METALLICA performed a previously unreleased song from the "Death Magnetic" sessions called "Just A Bullet Away" last night (Wednesday, December 7) at the second 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 "Just A Bullet Away" 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."

"Just A Bullet Away" lyrics:

All roads they lead to shame
All drowning in the blame
All reflections look the same
In the shine of the midnight revolver

All hide beneath a skin
A hope so paper thin
I'm at the door again
And the shine of the midnight revolver

Even the promise of danger has gone dull
Staring down the barrel of a 45

Suck on the barrel
Suck on the barrel
Suck it 'til it's gone dry

For all reflections look the same
In the shine of the midnight revolver

Redemption purify
Will nothing satisfy
The scars just multiply
In the shine of the midnight revolver

Twisting in apocalypse
Death upon the fingertips
Frigid metal touches lips
And the shine of the midnight revolver

'Cause you lied

Just a bullet away
Just a bullet away from leavin' you
Just a bullet away
Stop the voices in my head

Caressing death again
Becomes the heroin
Forbidden medicine
Puts a shine on the midnight revolver

Eternal borderline
All the faces intertwine
Oh God... now I see mine
In the shine of the midnight revolver

Even the promise of danger has gone dull
Staring down the barrel of a 45

Suck on the barrel
Suck on the barrel
Suck... suck till it's dry

For all reflections look the same
In the shine of the midnight revolver

Down In Misery
Down In Misery

Just a bullet away
Just a bullet away from leavin' you
Just a bullet away
Stop the voices in my head

All roads they lead to shame
All drowning in the blame
Reflections look the same
In the shine of the midnight revolver

All hide beneath a skin
A hope so paper thin
I'm at the door again
And the shine of the midnight revolver

Even the promise of danger has gone dull
Staring down the barrel of a 45

Suck on the barrel
Suck on the barrel
Suck... suck till it's dry

Do all reflections look the same
In the shine of the midnight revolver

'Cause you lied
Yes you lied

Just a bullet away
Just a bullet away from leavin' you
Just a bullet away
Stop the voices in my head (End of lyrics)

METALLICA earlier in the week made available another previously unreleased song from the "Death Magnetic" sessions called "Hate Train" after first performing it live on Monday, December 5 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.