Lou Reed and Metallica release 30-second song preview

The concept of Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed and metal legends Metallica making an album has been one of the weirder happenings in the music world, and it doesn’t get any less strange once the music in question is heard. The first sample of the album comes from the track “The View,” and it confirms the worst fears about the project.

While it’s kind of hard to judge something by thirty seconds taken out of context, it’s hard to see a context where this sort of thing is appealing. Especially when they have already revealed that the album will be absurdly long, with five of the album’s ten tracks clocking in over eight minutes, and the closer “Junior Dad” an astounding 19:28. If we can expect out-of-place spoken word over recycled mid-'90s thrash metal riffs for the entire 90-minute album length, expect this one to be quite painful to sit through.

For those who still feel brave after that sample, the track will be out through online music retailers September 27. The full album, Lulu, will be released worldwide on October 31 through Universal, and in North America on November 1 through Warner Bros. Records.