hennemusic

The reaction to the new Lou Reed/Metallica “Lulu” project, out Tuesday, is getting downright nasty and personal.

“Metallica's fans 'are threatening to shoot me, and that's only because I showed up,'" Lou tells USA Today. "They haven't even heard the record yet, and they're recommending various forms of torture and death.”

The veteran Reed has been through this before. "I don't have any fans left. After ‘Metal Machine Music’ (1975), they all fled. Who cares? I'm essentially in this for the fun of it."

The negative fallout doesn't surprise Ulrich, either. "In 1984, when hard-core Metallica fans heard acoustic guitars on 'Fade to Black,' there was a nuclear meltdown in the heavy-metal community," Ulrich says. "There have been many more since then.”

"This is something they've never heard,” continues Lars. “Nobody hears rhythms or delivers poetry the way Lou does. It's not for everyone, but I think it's a fantastic record."

Reed goes a step further, declaring "Lulu" his best work, on par with 2003's "The Raven," his spoken/sung album of Edgar Allan Poe interpretations. “It vanished like the foam in the wind," he says.

“Lulu” may do likewise, Reed acknowledges. "No one wants ‘Lulu Part 2,’ but on Radio Lou, in my head where I hear these songs, I want more of it."

The strange bedfellows first performed together at 2009's 25th anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York. Afterward, Reed proposed teaming on covers of his rarer tracks, then switched gears after composing tunes for director Robert Wilson's Lulu production in Berlin.

Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield agreed after listening to those versions. "No drums, no guitars, no recognizable rhythms or keys," Ulrich recalls. "Just these soundscapes, incredibly beautiful. And Lou reciting these potent words. It was so deep. I called Lou and said, 'I don't know where this is going, but we're in.' Lou came out a week later with (producer) Hal Willner to see our studio. Within one hour, we were recording."

Reed found working with Ulrich, Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo exhilarating.

"They are my metal blood brothers," says Reed, 69. "They're very brave, and they can play. I'm not easy to play with. Some of (Lulu) that sounds easy is actually really hard. A lot of cool players can't do that. Academia drove it out of them."

Check out the full session at USA Today here.