Metallica asks fans to help gather mementos for 'Load/Reload' reissues

Metallica's album reissue project is continuing beyond the band's Black Album deluxe edition last year.

The band confirmed this week in an e-mail blast to fans that it has begun gathering ideas and materials for special editions of its mid-'90s companion albums, 1996's Load and 1997's Reload.

"We're looking for anything and everything you might have from August 1995 through September 1998: live photos (taken by you!) or snaps from a meet & greet, flyers, ticket stubs, backstage passes, and whatever other mementos you may have from that time," the band's statement said.

"Make your mark on these albums by emailing us at [email protected] to share your story and receive more info about submitting these little pieces of history. Nothing is too small or trivial; share your archives with your fellow fans and have some fun walking down memory lane with us!"

While Metallica earned harsh criticism from longtime fans for the wide commercial appeal of The Black Album in 1991, Load's embrace of alternative rock textures sparked a borderline revolt among diehards.

The band's Reload double-down a year later, only buoyed the sense that the mid-'90s were a creative valley for a Metallica, a band that redefined heavy music repeatedly over the prior decade-and-a-half.

Still, both albums received mostly positive reviews, and as the years went along, many longtime fans reconsidered their objections. Songs like "Ain't My Bitch" and "King Nothing" from Load and "Fuel" from Reload have become live favorites.