METALLICA To Release Remastered, Deluxe Editions of 'Kill 'Em All' And 'Ride The Lightning'

METALLICA is seeking help from the band's fans while preparing remastered, deluxe editions of their first two albums, 1983's "Kill 'Em All" and 1984's "Ride The Lightning", which they hope to put out in 2015. Anyone who has photos of the group and memorabilia or audio of concerts METALLICA played between 1983 and 1985 is being asked to submit them for possible inclusion in the reissues.

"We want it all," the band wrote on its web site. "Did you manage to sneak a video camera into a show long before they fit in your pocket? Maybe your old instamatic camera for some snapshots? A cassette Walkman with a microphone? We're looking for anything and everything...audio, video, photos, fliers, ticket stubs, the set list you picked up off the floor and in general any mementos you may have from that around that time."

Fans with items of interest, including stories, can e-mail METALLICA at [email protected]. The band added, "By submitting it, you're saying we can use it should your piece of history land on a release (yes, the lawyers made us add this part!)."

Originally issued on July 25, 1983 through the independent label Megaforce Records, "Kill 'Em All" was recorded in two weeks on a miniscule budget in upstate New York. Although only 1,500 copies were initially pressed, the album was reissued by Elektra Records after the band signed to that label in 1984 and has since been certified triple platinum for sales of more than three million copies.

The varied sounds of "Ride The Lightning", which included the first METALLICA ballad in "Fade To Black", drew mixed responses from some fans. The band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Rolling Stone magazine: "It did surprise us a little bit, I guess. People started calling us sellouts and all that type of stuff. Some people were a little bit bewildered by the fact that there was a song that had acoustic guitars."

Noting that at least four songs from the album are still part of METALLICA's live set today, Ulrich said that "Ride The Lightning" "holds up very well," adding, "There's kind of a youthful energy that runs through the record."

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of METALLICA's six-time-platinum third album, "Master Of Puppets" — the band's last record with bassist Cliff Burton — in 2016, the group is collaborating with an author named Matt Taylor on a book about the making of the LP.

Taylor, who wrote an acclaimed and extensively detailed book on the making of the movie "Jaws", contacted the band with a proposal to create a definitive history of "Master Of Puppets". The band explained: "When we took a spin through 'Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard', we were so blown away by the presentation, thorough coverage, and attention to detail that went into it, we knew he was the man to help us celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of that release."

The group stated that Taylor "has been very busy doing extensive interviews with all of us, our managers, record company staff, people we hung with then and Cliff's dad Ray," but added, "Matt's plan for the 'Master Of Puppets' book is to lean heavily on amateur, fan-taken photos and stories reflecting the grassroots vibe of the time."