With a "Mission Metallica" website set up at
http://missionmetallica.com/ promising fans "Experience the album... before it's done" it looks as though Amazon.com have let slip the US release date by prematurely listing the album for pre-ordering before release on the
28th October 2008.
Of course the only confirmed details from the and or record label are that Metallica's new studio album, their ninth to date, will be released "soon".