Metallica‘s James Hetfield is selling a tract of land he owns in Arizona for a whopping $1.2 million, according to documents obtained by TMZ.
Hetfield struck a deal to sell the 20 acres of vacant land in Pima County, Ariz. — near the United States border with Mexico — to the Rosemont Copper Company in a straight-cash exchange. The heavy metal singer and guitarist first purchased the rural acreage in 1998, not long after Metallica released the album Reload.
While the musician never built on the land, Metallica have still given back to the community that surrounds it. Last month, via their All Within My Hands Foundation, Metallica donated $100,000 to Pima Community College, among several other schools, as part of the annual Metallica Scholars Initiative to help community colleges across the U.S. emphasize the importance of career and technical education.
“Pima is honored that Metallica is helping us support our students,” Pima Chancellor Lee D. Lambert said. “This grant will help propel more than two dozen Pima students into careers in sectors of the economy that are fast-growing and pay family-sustaining wages.”
In an adjacent statement, Hetfield offered, “As a touring entity we are in direct involvement with multiple essential career choices along our path. From electrical, professional driving, culinary, mechanical maintenance, public safety, logistical organizers. And that just scratches the surface. Those, along with a multitude of other technical careers, make our touring and our performances possible. We are passionate and grateful to these trades and tradespeople.”
Last month, Metallica released a remastered reissue of their 1991 “Black Album.” Around the same time, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich stated it was “way too early” to talk about a new Metallica album, though the group has seemingly been working on one for a while.
