Beyond Magnetic

Beyond Magnetic
EP by Metallica
Released December 13, 2011
Recorded April 2007–May 2008 at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles; June 2008 at Shangri La Studios in Malibu; Metallica's HQ in San Rafael
Genre Heavy metal, thrash metal
Length 29:08
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Rick Rubin
Metallica EPs chronology

Live at Grimey's
(2010)		 Beyond Magnetic
(2011)		 The 30th Anniversary Celebration
(2012)

Beyond Magnetic is a 2011 EP by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released to coincide with the band's 30th anniversary shows, in which they released a new song for all four days of the shows. It was originally released as a digital download only on iTunes on December 13, 2011.[1] All four songs featured on Beyond Magnetic were all recorded for the group's Death Magnetic sessions but had not been released.[2][3] Beyond Magnetic was released on CD on January 30, 2012, internationally, and on the following day in the United States. As of 2013, Beyond Magnetic sold over 162,000 copies in the U.S.[4]

Release

The band stated the following about the EP:[5]

During the Death Magnetic album sessions in 2007 and 2008, we originally recorded 14 songs. When it came time to pick the songs for the final album, we decided on 10 songs that you've all come to know over the last three years... Some of you may have heard bits and pieces of those other songs on 'Mission Metallica' (remember 'Mission Metallica'?!) or heard rumors about them during the recording process, and wondered, 'What ever happened to those other four songs???.' We kept them in the vault and decided to pull them just for this special celebration, so here are the four leftover tracks from the Death Magnetic sessions. They are ROUGH mixes, unfinished to their original degree of mixing from March '08. These four songs were released as a gift to our closest fans, the members of our Fan Club, to enjoy. Now they're being made available to you.

On January 3, 2012, Metallica announced that Beyond Magnetic was to be released as a CD on January 31 in the U.S., and January 30 internationally.[6] It was also announced that the EP would be released on vinyl, and would be made available on April 21 in celebration of Record Store Day.[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [8]
Rolling Stone [9]

Reviews of Beyond Magnetic have been largely positive. Allmusic gave Beyond Magnetic a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, and reviewer Stephen Erlewine called the EP "as potent as its 2008 parent."[8]

During its first week of release, Beyond Magnetic sold 36,000 copies and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200.[10]

Track listing

All lyrics written by James Hetfield, all music composed by Metallica.

No. Title Length
1. "Hate Train"   6:59
2. "Just a Bullet Away"   7:11
3. "Hell and Back"   6:57
4. "Rebel of Babylon"   8:01
Total length:
 29:08

Personnel

Metallica
Technical personnel

Chart positions

Chart (2011) Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[11] 19
Canadian Albums Chart[12] 15
Hungarian Albums Chart[13] 12
New Zealand Albums Chart[14] 22
U.S. Billboard 200[15] 29

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Worldwide December 13, 2011 Warner Bros. digital
International January 30, 2012 Warner Bros. CD
United States January 31, 2012 Warner Bros. CD
North America April 21, 2012 Warner Bros. Vinyl

References

  1. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - METALLICA's 'Beyond Magnetic' Cracks U.S. Top 40 - Dec. 21, 2011". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  2. ↑ "News | Four Previously Un-released Tracks On iTunes". Metallica.com. 2011-12-12. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  3. ↑ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - METALLICA Releases 'Beyond Magnetic' Digital EP". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ "Metallica releases Beyond Magnetic EP". Consequence of Sound. 12 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "METALLICA: 'Beyond Magnetic' To Receive CD Release". Blabbermouth.net. 3 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Metallica's 'Beyond Magnetic' EP to Receive Vinyl Release". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Beyond Magnetic". Allmusic.com. Allmusic. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  9. ↑ David Fricke (2012-02-23). "Beyond Magnetic | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  10. ↑ "METALLICA's 'Beyond Magnetic' Cracks U.S. Top 40". Blabbermouth.net. 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "Top 50 Albums Chart - Australian Recording Industry Association". ARIA. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  12. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/310639/metallica/chart?f=309
  13. ↑ "MAHASZ – Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége". mahasz.hu. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  14. ↑ Steffen Hung (2008-08-17). "Metallica - Beyond Magnetic". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  15. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/310639/metallica/chart?f=305