METALLICA performed a previously unreleased song from the "Death Magnetic" sessions called "Hell And Back" last night (Friday, December 9) at the third of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

A rough-mix version of the studio recording of "Hell And Back" has since been e-mailed to members of METALLICA's official fan club and can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Commented the band: "We're pretty excited to be bringing these songs back to life nearly four years after they were recorded. Once again, this is the unpolished version of the song... the original rough mix from March of 2008 in its rawest, untouched form."

"Hell And Back" lyrics:

There is nowhere else I can run to
She is wretched but she comforts me

After everyone goes home
She's always there for me

And when the sun goes hellbound
And the moon does resurrect the night
I'll hide within her
Not much good has come out the light

After everyone goes home
And I'm left here on my own
I will run straight to Hell and back

Straight to Hell and back

When they turn out all their lights
And I'm left to brood at night
Always return to Hell and back

Straight to Hell and back
Straight down yeah

A lonely light in a window
Just longing for some company

Tragic, heartless and hateful
But there's nothing as willing as she

And when the night has fallen
It falls hard and then it all begins

When she starts her calling
I feel my darkness growing from within

After everyone goes home
And I'm left here on my own
I will run straight to Hell and back

Straight to Hell and back

When they turn out all their lights
And I'm left to brood at night
Always return to Hell and back

Straight to Hell and back
Straight to Hell and back
I will run straight to Hell and back

I become two
We become one
Unbridled... unequaled... unholy... undone

The path is cut deep
The path is worn well
I'll follow my footsteps to the warmth of Hell

The warmth of Hell

After everyone goes home
And I'm left here on my own
I will run straight to Hell and back

Straight to Hell and back
Straight to Hell and back

When they turn out all their lights
And I'm left to brood at night
Always return to Hell and back

Return to Hell and back
Straight to Hell and back
Straight to Hell and back
I will run straight to Hell and back

Straight down (End of lyrics)

METALLICA earlier in the week made available two other previously unreleased songs from the "Death Magnetic" sessions called "Hate Train" and "Just A Bullet Away" after first performing them live on Monday, December 5 and Wednesday, December 7, respectively, at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

"Death Magnetic" was officially certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 28, 2010 for shipments in the United States in excess of two million copies.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told The Pulse of Radio in an October 2008 interview that he didn't understand the controversy that had broken out over the audio quality of "Death Magnetic" shortly after the LP's release. Some fans and publications had accused the group and producer Rick Rubin of mixing the album at such a loud volume that the music is distorted and difficult to listen to. But Ulrich said that he's more than happy with the way it turned out. "I listen to this record, and I listen to it every couple of days," he said. "And when I hear it, it puts a smile on my face and it blows me away, and I don't understand what people are talking about. Somebody told me the other day that there were 12,000 people that had signed a petition to remix the record. We've sold two and a half million copies [worldwide] of 'Death Magnetic'. You do the math yourself."

A number of fans said online that they prefer the versions of the CD's tracks prepared for the Guitar Hero video game, which are mixed differently.

Ted Jensen, the engineer who mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York, responded to fan complaints that the CD is too loud and the audio is pushed to distortion levels by writing, "I'm certainly sympathetic to your reaction, I get to slam my head against that brick wall every day. In this case the mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here. Believe me, I'm not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else."

Mastering is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device, the "master," from which all copies will be produced.

Blame for the sound quality has been laid at the feet of the band itself, producer Rick Rubin and his recording engineer, Greg Fidelman.