METALLICA To Headline Switzerland's SONISPHERE

METALLICA will headline the Swiss edition of the Sonisphere festival on May 30 at Yverdon-les-Bains. Also scheduled to appear are SLAYER, MOTÖRHEAD, MASTODON, GOJIRA, and ELUVEITIE.

METALLICA will play the "black album" — its 1991 self-titled fifth effort that has sold nearly 16 million copies — in its entirety at selected European festivals, including Sonisphere, this summer.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Brazil's Wikimetal that he still feels good about recording the band's collaborative album with Lou Reed, "Lulu", which came out to poor sales and disastrous reviews last November. Ulrich said, "It's definitely very unique, and whether it's unique in a good way or unique in a not-so-good way, I have no idea yet. The people whose opinions I trust say it's very good. It feels very good; it's a lot of fun to do. But whether it's making a new sound, or paving a new way, I have no idea."

The drummer added that METALLICA's success has given them the freedom to try new things, which is essential to the band's longevity. He explained, "I think that 30 years in, we have to kind of do these things to keep us alive. If we get stuck doing the same thing over and over again, it becomes automatic . . . that's not the band I'd like METALLICA to be. I know some people would like METALLICA to make the same record every two years, but that's not what I want METALLICA to do, and I'm not interested in doing that."

The band has been working on its next "official" album recently, with Ulrich saying it will be out "maybe in another year or two."

Meanwhile, METALLICA has just announced its own two-day festival, Orion Music + More, which will take place in late June in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

METALLICA will headline both days, which will feature a total of 22 acts. The group will play the "black album" at one show and 1984's "Ride The Lightning" in its entirety for the first time ever at the other.