Metallica & Downloadable Albums For Rock Band

Harmonix and rock icons Metallica announced today a deal that will showcase the incredible depth of the band’s music in the highly anticipated videogame Rock Band. Metallica are making key tracks from their celebrated catalog available as digitally-distributed game levels. Enter Sandman will ship on the game’s disc this holiday season.

“Metallica is one of the best loved bands in the world and their albums redefined hard rock and metal. Its one of the bands we had to bring to the Rock Band experience,” said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix.

Best known for its thrash-metal sounds, Metallica’s 11 albums have sold more than 95 million copies over their 26-year career. Easily one the most influential and intense metal bands of all time, the range of Metallica songs that will be available to Rock Band players will allow them to play along as the history of the genre unfolds.

Also announced is that one of the most influential records in rock history, The Who’s iconic Who’s Next, will become the first full length album available as a digitally-distributed game level - a first ever offering for a videogame.

“Offering entire albums for play on the Rock Band platform is a monumental step forward in Harmonix’s ever present quest to provide new ways for people to interact with music and creating the most authentic music experience possible,” stated Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO, Harmonix. “This will give players the opportunity to play through the entire album set list of arguably some of the most influential rock albums of all time and brings them one step closer to what it feels like to be a true rock star.”

Who’s Next will be the first album available for Rock Band owners to purchase soon after the game’s release with new content planned every week following Rock Band’s launch this Holiday. Universal Music Group along with other top record labels and music publishers announced earlier this year an unprecedented partnership with Harmonix and MTV to provide music for Rock Band, with this artist being the first of many being announced in the months ahead.