Billabong and Metallica roll out art-filled collaboration

Legendary heavy metal band Metallica has teamed up with the surf label Billabong on a new project.

Billabong LAB, a platform that supports artists, musicians, designers and photographers, has unveiled the ‘Billabong x Metallica 2019-2020 Collection.' The series includes five different product drops -- each one featuring artwork from a selection of five of the group's most iconic albums -- that will launch periodically between now and March 2020.

"For myself, the exhilaration of Heavy Metal and the exhilaration of riding a wave are one and the same," said Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. "The new collaboration reflects this incredible feeling."

"There's a lot of rage in metal, but it's a good rage," added Metallica bassist and avid surfer Robert Trujillo. "It's a great release, almost like surfing, out in the rhythm of the ocean."

The series will feature artwork from five Metallica albums, beginning with the group's self-titled 1991 record, aka "The Black Album." The entire collection across all five drops will span t-shirts and tops made from 100% combed ring-spun cotton, boardshorts made from recycled plastics, hooded fleeces, cotton corduroy jackets, and neoprene wetsuits.

"Combining Metallica's genre-defining album artwork and Billabong LAB's forward-thinking apparel and wetsuit designs adds up to something far greater than the sum of all parts," said Evan Slater, VP of Global Marketing at Billabong. "We're blown away with the results."

Band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo first partnered with Billabong back in 2007, when they created a collection featuring the late surfing champion Andy Irons as the hero athlete. A portion of the sales proceeds from this new collection will be donated to the Andy Irons Foundation, which focuses on youth outreach.

Billabong LAB has previously worked with Iggy Pop and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.