Metallica to Release 27 Live Albums

For a decade now, the guys in Metallica have made a point of offering up live performances from the vaults to fans online -- and now they're celebrating that milestone in a big way.

At the band's official site, they've just announced plans to release a whopping 27 live albums -- and not just via download, as has been the case throughout LiveMetallica.com's existence, but on CD.

"We've been extremely proud to offer virtually every show we've done in the past 10 years as a download within days of the shows happening ... sometimes even hours!" reads the post. "Over the years we've been able to offer more download options adding HD audio and Apple lossless files to the mix, but we still get requests for the "old school" compact disc. To celebrate 10 years of Live Metallica, we're going to make that happen! Starting today through the end of this year, every show that we've played in 2014 will be released on CD! All shows with the exception of the MAP Benefit concert and Glastonbury are from the By Request tour with songs that you voted on ... each night on the tour presented a different set list."

The shows are scheduled to be released in the order they took place, starting now with Bogota, Colombia, Quito, Ecuador and Lima, Peru; three more are set to follow each Monday, continuing until all 27 are pressed on disc. For the serious collector, there's the option to pre-order the entire run, which also nets you a special box for housing all the discs -- it'll cost you $417, but that's still a discount from the $19.81 each CD costs individually. Orders can be placed at this link.

Like many artists, Metallica aren't stopping with CDs here -- they'll also press a limited number of shows on 180g vinyl next year. They'll decide which four concerts get the honor by tallying the fans' votes for their favorite shows; to take part in the voting, click here.