Metallica v. The Quietus [1]

Representatives of rock band Metallica demanded that websites and blogs take down reviews of unreleased songs from the band's forthcoming album. The band's management had played six songs from the album for a group of U.K. music journalists and bloggers, including writers for Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, The Quietus, Classic Rock, and others, at a listening party in London on June 04, 2008. According to one attendee [2], those invited were not asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Following contact from a third party representing QPrime, Metallica's management, at least three sites – Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, and The Quietus – removed their reviews. Classic Rock edited their review to remove any specific information about the songs or the album's sound. The Listening Post [3] cites sources as saying the band's management wanted the reviews pulled because they were based upon an early mix of the album.

On June 11, 2008, Metallica posted a message to their website stating that the takedowns had been instigated by QPrime without the band's permission. The message included links to reviews from Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, and The Quietus. Following the June 11 posting, all of the reviews were placed back online.