Metallica
James Hetfield (L), lead vocalist, and Kirk Lee Hammett of heavy metal band Metallica, perform at the Rock in Rio Music Festival in Rio de Janeiro September 25, 2011. Reuters

American heavy metal rock band Metallica is searching for some unconventional methods to release and promote their albums. According to NME, the team is currently writing music and will soon be looking for new, interesting and maybe even eccentric ways to distribute their music.

"We're writing music and we're going to be recording very soon. At some point we're going to want to share that with people that are interested in listening to it. So we gotta figure out ways we want to do that, from giving it away in cereal boxes to getting people to do handstands for it. We could come up with something wacky," drummer Lars Ulrich was quoted as saying to Spin.

Incidentally, their next album will be the first to be released without the support of Warner Brothers.

Meanwhile, the team is also preparing for the Orion Festival, which will take place at Bader Field in Atlantic City on 23 and 24 June.

"Right now we're putting the final touches on a stage that's going to host mostly thrash and punk - kind of extreme stuff. The whole point is to give people a chance to explore. It's not so much about, 'Okay, I'm going to park myself in front of Stage A for the next nine hours.' It becomes about continuous movement: 'I'll go into Lars' film tent. I'll go over to Kirk Hammett's surf tent. I'll check out the comedy and the thrash stage.' It's pretty ambitious. We want to make sure it's the best it can be," Ulrich told the Spin.

Metallica's last effort, "Death Magnetic", was released in 2008.