Hey, didn't there used to be only four of them?

Was anyone else as surprised as we were that Metallica and Lou Reed have hooked up for an entire album’s worth of songs?

Yes, the pioneers of thrash metal (who’d only just regained our respect with Death Magnetic) have recorded an album with Reed called Lulu. They’re even cheekily calling the project “Loutallica“. How did it come about? Well, after performing with Metallica at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame concerts in New York in 2009, Lou Reed invited the guys to work on Lulu with him.

The Lulu album is a concept inspired by the German expressionist writer Frank Wedekind’s plays “Earth Spirit” and “Pandora’s Box.” The plays:

tell a story of a young abused dancer’s life and relationships and are now collectively known as the “Lulu Plays.”

Does this sound utterly bonkers yet? Metallica…playing with Lou Reed…channelling obscure works from the 1900s?

Loutallica have been teasing their new material, but they’ve just released a full version of their lead track, The View. It’s already taking a critical battering from bloggers, but after a few listens, you’ll find yourself intrigued.

Reed sounds like a late period Johnny Cash, drawling his words in that sung/spoken style, but when Hetfield’s trademark snarl kicks in on the chorus, you get a stark reminder that you’re listening to Metallica. Otherwise, the backing’s lumbering and moody and oppressive, the production sounding roughly garage quality. That’s not a criticism – the lo-fi audio makes the whole thing sound more raw, as if it was recorded in one rough take.

Right, are you ready to hear this one? Here’s The View. Let us know what you think!

Lulu track listing

1. Brandenburg Gate
2. The View
3. Pumping Blood
4. Mistress Dread
5. Iced Honey
6. Cheat On Me
7. Frustration
8. Little Dog
9. Dragon
10. Junior Dad

The View is available on iTunes from 26th September. Lulu is available to buy on 31 October (or 1st November in North America).