Metallica have combined forces with American rockstar Lou Reed for a new album, titled 'Lulu'. Both Metallica and Lou Reed have produced this collaborative effort, set for release this Halloween (31st Oct 2011).
However it is not the first time that these two acts have formed together. The metal band and 'velvet' prince had met at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary concert, where the band had backed Lou on Velvet Underground tracks such as 'Sweet Jane'. Reed had then asked the band if they would consider adding their stamp on some material that he had written for a German group of theatre pieces from the early 20th century, collectively known as the LuLu plays. The original plays had been staged in Berlin.
The resulting album however has been blasted by various critics. Hugh Platt declares, 'the longer this album drags on for, the wider and more glaring its many, many (many) faults become. At no point does the lumbering, stilted tones of Lou Reed's vocal delivery ever feel in sync with Metallica's boisterous backing band pretence', whilst Julian Marszalek goes as far as to say, 'Rarely has one record induced such feelings of anger and utter revulsion.' However, it hasn't been all bad news. Jeremy D. Larson states: 'Fail? Yes. Bad? Not always. This kind of failure is such a glorious, mythic, supernova failure that it's worthwhile to hear it happen.'
Metallica have recently been seen headlining the Rock in Rio, in Rio de Janeiro, on September 25, 2011. Lou Reed has continued to compose music, for example contributing vocals on the recent Gorillaz album 'Plastic Beach'.