First Encycmet.com has a cool story about running into the band's former producer Bob Rock at a movie theatre. Here is part of what they had to say about the encounter, " [Bob Rock] says that he actually just spoke to Lars and that he's heard 8 of the new songs and that they are: around 8 minutes long, have really long solos, and that the songs sound awesome and very old-school!! I ask him if we'll hear some new songs during the upcoming summer tour, and he says that we should actually hear the first SINGLE in a matter of weeks." read the full report

Encycmet.com also reports: Lars Ulrich told a Los Angeles radio station on Monday that the new site, MissionMetallica.com, will showcase a "making-of-the-album" like what was available on the DVD in the St.Anger package.. Ulrich explained, "We thought, instead of doing the DVDs and all that, why don't we just do it on the Internet and people can kind of tune in every day, watch clips, contests, get updates for what's going on with the record and kind of watch the last couple of months of song titles, album titles, final mixes...So it's kind of a little bit of a countdown type of thing. It should be fun." full report

Finally Metallica posted an update on their website to let fans know about a new gig they are playing: Our friend Flea (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) asked us if we could squeeze in one more day in Los Angeles and we just couldn't say 'no,' so we're honored to partake in the annual Hullabaloo benefit concert for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music to be held at the Wiltern Theatre (in Los Angeles) on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, along with our buddies Scars On Broadway.

Flea and fellow musician Keith Barry founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in 2001 to help fill the void left by music education program cuts in public schools. Money raised by the benefit will go into scholarships for low income students who would otherwise be unable to afford instruments and/or lessons and will help expand the school's summer camp program and fund a new building.