Back with its first album in eight years, Metallica has returned to its thrash metal roots, making it clear the band hasn't lost its anger.
"Hardwired... to Self-Destruct," which comes out Friday, is the 10th album by a group determined to preserve its reign as one of the defining acts in heavy metal.
"We're four angry guys," said lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, now 53 with a touch of grey in his long curly hair.
"These songs have been written with a lot of anger, a lot of aggression, with a real sort of vision to do that," the California native told AFP during a visit to Paris.
The first track, "Hardwired," sets the tone for the 12-track album -- uncompromising and ultra-fast with enraged, nihilistic lyrics that recall Metallica's first opus, 1983's "Kill 'Em All."
The title of the latest album is "a statement on the human condition and how we all kind of do things that we know are bad for us but we do it anyway," Hammett said.
"We are hardwired to be a little naughty, a little bad, and on the extreme end of that, some people just self-destruct because they just can't get enough of that bad stuff."
Music as an outlet
The second song -- "Atlas Rise!" -- recalls "Master of Puppets," the title track of Metallica's 1986 album that was groundbreaking for the musical depth of a heavy metal song.
While not as epic as the earlier music, "Atlas Rise!" runs for more than six minutes, shifting between vocal and instrumental passages and Hammett's celebrated guitar solos, free-flowing and true to form with a wah-wah pedal.
Hammett, who said he first turned to music to release his anger, says he plays so ferociously on the guitar that he breaks more strings than he replaces.
"I always play very, very aggressively, and in a very angry way," he said. "It makes me feel better."
His relationship with his instrument is still evolving, he added, saying he has "reconnected" with his guitar in recent years.
"Every time I play my guitar, it's so different from two years ago or three years ago," he said. "It's different now and it feels good."
Hammett is especially fond of jazz and bossa nova and has tried to deconstruct the genres' sounds and techniques.
"I learn stuff in those worlds and play it and I go, 'Yes, I totally can use it in heavy metal,'" he said.
On its latest album, Metallica slows down on "Halo on Fire," with frontman James Hetfield taking on a more airy, nuanced voice, if not quite to the extent of "Nothing Else Matters," the ballad from Metallica's top-selling work, 1991's "Black Album."
"We wanted to create something with the simplicity and aggression of 'Kill 'Em All,' but what ended up happening is the songs sound like the first five albums," Hammett said, adding that the new work was not a "carbon copy."
Out to 'conquer'
Hammett has a keen ear for younger generations of heavy metal artists. He is fond of Lamb of God, saying he has "high hopes" for the group every time it releases an album.
He heaped praise on a comparatively obscure group, Gojira, saying that the French metalheads were "the best thing I've heard in a long time."
"I love their new album," he said. "I think it's an incredible piece of art. It's heavy, it's vibey, it's moody. It has all the things you want to hear -- great complex rhythms, great drumming, great riffs, great songs."
But Metallica is not looking for early retirement.
"We always want to be the best," Hammett said, describing his attention to his music as obsessive-compulsive. "We just want to go out and conquer."
After the quiet spell in recent years, the quartet plans a world tour next year starting on January 11 in Seoul.
"My goal is to live to 100 years old and be able to stand there with a guitar on and play 'Seek and Destroy,'" Hammett said, referring to the band's first recorded song.
However, other songs might be more difficult for a centenarian metalhead, he added.
"I don't know if I'll be able to do 'Fight Fire with Fire.' I might break in half," he said. "But I know I can do 'Seek and Destroy.'"
AFP
Thu Nov 17 2016
![Back from hiatus, Metallica still angry Back from hiatus, Metallica still angry](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2016-02/61456391644_Metallica.jpg)
Back with its first album in eight years, Metallica has returned to its thrash metal roots, making it clear the band hasn't lost its anger. -AFP/Filepix
![Kim Pan-gon akan ke Ulsan Hyundai? Kim Pan-gon akan ke Ulsan Hyundai?](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721117483_KimPangon.jpg)
Kim Pan-gon akan ke Ulsan Hyundai?
Bekas pengendali skuad negara itu dilaporkan sedang menjadi calon utama untuk mengisi jawatan pengurus kelab gergasi Korea Selatan, Ulsan Hyundai.
![Lebih 2,300 hektar kawasan lapang di ibu negara diperuntukkan kawasan hijau Lebih 2,300 hektar kawasan lapang di ibu negara diperuntukkan kawasan hijau](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2016-12/41482504881_TamanTasikTitiwang.jpg)
Lebih 2,300 hektar kawasan lapang di ibu negara diperuntukkan kawasan hijau
Daripada keluasan itu, sebanyak 977.55 hektar tanah telah diwartakan, manakala 1,416.24 hektar tanah lapang yang berpotensi akan dan sedang dalam proses diwartakan.
Guna jawatan untuk projek pembekalan, suami isteri ditahan
Sepasang suami isteri direman enam hari dalam siasatan penyalahgunaan jawatan untuk mendapatkan projek pembekalan bernilai lebih RM200,000.
Perintah reman dikeluarkan Majistret Noor Mazrinie Mahmood bermula hari ini hingga Ahad.
Perintah reman dikeluarkan Majistret Noor Mazrinie Mahmood bermula hari ini hingga Ahad.
DBKL ubah lalu lintas Jalan Sultan Ismail bermula 22 Julai
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) akan melaksanakan perubahan lalu lintas di Jalan Sultan Ismail berkuat kuasa 22 Julai ini.
![ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721116604_ChongZheminDewan.jpg)
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar
Tindakan tersebut seolah-olah satu penghinaan paling besar kepada Parlimen yang telah meluluskan pindaan Perlembagaan Persekutuan berkait Akta Antilompat Parti.
[TERKINI] Perbelanjaan pengguna Malaysia dijangka kembali teguh
Perbelanjaan pengguna Malaysia dijangka teguh sepanjang tahun ini, demikian menurut BMI, iaitu syarikat Fitch Solitions.
![Kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini: Suspek berkhidmat 5 tahun dalam PDRM Kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini: Suspek berkhidmat 5 tahun dalam PDRM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721102947_suspekbunuhNurFar.jpg)
Kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini: Suspek berkhidmat 5 tahun dalam PDRM
Anggota berusia 26 tahun terbabit bertugas di Balai Polis Slim River di bawah Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Muallim dengan pangkat lans koperal.
![Perunding pelaburan didakwa terlibat pengubahan wang haram hampir RM1 juta Perunding pelaburan didakwa terlibat pengubahan wang haram hampir RM1 juta](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721117052_SaifulNizamSaharud.jpg)
Perunding pelaburan didakwa terlibat pengubahan wang haram hampir RM1 juta
Seorang perunding pelaburan mengaku tidak bersalah atas empat pertuduhan pengubahan wang haram berjumlah hampir RM1 juta.
Purata suhu meningkat 0.24 darjah celcius per dekad
Berdasarkan rekod dari tahun 1969 hingga 2019, purata suhu bulanan di Semenanjung Malaysia pada bulan Mei 2024 adalah 28.8 darjah celcius manakala purata suhu bulanan pada bulan Mei 1974 iaitu 50 tahun yang lalu adalah 26.6 darjah celcius.
ADUN dari kerajaan perpaduan sertai Pas
Menurut Takiyuddin, keahlian Muhamad Jailani yang juga wakil rakyat UMNO diterima pada 10 Jun tahun lalu, namun diumumkan secara rasmi hari ini.