mastered it to maximize the sound potential for 2015 without altering the original mixes in any way. Recorded with the first line-up of the band that appeared live as Metallica, No Life ’til Leather has never been commercially available until now. Look for expanded versions coming on CD, vinyl and a collector’s set sometime this summer.

We hope you enjoy this little walk down memory lane with us and that you will continue to join us in supporting independent record stores around the world. Visit RecordStoreDay.com for a list of independent retail stores taking part in Record Store Day.”

A thoughtful interview with drummer Lars Ulrich regarding the release is running over at Rollingstone.com and reveals that the cassette is merely the tip of the spear in a campaign of re-releases the group have planned. Expanded CD and vinyl reissues of this very release will follow in the summer, with the band then turning their sights to the rest of their early catalogue.

Track listing:

“Hit The Lights”
“The Mechanix”
“Motorbreath”
“Seek & Destroy”
“Metal Militia”
“Jump In The Fire”
“Phantom Lord”