Metallica Launch Their Own Record Label

Metallica have launched their own new record label.

The new Blackened Recordings now owns the rights to all Metallica albums and videos, and will release their future work. It marks the end of their 28-year relationship with Warner Music.

“You may have heard us say it once or twice or a thousand times before, but it’s always been about us taking control of all things ‘Tallica to give you 110% on every single level every single time,” said the band in the announcement on their website. “Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, putting us in the driver’s seat of our own creative destiny. We’re looking forward to making more music and getting it all out to you in our own unique way.”

In October the band announced plans to start writing their next album “soon”, and could see them return to Rick Rubin who produced their widely-criticised 2008 release “Death Magnetic”.

Earlier this year, Lars Ulrich suggested they might experiment with an unusual release method:

“We gotta figure out ways we want to do that, from giving it away in cereal boxes to getting people to do handstands for it. We could come up with something wacky.”