The next artist to get top billing in the Guitar Hero franchise is Metallica, as Wedbush Morgan analyst Edward Woo uncovered the fiscal 2009 release of Guitar Hero: Metallica in a recent filling with the SEC. Said to ship by March 31 of '09—the end of Activision's financial year—it appears that the metal outfit will get Guitar Hero: Aerosmith style treatment with a heavy dose of heavy rock. Metallica's "One" was already featured in Guitar Hero III, with additional tracks already available on Rock Band.

We were expecting to hear that Van Halen was the next group to be so prominently featured, but perhaps Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was just toying with us. Regardless, let's just hope there's more ...And Justice For All packed into this thing than there is Load.

Guitar Hero: Metallica due by Q1 '09 [GameSpot - thanks, John!]

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