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Metallica joins Guitar Hero III, setlist expanded by 12

[UPDATE] Slayer, AFI, Blue Oyster Cult, Queens of the Stone Age, and Black Sabbath join Activision's rhythm-rocker; monster metal band now also on board with "One."

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It's difficult to say now how many times Nigel's infamous Spinal Tap line "These go to eleven" could be channeled in reference to Neversoft's Guitar Hero III and Harmonix's Rock Band. After all, it's the rock god's ethos to do everything bigger, badder, and gaudier than what's been done before.

Last week, community fan site Score Hero reported four new Guitar Hero III tracks, including finger-splitting numbers from DragonForce and Iron Maiden. Today, Activision did that announcement one better, not only confirming those four tracks, but adding seven more to the mix as well.

Topping the list for many in the 11 songs officially announced today will be the master recording of "Raining Blood" from thrash-metal titans Slayer. Goth rockers AFI will also be lending an original recording of "Miss Murder" to Guitar Hero III, as will Queens of the Stone Age with "3's and 7's" and The Strokes with "Reptilia." While master tracks for DragonForce's "Through Fire and Flames," Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast," and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Suck My Kiss," were all reported by Score Hero last week, Activision officially confirmed those recordings today.

While the bulk of Guitar Hero III's tracklist has been original recordings, the game has picked up the license to cover a few classic rock songs as well. Adding to the tribute performer's lineup today is Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," Blue Oyster Cult's "Cities of Flame," and Mountain's "Mississippi Queen." ZZ Top's Texas tribute "La Grange" was also confirmed today.

Adding a tangible element to the figurative Battle of the Bands, several of today's announced songs will also be appearing in Harmonix's Rock Band. Of the songs announced thus far, Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," The Strokes' "Reptilia," and Mountain's "Mississippi Queen" will appear in both games.

[UPDATE] This afternoon brought more Guitar Hero III news. During a report conference following a half-billion-dollar earnings report, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick revealed that Metallica would appear in the forthcoming game. Though the executive did not say which Metallica song would be featured in GH III, he must be relieved by the group's participation. At E3 last month, Electronic Arts revealed the mega-popular heavy metal quartet would be appearing in Rock Band, the forthcoming rival rhythm title from MTV Games and original Guitar Hero developer Harmonix.

[UPDATE 2] Late on Friday, Metallica officially confirmed on its Web site that its song in Guitar Hero would be "One" from the group's 1988 album ...And Justice for All. It did not say whether or not said track would be an original recording or a cover version.

Guitar Hero III will take the stage this October for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. A complete list of announced songs from the game is as follows.

Original Songs
"Miss Murder" by AFI
"Through Fire and Flames" by DragonForce
"Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden
"3's and 7's" by Queens of the Stone Age
"Suck My Kiss" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Raining Blood" by Slayer
"Reptilia" by The Strokes
Slash's Original Boss Battle Recording
"Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses
"Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones
"Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys
"The Metal" by Tenacious D
"My Name Is Jonas" by Weezer
"Knights of Cydonia" by Muse
"Even Flow" by Pearl Jam
"Lay Down" by Priestess
"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour

Cover Songs
"Paranoid" as made famous by Black Sabbath
"Cities on Flame" as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult
"Mississippi Queen" as made famous by Mountain
"La Grange" as made famous by ZZ Top
"Rock and Roll All Nite" as made famous by Kiss
"School's Out" as made famous by Alice Cooper
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" as made famous by Scorpions
"Slow Ride" as made famous by Foghat
"Barracuda" as made famous by Heart

Other Songs - format undetermined
"One" as made famous by Metallica

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