So Metallica dropped some new music on Thursday. Yup, that’s right. The OG, Bay-area thrashers have not only released a new single, “Hardwired,” but they’ve also announced their new album, Hardwired…To Deconstruct, will be coming out on November 18th! Yes, this November. Let’s take a minute to process this for a second. They haven’t released anything new since 2008’s Death Magnetic– that’s eight fucking years ago! So not only have they released some new tunes, a video to go with it, and the new album artwork– they also announced they are going to stream they’re upcoming show in Minnesota (live on Pandora), as well as released some Spotify exclusive content that will make die hard ‘Tallica fans gush.
I’m a huuuuuge Metallica fan. Their first four albums changed my life forever– Kill ‘em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and …And Justice for All, were and still are the be all, end all in my thrash metal collection. I’ll bore you guys with my love for Metallica at a different time– in the meantime, in between time, fucking “Hardwired.” Wow, the new single was definitely a kick to the balls. I was definitely not expecting that kind of ferocity out of these seasoned veterans– the boys still fucking got it. It harkened back to the Kill ‘em All attitude– it’s awesome.
The single starts off with drummer Lars Ulrich, beating his snare to a sped up march-like beat. The guitar riffs come chugging in and all hell breaks loose– this is going to be a fun one for the heads in the pit. James Hetfield evokes his younger self and spits out his lyrics fast and tight. The bridge leading to Kirk Hammet’s wicked solo make the riffage shine. At a little over three minutes long, it’s legit one of the shortest Metallica songs ever, but that’s all the time they need to remind us why they’re the best of the Big Four. The album art work is a different look for Metallica. I dig it. It’s a colorful amalgamation of all their screaming faces– it’s definitely different. The video for the new single is actually pretty freaking cool. It’s a performance video with the four horsemen thrashing about in a black and white, with a flicker light effect. It’s very cool and fits the tone of the song.
Another treat we got on Thursday is the Spotify exclusive video interviews of the band talking about their origins called Metallica: The Early Years. It’s a captivating four-part series focusing on their first two albums and the influences they’ve had on contemporary musicians. It’s brief but it’s a great watch. I’m hoping we get some more, focusing on Master and Justice. Lastly, Metallica announced they partnered with Pandora to stream their upcoming concert, live from the new home of the Minnesota Vikings, US Bank Stadium, this Saturday at 9pm Central time, 10pm Eastern time. I can’t wait!
I’m going to temper my expectations a little bit as to not be disappointed if this is the only good song on the record, but I have a feeling the boys will not disappoint. I’m looking forward to the next couple of months where we’ll hopefully get another new track or two. I’m also foaming at the mouth thinking about when and where will their first leg of the tour kick off. It’s going to be a good end of the year. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is a double album, so boom, there ya go. //Arturo Padilla