Listen: Metallica release 'Beyond Magnetic' EP today: New album to come?

From one of Metallica's 30th anniversary concerts

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Metallica may be still promoting their recent collaboration with Lou Reed on "Lulu," but also appear to be moving along with other projects. It all starts, perhaps, with an EP out today, of previously unreleased songs.

"Beyond Magnetic" are four songs leftover from Metallica's "Death Magnetic" sessions, recorded between 2007 and 2008; those tracks have been compiled into "Beyond Magnetic," released today exclusively to iTunes. The announcement, which arrived last night, mentions it goes wide to all digital retailers in a week.

"We kept them in the vault and decided to pull them just for this special celebration, so here are the four leftover tracks from the Death Magnetic sessions. They are ROUGH mixes, unfinished to their original degree of mixing from March '08. These four songs were released as gift to our closest fans, the members of our Fan Club, to enjoy.   Now they're being made available to you," Metallica said in a statement.

"Hate Train," "Just A Bullet Away," "Hell and Back" and "Rebel of Babylon" were all performed live for the first time last week, during Metallica's four-night stand at the Fillmore in San Francisco in celebration of their 30th anniversary. The band played for an audience of fan club members, and were joined by some of their most famous friends. Geezer Butler, Bif Byford, Jerry Cantrell, Nick "Animal" Culmer, Glenn Danzig, Marianne Faithfull, Rob Halford, Ray Haller,  Kid Rock,  John Marshall,Ron McGovney, Dave Mustaine, Jason Newsted, Ozzy Osbourne, Lou Reed and Hugh Tanner were among the many guests, all of whom were ultimately invited to join Metallica on stage for each night's closer, "Seek & Destroy."

On the final night of the anniversary stint, Lars Ulrich told fans "to listen for news to come in mid-January 2012 about something very special coming in June." Is the famous drummer alluding to a new (non-Lou Reed) album? Or a full tour?

Here is the tracklist for "Beyond Magnetic." Listen by clicking.

1. Hate Train
2. Just A Bullet Away
3. Hell And Back
4. Rebel Of Babylon