METALLICA has released a new song, "Lords Of Summer - First Pass Version", on iTunes via Blackened Recordings. The track, which was first performed in March this year at a concert in Bogota, Colombia, will by synching with all ESPN's programming in the U.S. on Saturday, June 21.

METALLICA recently completed a South American tour where the band played a nearly all-request set, with 17 songs chosen online by fans prior to each gig and the last slot filled by "Lords Of Summer".

METALLICA drummer Ulrich Ulrich told RollingStone.com that "Lords Of Summer" "is fairly representative of where our creative headspace is at right now. It's one of those things that's like, 'Here, we're writing and we're creating.'" However, according to guitarist Kirk Hammett, even that track is still being refined.