Legendary rock band Metallica is turning up the volume on blood donation, joining forces with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood during its upcoming Australian tour to celebrate the lifesaving power of blood and plasma donors.

The collaboration, in conjunction with Metallica’s foundation All Within My Hands, will see Aussie donors, who donate in selected CBD donor centres in the week before each tour stop, receive a limited-edition Metallica t-shirt designed by the band’s iconic artist SQUINDO.

The one-of-a-kind design for Aussie donors features the band’s famous ‘A Sea of Hearts Beat As One’ lyric, encapsulated within a blood drop, as well as a visual nod to Aussie Metallica fans.

The t-shirts will be available to donors who sign up, or have previously signed up to Lifeblood's loyalty program Lifeblood Gifts, and who donate at: Perth Donor Centre from October 25 to October 31; Adelaide Donor Centre from October 29 to November 4; Melbourne CBD Donor Centre from November 1–7; Brisbane Donor Centre from November 5–11; and at the Town Hall and York Street Donor Centres in Sydney from November 8–14.

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood ’s Executive Director of Donor Experience, Cath Stone said Lifeblood was thrilled to be collaborating with Metallica and All Within My Hands to raise awareness of the critical need for blood donations and encourage more Australians to roll up their sleeves.

“Metallica and their foundation’s commitment to making every tour stop a better place, by rallying fans to donate blood and plasma, is a selfless act that will have a lifesaving impact on so many individuals and their families,” Cath said.

“With demand for blood at a 12-year-high and plasma demand at record levels, we hope this partnership will fuel an influx of Metallica fan donors that we can welcome home to our donor centres.

“Don’t let blood donation be the day that never comes, because when you’re saving lives, nothing else matters.”

This collaboration with Lifeblood builds on Metallica’s global legacy of giving, including its partnership with the American Red Cross. During the recent M72 World Tour in the US, Metallica and the All Within My Hands Foundation helped the Red Cross collect more than 2,000 blood and platelet donations to save lives through a series of Red Cross x Metallica blood drives and has recently announced an expansion of their partnership.

Just one donation can save up to three lives and helps people living with cancer and immune deficiencies, new mothers, trauma patients and people undergoing surgery.

*Fun fact: If you have tattoos you are likely to be eligible to donate. You can donate plasma straight away after a tattoo, as long as it was done in a licensed tattoo parlour in Australia. And you’ll need to wait just one week to give blood or platelets.

To find out more and book a donation, visit lifeblood.com.au/metallica or call 13 14 95.