Legendary rock band Metallica have joined forces with Australia Red Cross Lifeblood to put blood donation centre stage, giving fans the chance to receive a limited-edition Metallica t-shirt.

During its upcoming Australian tour, the band will encourage Aussies to donate blood and plasma at select CBD locations in the weeks before each stop, and in return, donors will receive a one-of-a-kind Metallica t-shirt designed by the band’s iconic artist Squindo.

The design features the band’s famous ‘A sea of hearts beat as one’ lyric, encapsulated within a blood drop, as well as a visual nod to Aussie Metallica fans.

The partnership is in conjunction with the band’s foundation All Within My Hands, which is dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.

The shirts will be available to donors who sing up, or have previously signed up, to Lifeblood’s loyalty program and who donate at Perth Donor Centre from October 25-31st, Adelaide Donor Centre from October 29th-November 4th, Melbourne CBD Donor Centre from November 1st-7th, Brisbane Donor Centre from November 5th-11th, and at the Town Hall and York Street Donor Centres in Sydney from November 8th-14th.

The tour marks Metallica’s first visit to Australia in over a decade – they last played here as headliners of the former Soundwave Festival in 2013.

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s executive director of donor experience, Cath Stone, said Lifeblood was thrilled to be collaborating with Metallica and All Within My Hands to raise awareness of the critical need for blood donations and encourage more Australians to roll up their sleeves.

“Metallica and their foundation’s commitment to making every tour stop a better place, by rallying fans to donate blood and plasma, is a selfless act that will have a lifesaving impact on so many individuals and their families,” Stone said.

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“With demand for blood at a 12-year-high and plasma demand at record levels, we hope this partnership will fuel an influx of Metallica fan donors that we can welcome home to our donor centres.”

This collaboration with Lifeblood builds on Metallica’s global legacy of giving, including its partnership with the American Red Cross. During the recent US leg of the ‘M72’ world tour, Metallica and the All Within My Hands foundation helped the Red Cross collect more than 2,000 blood and platelet donations to save lives through a series of Red Cross x Metallica blood drives and has recently announced an expansion of their partnership.