As San Francisco residents, Metallica have long been just a misty ocean breeze away from surf culture. Now, the thrash metal legends are diving in headlong thanks to a new a collaboration with Billabong for a full line of surfwear.
The collection rolls out in five installments over the next few months, with each set themed after one of the band’s classic albums. The first batch came out today, decked out in iconography from Metallica’s 1991 self-titled effort, aka “The Black Album”.
This is the second time Metallica and Billabong have joined forces for a run of apparel. They previously teamed up in 2007 for Death Magnetic-themed pieces that celebrated the late surf champion Andy Irons. Metallica will once again honor Irons, as a portion of the proceeds from this 2019-2020 collection will support the youth outreach efforts of the Andy Irons Foundation.
“For myself, the exhilaration of heavy metal and the exhilaration of riding a wave are one and the same,” guitarist Kirk Hammett remarked in a press release. “The new collaboration reflects this incredible feeling.”
(Buy: Tickets to Metallica’s Upcoming Shows)
Even if you aren’t a surfer, you can still rock most of the collection, which features shirts, jackets, and hoodies in addition to boardshorts and wetsuits. The “Black Album” collection touts a denim jacket ($149.95), T-shirt ($35.95), boardshorts ($69.95), and a 3/2 Furnace Comp one-piece wetsuit ($349.95), each emblazoned with the iconic snake from the album cover.
“There’s a lot of rage in metal, but it’s a good rage,” added bassist and avid surfer Rob Trujillo in the press release. “It’s a great release, almost like surfing, out in the rhythm of the ocean.”
The band has been hot with branding lately, also announcing three additions to their Nixon wristwatch line: one themed after “Seek and Destroy”, one with the classic logo, and another limited “Enter Sandman” timepiece that was exclusive to the Fifth Member fan club and quickly sold out.
The rest of the Billabong collection will drop between October 2019 and March 2020 across e-commerce and international retail outlets. The first batch is available now on Billabong’s website. Watch a trailer for the surfwear, which features an interview with Metallica, below.
[cos-videojs id=”stateofmetal-1567537000586,mayhemnecrobutcherclip-1571179363450,slipknotroadshow-1564440157295,behemothinterviewpt2-1553548940690,tourupdatecagetheelephantbelievesinpowerfulmoments-1570222667973″ auto_play=true show_playlist=true sticky=true]
