In a monumental first for the gaming and music industries, Metallica’s highly anticipated ninth studio album Death Magnetic will be available in its entirety as downloadable content for Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock day and date with the album release this Friday, September 12. Featured on the downloadable album will be two Guitar Hero® exclusive renditions of “Suicide & Redemption” with extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. Gamers looking to shred, drum and wail away to the Death Magnetic downloadable album need only purchase the content once as it is forward compatible and will integrate seamlessly with Guitar Hero® World Tour when it launches this October.
In addition to the two exclusive versions of “Suicide & Redemption,” Guitar Hero fans will live out the surreal Metallica experience with: “That Was Just Your Life,” “The End of the Line,” “Broken, Beat & Scared,” “The Day That Never Comes,” “All Nightmare Long,” “Cyanide,” “The Unforgiven Ill,” “The Judas Kiss” and “My Apocalypse.”
“We’ve been working very closely with Metallica and we’re extremely excited to offer Death Magnetic not only in its entirety, but also with the exclusive recordings of ‘Suicide & Redemption’ as downloadable content to Guitar Hero fans,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard. “We’re proud to be setting a new precedent for our two industries, making an entire new album available in two different mediums simultaneously.”
Metallica’s Death Magnetic album will be available for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on September 12, 2008 for download on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at a cost of 1440 Microsoft Points and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system at a cost of $17.99.