In a sordid twist of events, famed modern metal band Metallica has joined forces with none other than The Velvet Underground alumni Lou Reed. Yes, the Lou Reed, though there were clues, guitarist Kirk Hammett hinted at it by saying their next album would “not [be] really 100% a Metallica record”, it’s still a surprise. The pairing has even already completed that full album collaboration according to an announcement on their website released last night. This isn’t the first time they’ve worked together, back in 2009 Metallica and Reed jammed together at a concert in Madison Square Garden where they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where talks of working together eventually blossomed into this record. Though there’s no release date yet, there will be a reported ten songs that were completed during recording sessions in San Francisco. On why the band chose to work with Reed, they released this in the announcement on their site: “A true innovator and easily one of the most influential songwriters, musicians, and performers in rock music history, Lou’s work with the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist has such an enduring quality that he has long been revered and respected by us and many of our peers. We can’t wait for you to listen to the finished record …”.