Metallica is preparing remastered versions of Load (1996) and Reload ) , and is asking fans to submit more content for the new editions.
The band sent an email to their fan club members, saying, “We’re working on the catalog to bring you the new full deluxe sets
The text continues, saying: “As you may recall, we asked for help putting together the first five box sets, and to ensure there’s a fan footprint on all of these releases, we’re doing it again!”
"We are looking for anything and everything you might have from August 1995 to September 1998: live photos (taken by you!) from that time.".
“Leave your mark on these albums by sending us an email to submits@metclub.com to share your story and receive more information on how to submit these little pieces of history. Nothing is too small or trivial; share your files with your fellow fans and have fun taking a trip down memory lane with us!”, the text concludes.
Released in 1996, Load marked a new direction for Metallica, presenting what one critic described as "a fresh take on Lynyrd Skynyrd for the 1990s."
Although both albums were warmly received by critics at the time, they have since taken their place among the most reviled works of Metallica's career.
In a 2013 interview with Revolver , Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said that Load and Reload are "great records" that "are creatively on par with all the other records we've made. Obviously, they're more bluesy records, and at that time, we were listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin , Deep Purple , and AC/DC , and we had a different kind of foundation than the previous or subsequent records," he said.
“And I understand that there are people who couldn’t figure out what was going on with the haircuts and the rest, and that’s okay. But musically, if you take everything else away, if you just listen to the 27 songs; Load and Reload were planned as a double album, it’s a great collection of songs that’s on par with everything else we’ve done creatively,” he concluded.