Back in April, Metallica kicked off their “M72 World Tour” with a two-night stand in Amsterdam. The thrash legends apparently made the most of their stay in the Dutch capital, recording a four-song live-in-studio EP entitled The Amsterdam Sessions.
The surprise release dropped Wednesday (June 14th) exclusively via Amazon Music, where it can be streamed in full.
Per Metallica’s official discography, the EP’s four songs (“Lux Æterna,” “Master of Puppets,” “If Darkness Had a Son,” and “Nothing Else Matters”) were recorded on April 18th at Ready Set Studios by producer Greg Fidelman and engineer Jason Gossman.
Notably, the band runs through two numbers from 72 Seasons, marking the second official live release of “Lux Æterna” following a version from the 2022 Helping Hands benefit show (released digitally last December) and the first official live recording of “If Darkness Had a Son.” A film crew helmed by producer/director Jim Parsons was also present for sessions, with a clip of the latter song currently streaming on YouTube.
Metallica will wrap up the initial European leg of their 2023-2024 “M72 World Tour” with two nights in Gothenburg, Sweden this Friday (June 16th) and Sunday (June 18th). The first North American leg of the trek kicks off on August 4th in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Pick up tickets here.
Watch the clip of “If Darkness Had a Son” from The Amsterdam Sessions below, and stream the entire four-song EP via Amazon Music.