MUMBAI: It was in March, this year, that Metallica first debuted the song at a concert in Bogotá, Colombia.

The new recording dubbed ‘First Pass Version’ clocks in eight minutes and 20 seconds and recalls the group's 80s offerings, with a fiery solo from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.

Drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that the song is "fairly representative of where our creative headspace is at right now.” 

Whether the track makes the final cut of Metallica’s next album remains to be seen, but it will by synching with all ESPN’s programming in the US on 21 June 2014.

The band is currently on their ‘Metallica By Request’ run of dates, and are due to headline the main stages at Glastonbury Festival on 28 June, and Sonisphere Festival on 6 July.

They recently took time out to play the MusiCares MAP Fund gala in California where they paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, whilst frontman James Hetfield joined forces with former Van Hale frontman Sammy Hagar at a benefit concert Acoustic-4-a-Cure.