Fan Swaps Metallica Vocals on ‘Lux Aeterna’ With ‘Hit the Lights’

Early response to Metallica's latest single, "Lux Æterna," had already included some comparison to "Hit the Lights," the signature Metallica song that opens 1983's Kill 'Em All.

Now, one inventive fan has combined the two tracks — they mixed Metallica singer James Hetfield's lead vocals from "Hit the Lights" with the musical backing from "Lux Æterna."

Hear it down toward the bottom of this post.

"Knew this would come out at some point," one viewer commented on the video.

"It seems as if lux aeterna had stayed inside a vault for more than 40 years as a demo tape," another said in the comments. "[Metallica drummer] Lars [Ulrich] magically found it while cleaning his old garage during quarantine and decided to pull out a new record."

Pitting "Hit the Lights" against "Lux Æterna" brings vintage Metallica to its contemporary counterpart. "Hit the Lights" was the first commercially released Metallica song when it appeared on the opening volume of Metal Blade Records' Metal Massacre compilation series in 1982. "Lux Æterna" emerged last week (Nov. 28).

At the same time, Metallica announced their upcoming studio album, next year's 72 Seasons. "Lux Æterna" is the effort's first single. 72 Seasons arrives on April 14, 2023. Metallica will embark on an accompanying world tour. Get Metallica concert tickets here.

Hear the original songs underneath the mashup video.

Metallica, "Hit the Lux" (Unofficial Fan Mashup of "Lux Æterna" + "Hit the Lights")

Metallica, "Lux Æterna" (Music Video)

Metallica, "Hit the Lights"

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