METALLICA And LOU REED: 'The View' Video To Debut This Saturday

Lou Reed and METALLICA have tapped award-winning director Darren Aronofsky to helm a music video for their collaborative track "The View" (not "Iced Honey", as originally reported). The clip, which features scenes that were shot in the San Francisco Bay Area, will make its online debut this Saturday, December 3 at IFC.com. Also involved with the project as director of photography is Aronofsky's cameraman, Matthew Libatique, who has worked on all of Aronofsky's feature releases which include such Oscar-nominated films as "Black Swan" and "The Wrestler" and has been a cinematographer for several Spike Lee films.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement that working with Reed and Aronofsky is "living the dream."

He added, "As if making a record with Lou Reed is not enough, now I get to make a video with Darren Aronofsky, who has been among my very favorite filmmakers since his first movie, 'Pi'." Reed, meanwhile, said he hoped that the video would become "his next 'Black Swan'."

"The View" is featured on METALLICA's collaborative album with Lou Reed, titled "Lulu", which has polarized fans around the world and earned the band some of the most scathing reviews of its career. The effort features the former THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman's spoken-word poetry and lyrics combined with METALLICA's musical assault for a jarring experience that doesn't sound like anything METALLICA has ever attempted before. A concept album based on two early 20th century plays by German author Frank Wedekind, the CD was co-produced by Reed, METALLICA, Hal Willner who has produced albums for Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Laurie Anderson, among others and Greg Fidelman. Fidelman also mixed the record.

So, do such bad reviews affect the heavy-metal veterans? Drummer Lars Ulrich tells the Hindustan Times, "We have read a lot of reviews. They were quite interesting, as people haven't focused on what the album really is." Vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield adds, "Anyway the album is very special to us and we had a fantastic experience recording it."

The collaboration between METALLICA and Reed was sparked by their performance together of Reed's "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat" at the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden in October of 2009.

The songs were all written by Reed with extensive arrangement contributions by METALLICA.

Only two songs on the album are under five minutes in length, while two are more than 11 minutes long and the closing cut, "Junior Dad", clocks in at 19 minutes.

"Lulu" sold just under 1,400 copies copies in the United States in its fourth week of release, bringing the CD's cumulative sales to 20,000. The effort dropped off The Billboard 200 chart after debuting at position No. 36 with first-week sales of 13,000.

(Thanks: Overkill.pl)