Metallica have hinted at the release of 'Garage Inc. 2'

Metallica could be gearing up to take us back to the early days again, rumouring the release of a brand new covers collection, Garage Inc. 2.

Ask any fan of Metallica, and they’ll agree that the band have something of a penchant for covering classic songs when they get a chance.

After cutting their teeth on covers in the early days – performing them live and releasing them as B-sides – Metallica dropped their now-iconic The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited, which gave fans a chance to hear a new batch of these covers.

11 years later, Metallica entered the garage yet again, releasing Garage Inc., a new collection of fresh covers, along with a second disc that collected their old EP and B-sides.

Now, over two decades on from their last covers album, the iconic metal act could be set to pay tribute to their idols yet again.

Check out Metallica’s cover of ‘Turn The Page’:

Speaking to Kerrang! recently, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was asked by a fan whether or not the group would make another collection of covers for their fans, only for the percussionist to simply respond; “Wait and see…”

Now, look, we’re aware that this is an immensely thin premise on which to pin our hopes, but considering that Lars Ulrich has been surprisingly forward about things like this in the past, we can only assume that there will indeed be a Garage Inc. 2 in the works.

However, the question that remains now is, just what will the band cover? While they’ve been performing a handful of local covers on recent US tour stops, both their 1987 EP and their 1998 album included fresh covers from the great Diamond Head.

Back in 2016, Diamond Head guitarist Brian Tatler opened up about Metallica’s rise to fame over the years, praising them for their iconic career.

“I’m full of admiration for what Metallica have done,” Tatler explained. “It’s an incredible ride, I think.

“I’ve been to see them probably at least 20 times. To watch that band come from nothing to conquer the world and [be] the biggest metal band of all time is an incredible thing to see.

“To have met Lars when he was just a Diamond Head fan — and he never mentioned playing the drums or forming a band or anything — and watch him rise to the top and headline the biggest festivals in world is something I’ve never seen happen before or since to anyone I actually knew and could count on as a friend. That was unbelievable.”

In related news, Metallica are set to return to Australia later this year for their first tour of the country since 2013. While there’s no word yet if we’ll hear any new classic cover songs, we’re hoping they might convince tourmates Slipknot to belt out some Aussie covers along the way.