Metallica acquires majority interest in local record-pressing company

The rock band Metallica has acquired a controlling stake in Furnace Record Pressing, a company that produces high-quality vinyl records in the Alexandria part of Mason District.

“While the ownership structure is changing, under the hood, everything stays the same: the same people, same spirit, same culture, and the same never-ending quest to perfect our craft,” Furnace founder and CEO Eric Astor announced on Facebook on March 14.

“Furnace and Metallica are committed to continuous improvement and growth and are eager to offer even more capacity, choices, and services to our valued customers,” Astor said.

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The acquisition formalizes a long-standing relationship between the band and Furnace that has produced more than 5 million pieces of Metallica vinyl since 2014.

Furnace produced the definitive deluxe box set editions of Metallica’s Kill ’Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, the Black Album, and S&M2.

Astor founded Furnace Record Pressing in 1996 and moved operations to a 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility at 6315 Bren Mar Drive in 2018. Furnace is one of the largest record-pressing companies in the U.S.

The company offers standard and heavyweight pressings, color vinyl, special effect color vinyl, and custom vinyl etching. It also oversees other services related to the creation and packaging of records.

James Hetfield, co-founder of Metallica, said: “Furnace has been great to Metallica, and more importantly, to our fans. This deepened relationship between Metallica and Furnace ensures that fans of vinyl everywhere, particularly our Fifth Members [fan club], will have continued access to high-quality records in the future.”