Metallica's Deep Purple Cover Premieres Online

Originally planned as a bonus CD to accompany Classic Rock magazine's special Deep Purple issue next month, the lineup of bands selected to cover the classic 1972 album Machine Head turned out far too good to be just a magazine tie-in, and Eagle Rock will now be releasing the CD in North America on September 25. Among the bands included (full track listing below), Metallica is a particular coup for the organizers of the compilation, but interestingly it's not a heavier track the band has covered (Iron Maiden covers "Space Truckin'", while "Highway Star" is handled by, erm, Chickenfoot) but rather "When a Blind Man Cries", the ballad from the Machine Head sessions that has become one of the band's most beloved b-sides. While Metallica does a capable job covering the tune - James Hetfield sounds his most plaintive on record to date and Kirk Hammett delivers a gorgeous solo - it would have been nice to hear them tackle a song that played to their own true strengths instead. Either way, it's worth hearing.