Metallica will hold midnight album-release parties in more than 100 record stores next week to launch 72 Seasons (Blackened).

Many of the participating retailers are near movie theaters that will be mounting events on 4/13 at which the album will be played in full. Then, when the clock strikes 12:01am on 4/14, 72 Seasons will go on sale in multiple physical formats.

More than 300 stores globally will be festooned with Metallica artwork as part of the promotion. In the U.S., they include Amoeba’s three locations, Fingerprints in Long Beach, the Bullmoose chain in New England, Generation Records in Manhattan, Reckless Records in Chicago, Waterloo in Austin and Zia Records stores in Arizona and Nevada.

Click this link for a map to the locations of the parties.

In the run-up to the release of 72 Seasons, the band's 11th studio album, SiriusXM has turned channel 105 into "Mandatory Metallica," featuring interviews and music from the band’s entire catalog. Headbangers of a certain age are advised to have a chiropractor on speed dial.

Would ya look at that. It seems a box of vinyl fell off the back of a truck & somehow found its way to HQ and into the tattooed hands of James Hetfield! Check out your first look at the vinyl packaging of #72Seasons!

Pre-Order/Save âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/JoINY2OJLp #Metallica #unboxing pic.twitter.com/geMXFJwpfG
— Metallica (@Metallica) April 3, 2023