METALLICA To Reissue 1982 Cassette Demo On Record Store Day

This year Metallica is celebrating Record Store Day by taking a huge leap back in time to their humble beginnings. “Our 1982 demo, No Life ‘Til Leather, will be released on April 18th as a limited edition cassette (!!!) at your favorite independent record store and Metallica.com.”

“Twelve people will be able to play it, but everybody else will be able to hold it in their hands and, uh, have a great time with it,” drummer Lars Ulrich tells Rolling Stone with a laugh. The band will release the cassette on Record Store Day before issuing expanded CD and vinyl editions this summer, marking the first time any of their demos have been officially released.

The band has remastered the original tapes for the reissue, keeping the mix intact, to show “the same innocence and, I guess, borderline ignorance, of four kids barely out of puberty, rockin’ along, doing their thing,” according to Ulrich. The artwork has been made from Ulrich’s own copy and will feature the Danish drummer’s handwriting.

Ulrich estimates he sent out between 50 to 100 copies of the original tape and that the recipients would then copy it and send it to their friends. “I don’t remember being particularly goal-oriented then, but I assume the intention was to get signed,” the drummer says with a laugh. Read more by clicking here.