Right now, Metallica are gearing up to drop the 30th anniversary edition of their infamous self-titled ‘Black Album,’ including a tribute record featuring covers by Miley Cyrus, Weezer, and more. But now, the band have released sort of a cover of their own material — their redone version of the Black Album’s classic single “Nothing Else Matters,” used in Disney’s new Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vehicle Jungle Cruise.
The new, instrumental version of the track is a collaboration with composer James Newton Howard, and sees the band taking things in a more epic direction. There are a lot of sweeping strings and big orchestral moments, which isn’t exactly new territory for the band given that they’ve released two S&M albums with the San Francisco Symphony. And diehard fans shouldn’t worry — the Four Horsemen still incorporate a big, guitar-driven drop into the whole thing. It’s not too great a derivation from the original, but definitely still offers listeners some new ideas to chew on.
“It was an honor to work with renowned, legendary composer James Newton Howard as we reimagined the song by performing his arrangement and creating a rendition we like to think is fit for an excursion through the Amazon,” say the band.
“The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt who take the fan favorite ride and transform it to a theatrical adventure. Not only are we big fans of Disney, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Howard, an eight-time Oscar nominee who has been recognized for films such as ‘The Fugitive’, ‘Michael Clayton’, and ‘The Village’.
“Our collaboration with Howard will be featured on the film’s soundtrack, available to stream or download on your favorite music platforms.”
Check out the new version of “Nothing Else Matters” below:
Jungle Cruise will be released today in U.S. theaters and on Disney+. Metallica’s super-mega-deluxe edition of the Black Album, featuring the Blacklist tribute album, is available for preorder.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
