Metallica Debut 1990 Rehearsal Recording of ‘Holier Than Thou’
Ahead of the 30th anniversary reissue of 'The Black Album' and a separate, star-studded covers tribute album featuring dozens of artists, Metallica have unfurled another rare track, this time a 1990 pre-production rehearsal recording of "Holier Than Thou."
The instrumental version of the song, heard at the bottom of the page, was recorded on Oct. 4, 1990 and, despite lacking the timeless punch of the finished album's production, still has plenty of appeal. This raw audio quality helps bridge the gap to Metallica's '80s material and offers some clearer insight regarding their stylistic shift.
Prior to this release, Metallica shared the original 1990 demo recording of "Enter Sandman," which was tracked in Lars Ulrich's basement, as well as an alternate version of "Sad But True," with the full reissue and its bonus tracks set to drop on Sept. 10.
The Blacklist tribute will arrive on the same day and features more than 50 cover songs from a wide-ranging set of artists, including some far and away from the scope of heavy music, proving just how universally recognized Metallica and their music is.
Some notable cover versions that have been released so far include: Miley Cyrus ("Nothing Else Matters"), Juanes ("Enter Sandman"), St. Vincent ("Sad But True"), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit ("Sad But True"), Sam Fender ("Sad But True"), Biffy Clyro ("Holier Than Thou") and OFF! ("Holier Than Thou").
A black and white, era-specific photo book is expected to arrive just over a month later in October too.