Acclaimed Mexican acoustic-guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have a long history with Metallica. Inspired by the thrash pioneers, along with other heavy-metal artists such as Slayer, Pantera, Sepultura and Testament, the pair covered Master of Puppets' "Orion" on their 2006 self-titled debut, and they've since played onstage numerous times with Metallica's own Robert Trujillo. Now, the duo have dropped a new tribute to the band in the form of a stunning take on "Battery."
"It's no secret that we love Metallica," says Rodrigo Sánchez, who met his musical partner Gabriela Quintero in high school. "Master of Puppets changed everything for us when we first heard it all those years ago." Quintero adds, "We've played parts of 'Battery' in our live set for many years. We're so happy to release our studio version in full for our fans. Thank you to the fans for coming with us on this trip, and eternal gratitude to Metallica for the incredible music."
The spectacular rendition is set to appear on Rodrigo y Gabriela's forthcoming Mettal EP, which is due out on Black Friday, November 29th, and will also include covers of Megadeth's triumphant overture "Holy Wars: The Punishment Due" and Slayer's menacing classic "Seasons in the Abyss." Adding to the release's metal cred is mixer Jim Monti, whose work you can hear on Slipknot, Metallica and Korn records, and mastering by Ted Jensen, who has previously collaborated with Bring Me the Horizon and Halestorm.
Mettal, a one-sided 12-inch vinyl Record Store Day First release, will be limited to 2,500 copies and available only at independent record stores. See below for the album's artwork, including an art etching on side two.
