Metallica Will Not Play Bonnaroo Festival

Band Photo: Metallica (?)

According to HardDrive Radio, a source at Q Prime Management — which represents METALLICA — "flat-out denied" a report that surfaced over the weekend that METALLICA will headline the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee next June. The information, which was based on an an email published in industry commentator Bob Lefsetz's newsletter, also stated that LED ZEPPELIN would play its first U.S. show since July 24, 1977 at the event.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Examiner.com in an October 2007 interview that the band's upcoming album will be "heavier" yet more "melodic" than 2003's controversial "St. Anger". Ulrich explained, "Whereas 'St. Anger' was an exercise in over-pummeling the listener, these new songs echo some of our stuff from the '80s — long, epic journeys through different musical landscapes, heavier, but a lot more melodic." When asked whether the new songs will be shorter, in the four-to-five minute range, Ulrich said, "Well, the most of the intros are four to five minutes. I don't know — METALLICA and short songs just don't go that well together."

Although none of the songs have official titles yet, Ulrich revealed that some of the "silly" working titles included "19", "10", "German Soup", "Glass Cow" and "Black Squirrel". Ulrich said the names "relate to where the idea came from, like Glasgow, Scotland became 'Glass Cow'. And when we don't have anything clever to call it, we just call it a number."

The new METALLICA album is tentatively due in the spring.

Source: Blabbermouth