Metallica - ReLoad deluxe reissue and M72 tour close a major era

Metallica are closing one chapter and reopening another as their long-running M72 World Tour ends and a lavish deluxe reissue of ReLoad lines up for June 26, 2026. According to an April 28, 2026 announcement on their official site, the remastered box set adds extensive live material and demos to the 1997 album.

M72 stadium run through Germany and Europe

The M72 World Tour brought Metallica back to German stadiums in May 2026, with two "No Repeat Weekend" shows at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt on May 22 and 24, followed by a single 360-degree in-the-round date at Olympiastadion in Berlin on May 30, 2026, as listed on the band’s tour overview and German venue and ticketing information. Ticketmaster’s German tour FAQ details the full 2026 European schedule including these German dates.

From Germany, the M72 route continued across Europe with stadium shows in Zurich on May 27, Bologna on June 3, Budapest on June 11 and 13, Dublin on June 19 and 21, Glasgow on June 25, Cardiff on June 28, and finally two nights at London Stadium on July 3 and 5, 2026, each billed as its own distinct set without repeated songs over the weekend.

How the tour concluded in London

London hosted the finale of the M72 cycle on July 5, 2026, when Metallica played the second of two nights at London Stadium with a completely different set from the July 3 opener, maintaining the tour’s "No Repeat Weekend" concept. AXS TV reported that this closing show officially marked the end of M72’s multi-year run, with no further tour dates announced at that time. AXS TV’s recap of the London finale underlined how the two-night structure allowed the band to rotate deep cuts alongside staples like "Master of Puppets".

Setlist documentation from fan-based archives indicates that the Berlin show on May 30, 2026 ran to around 18 songs, closing with "Enter Sandman" after "Seek & Destroy" and "Master of Puppets", mirroring the balance between newer material from 72 Seasons and classic catalog tracks that became typical for M72.

The sound and legacy of ReLoad

The upcoming deluxe edition of ReLoad continues Metallica’s systematic remaster campaign that previously covered albums like Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Load. The April 28, 2026 news update on Metallica.com describes the new ReLoad set as including a fresh remaster by Reuben Cohen overseen by Greg Fidelman, plus a stack of live recordings, rough mixes and demos that trace how the songs evolved. The official ReLoad reissue announcement confirms the June 26 release date and formats from 180-gram vinyl to a multi-disc box.

Originally released in 1997 as the stylistic companion to 1996’s Load, ReLoad pushed Metallica’s thrash roots into a more groove-oriented, hard rock direction with tracks like "Fuel" and "The Memory Remains". In Germany, both albums helped cement their mainstream status: chart data from the Official German Charts shows the self-titled "Black Album" and later releases such as 72 Seasons reaching number one, while catalog titles like Load have repeatedly re-entered the market during reissue cycles.

Where Metallica’s catalog stands in Germany

Germany remains one of Metallica’s strongest territories. The Official German Charts list the self-titled album Metallica and 72 Seasons as having both reached number one on the domestic album ranking, while the band’s name appears again in the 2025 year-end album chart with the "Black Album" at position 66, illustrating the catalog’s long-term pull. These figures underscore how new products like the ReLoad deluxe edition typically trigger renewed chart activity for multiple titles simultaneously.

Compared with many rock peers, Metallica’s ability to keep decades-old albums circulating in current charts is striking. The combination of ongoing global touring, high-profile box sets, and streaming-era discovery keeps German listeners returning not only to Master of Puppets and the "Black Album" but also to late-1990s material like Load and ReLoad.

This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor. Sources are linked in the text. Dates, chart positions and certifications can change at short notice; correction notes are welcome via the editorial contact on our imprint/contact page.