Mikael Wood at the LA Times recently caught up with Metallica prior to their gig at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss the band's new album, Hardwired... To Self Destruct, and their longevity. Following is an excerpt from the story.

In the last year, Van Halen played what might have been its final gig with singer David Lee Roth; Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister died from cancer at age 70; and the ailing Brian Johnson quit (or perhaps was fired from) AC/DC. Black Sabbath is nearing the end of what it’s calling its farewell tour.

And though a reunited Guns N’ Roses made millions of dollars visiting stadiums over the summer, the flamboyant hard-rock band that famously toured with Metallica in 1992 performed no new material in its recent shows, sticking exclusively to oldies.

“Unfortunately, they’ve turned into somewhat of a nostalgia act, which to me is kind of sad,” Hammett said.

In contrast, here’s Metallica — all four members are in their early 50s — with a fresh batch of blistering, densely composed songs that take up modern themes like global warming, artificial intelligence and the illusory nature of Internet celebrity.

“I don’t want to think we’re trying to stay young by writing new stuff, but it makes us feel relevant,” said Hetfield. “It makes us feel like we’re still progressing.”

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Metallica's "Atlas, Rise!" debuts at No. 22 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart dated November 19th, giving the legendary metal act three songs on the chart simultaneously. It's the first time an act has tripled up since… Metallica did it eight years ago, reports Kevin Rutherford.

"Atlas" joins previously released tracks "Moth Into Flame" (No. 6) and "Hardwired" (No. 23) on the chart, marking the first time that an act has charted at least three songs on Mainstream Rock Songs simultaneously since Metallica on the September 27th, 2008-dated ranking. That week, "The Day That Never Comes" was amid its seven-week run at No. 1 and was joined by "Cyanide" (No. 35) and "My Apocalypse" (No. 40).

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Hardwired...To Self-Destruct is due for release on the band's own Blackened Recordings on November 18th and is their first studio album since 2008's multi-platinum Death Magnetic. The album was produced by Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed Death Magnetic, and is available for pre-order at metallica.com in various configurations including: CD, Vinyl, Digital, Deluxe, and Deluxe Deluxe Versions.

Check out BraveWords’ overview of the album here.

Deluxe Edition (Digital Download and CD)

Disc One
“Hardwired”
“Atlas, Rise!”
“Now That We’re Dead”
“Moth Into Flame”
“Am I Savage?”
“Halo On Fire”

Disc Two
“Confusion”
“Dream No More”
“ManUNkind”
“Here Comes Revenge”
“Murder One”
“Spit Out The Bone”

Disc Three (Bonus)
“Lords of Summer” (2016)
“Ronnie Rising Medley”
“When a Blind Man Cries”
“Remember Tomorrow”
“Helpless’ (Live at Rasputin Music)
“Hit the Lights” (Live at Rasputin Music)
“The Four Horsemen’ (Live at Rasputin Music)
“Ride the Lightning’ (Live at Rasputin Music)
“Fade to Black” (Live at Rasputin Music)
‘Jump in the Fire” (Live at Rasputin Music)
‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ (Live at Rasputin Music)
“Creeping Death” (Live at Rasputin Music)
“Metal Militia” (Live at Rasputin Music)
“Hardwired” (Live in Minneapolis)

“Hardwired” video:

“Moth Into Flame” video:

“Atlas, Rise!”: