New Metallica vid features spores, zombies, dead cats

• Music
• News

We never reviewed Metallica's Death Magnetic. It never came in the mail. Bummer. Everything we've heard though sounds pretty much like it did back when portable stereo's didn't have bass so why would you mix it in? Aka the halcyon days.

New single (at seven minutes) 'All Nightmare Long' is no exception to this period of ...And Justice For All revising. As if to hammer the point home they've a new, twisted and decidedly old-school "metal" video. Somehow the stew of animation, CGI, faux-doco and stock footage sets up this epic sci-fi narrative suprisingly well. The thrust? After a mysterious explosion in Russia, scientists find spores that can regenerate flesh. And restore life. Cue hospital scenes, explosions, the walking dead and a flip-flopping piece of steak. Stick around for the truly creepy ending.

It's pretty fair to say that if you caught this on late night TV it would be nothing short of - to borrow band parlance - "badass". Something Metallica haven't been for a looong time. Kudos.