In a new interview with their official fan magazine, So What!, Metallica discuss their new album, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, out via the band’s Blackened Recordings on November 18th.

“At the outset, I think the idea was to make an album that was similar in approach to Kill ‘Em All,” explains guitarist Kirk Hammett, “and that was an album that was pretty much driven by Lars and James, with a little help from (Dave) Mustaine. So the concept was for those two to spearhead that whole creative process again in much the same way as Kill ‘Em All was done. And I’m totally fine with that.”

“I would say that we’re out for the best songs,” furthers singer James Hetfield, “and wherever the material comes from is where it comes from. We’re not trying to be ‘exclusive,’ it’s ‘Here’s what’s best for the band. These are the best riffs we have. These are the best parts and we’re gonna put ‘em together.’ My pet peeve [was] always [that] the songs are too long. I want to play more songs live. I don’t want the set to get longer. Let’s make the songs shorter so we can play more songs.”

“The biggest difference between the bulk of the songwriting on this record and the bulk of the songwriting on the last record is that we were more on our own this time,” adds drummer Lars Ulrich. “[On Death Magnetic] Rick would come every couple weeks and continue to challenge us to ‘go crazier.’ He used a word, the word ‘ridiculous.’ I remember he would often sit there and go, ‘Make it more ridiculous.’ That was the word. I’d never associated the word ‘ridiculous’ with music, and I remember him sitting right on that couch [points at studio couch – ED] going, ‘Make it more ridiculous.’ And then we’d go in and we’d fucking turn it upside down, put it on its head, all that stuff, and three and six and nine and then some of that stuff. And I would say on this record we almost did the opposite of that. We made it less ridiculous as we went along.

“We started tightening it a little bit, cutting extra parts out, shortening, making it slightly more linear and making it less ‘ridiculous.’ I can tell you that the analogy that I just came up with, with going more ‘ridiculous’ on Death Magnetic and less ridiculous on the Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, I’ve never said that to anybody before.”

Read more of the interview at Metallica.com.

Metallica are streaming their new song, “Atlas, Rise!”. The song is the third track to be released from Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, and follows previously released tracks "Hardwired" and "Moth Into Flame".

Hardwired...To Self-Destruct is Metallica's 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.

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:

(Photo - Herring & Herring)