Metallica Invests in Vinyl Pressing Plant, Gains Controlling Stake
Metallica is expanding its financial portfolio once again. This time around, the band is investing in Furnace Record Pressing, a vinyl pressing plant based in Alexandria, Virginia. The new business…
Metallica is expanding its financial portfolio once again. This time around, the band is investing in Furnace Record Pressing, a vinyl pressing plant based in Alexandria, Virginia.
The new business venture was announced via press release. Metallica's investment in Furnace gives them majority interest in the plant, which has been pressing the band's vinyl releases since 2014. The press release notes Furnace has pressed over five million vinyl records for Metallica during that time.
Metallica sees this investment as an opportunity better to serve its fans and their demand for vinyl. James Hetfield said in a statement, "Furnace has been great to Metallica and more importantly to our fans. This deepened relationship between Metallica and Furnace ensures that fans of vinyl everywhere, particularly our Fifth Members, will have continued access to high quality records in the future."
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In recent years, the demand for vinyl has been growing. Billboard notes in a report that vinyl album sales grew for the 17th straight year in 2022. However, the outlet also mentioned sales growth year-over-year is slowing down.
Part of this might be due to supply issues and the overall lack of available pressing plants. It's an issue Jack White called attention to in March 2022. White shared a video titled "A Plea to the Three Global Major Labels from Jack White." In the video, he called on music's three biggest labels -- Warner Brothers, Universal and Sony -- to build their own pressing plants again. White noted that with the number of plants available now, "A small punk band can't get their record for eight to ten months." He concluded, "As the MC5 once said, 'You're either part of the problem or part of the solution.' Thank you."
Unsurprisingly, White is quite pleased about this Metallica news. He shared, in part, via Instagram, " Welcome to the cause gents! ... Here's hoping the major labels will also see this as further proof, and finally start investing in themselves."
Metallica is one of the most revered bands of all time with a catalog any up-and-coming band could only dream of having. It's impossible imagining the rock/metal landscape without them.
With this in mind, we did a deep dive on the mighty Metallica catalog focusing only on albums/EPs with new material (sorry, Garage Inc.) but excluding Lulu, their infamous 2011 collaboration with Lou Reed for obvious reasons (not sorry about that.)
Buckle in for a wild ride that will likely get very opinionated, because here is every Metallica song ranked from worst to best. Yeah-Yeah!
Author credits
(EB) = Erica Banas
(AE) = Anne Erickson
(SP) = Sara Parker
(ST) = Sydney Taylor
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127. "Suicide & Redemption" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.126. "Purify" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra125. "Shoot Me Again" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra124. "My World" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra123. "Attitude" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra122. “Sweet Amber” - ‘St. Anger’ (2003)
Elektra121. "The Unnamed Feeling" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra120. “Hell And Back” - ‘Beyond Magnetic’ (2011)
Warner Bros.119. "Bad Seed" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra118. "Lords of Summer" - Single (2014)
Blackened Recordings117. "Murder One" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings116. “Don’t Tread On Me” - ‘Metallica’ (1991)
Elektra115. "Just a Bullet Away" - 'Beyond Magnetic' (2011)
Warner Bros.114. "Better Than You" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra113. “Am I Savage?” - ‘Hardwired… To Self Destruct’ (2016)
Blackened Recordings112. "The Unforgiven III" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.111. "Slither" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra110. "Broken, Beat & Scarred" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.109. "Invisible Kid" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra108. "The Judas Kiss" - ‘Death Magnetic’ (2008)
Warner Bros.107. "Devil's Dance" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra106. "Dirty Window" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra105. “Here Comes Revenge” - ‘Hardwired… To Self Destruct’ (2016)
Blackened Recordings104. "The Unforgiven II" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra103. "ManUNkind" - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct (2016)
Blackened Recordings102. "Cyanide" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.101. "Hate Train" - 'Beyond Magnetic' (2011)
Warner Bros.100. "The Shortest Straw" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra99. "Some Kind of Monster" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra98. “You Must Burn!” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened97. "Wasting My Hate" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra96. "Prince Charming" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra95. "Thorn Within" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra94. “Crown of Barbed Wire” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened93. "Carpe Diem Baby" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra92. "The House Jack Built" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra91. "Where the Wild Things Are" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra90. "Poor Twisted Me" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra89. "The Outlaw Torn" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra88. "Rebel Of Babylon" - 'Beyond Magnetic' (2011
Warner Bros.87. “Chasing Light” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened86. "Ronnie" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra85. "Holier Than Thou" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra84. "Of Wolf and Man" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra83. "Cure" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra82. "The Struggle Within" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra81. "Confusion" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings80. “Hero Of The Day” - ‘Load’ (1996)
Elektra79. "All Within My Hands" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra78. "St. Anger" - 'St. Anger' (2003)
Elektra77. “Frantic” - ‘St. Anger’ (2003)
Elektra76. "My Apocalypse" - Death Magnetic (2008)
Warner Bros.75. “Screaming Suicide” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened74. "My Friend of Misery" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra73. "Halo On Fire" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings72. “Sleepwalk My Life Away” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened71. "Through the Never" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra70. “Escape” - ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce69. "The End of the Line" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros68. "Mama Said" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra67. “Too Far Gone?” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened66. “No Remorse” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce65. "Ain't My Bitch" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra64. "The God That Failed" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra63. "That Was Just Your Life" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.62. “If Darkness Had a Son” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened61. "Dream No More" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings60. “Phantom Lord” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce59. "- Human" - 'S&M' (1999)
Elektra58. "2 x 4" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra57. "All Nightmare Long" - 'Death Magnetic' (2008)
Warner Bros.56. “Room of Mirrors” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened55. "Now That We're Dead" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings54. "(Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce53. “Jump In The Fire” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce52. "Fixxxer" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra51. “Inamorata” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened50. "The Memory Remains" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra49. “72 Season” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened48. "The Thing That Should Not Be" - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra47. "No Leaf Clover" - 'S&M' (1999)
Elektra46. "Dyers Eve" - ‘...And Justice for All’ (1988)
Elektra45. "Atlas, Rise!" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings44. “Shadows Follow” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened43. "Fuel" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra42. "Metal Militia" - ‘Kill 'Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce41. “Until It Sleeps” - ‘Load’ (1996)
Elektra40. “The Four Horsemen” - ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983)
Megaforce39. "Ride the Lightning" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce38. "To Live Is to Die" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra37. "Motorbreath" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce36. “Leper Messiah” - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra35. "Bleeding Me" - ‘Load’ (1996)
Elektra34. "Spit Out the Bone" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings33. "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra32. "Low Man's Lyric" - 'Reload' (1997)
Elektra31. "Eye of the Beholder" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra30. "Moth Into Flame" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings29. “Trapped Under Ice” - ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce28. "Disposable Heroes" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra27. "Orion" - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra26. "Hardwired" - 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' (2016)
Blackened Recordings25. "...And Justice for All" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra24. "The Call of Ktulu" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce23. “The Day That Never Comes” - ‘Death Magnetic’ (2008)
Warner Bros.22. "King Nothing" - 'Load' (1996)
Elektra21. "Harvester of Sorrow" - ‘…And Justice for All’ (1988)
Elektra20. "Blackened" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra19. "Wherever I May Roam" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra18. “Lux Æterna” - ‘72 Seasons’ (2023)
Blackened17. "Hit the Lights" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce16. "Creeping Death" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce15. "Fight Fire with Fire" - ‘Ride the Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce14. "Whiplash" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce13. "I Disappear" - 'Mission: Impossible 2 Soundtrack' (2000)
Hollywood12. "Nothing Else Matters" - ‘Metallica’ (1991)
Elektra11. “Fade To Black” - ‘Ride The Lightning’ (1984)
Megaforce10. "Enter Sandman" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra9. “The Unforgiven” - ‘Metallica’ (1991)
Elektra8. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra7. "Seek & Destroy" - 'Kill 'Em All' (1983)
Megaforce6. "Battery" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra5. "Sad But True" - 'Metallica' (1991)
Elektra4. "Damage, Inc." - ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
Elektra3. "One" - '...And Justice for All' (1988)
Elektra2. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - 'Ride the Lightning' (1984)
Megaforce1. "Master of Puppets" - 'Master of Puppets' (1986)
Elektra
