During a break from recording its next Elektra studio album, Metallica members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett last night (June 4) teamed up with longtime producer Bob Rock to play an unannounced live set at Club Kimo's in San Francisco under the name Spun. According to Metallica's official Web site, the group opened with four Ramones covers: "Commando," "Today Your Love Tomorrow the World," "53rd and 3rd," and "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue."

Spun proceeded to dust off the Metallica oldies "Hit the Lights," "Leaper Messiah," "No Remorse," and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" before debuting a new song described by the site as "heavy, with a nice Metallica crunch to it." The show wound down with "I Disappear" and "Die, Die My Darling."

The site confirms that Metallica will contribute a track to DV8/Columbia's upcoming Ramones tribute album, which is being compiled by Rob Zombie. "When Kirk was asked by his friend Johnny Ramone if the band would do a song, the yes part of the answer was easy," the site reports. "Now comes the hard part -- picking a song! The guys have jammed on eight songs, narrowed it down to four, but still haven't made the final decision yet. No, they won't tell us what the front runners are -- we'll just have to get back to you after they pick one."

Metallica's next album will be its first since the departure of bassist Jason Newsted. As previously reported, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have been shooting a documentary about the group that promises to document the aftermath of Newsted's exit and Hetfield's battle with substance abuse.