For some, 2016 has been a good year for new music but for others, the wait for Metallica’s new album has been a long and frustrating one. However, the good news we have all be waiting for is finally here; the album is on the way. Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield were recently in an interview with Dan Nykolayko discussing the twentieth anniversary of Load where the news was released.
According to Hetfield, the new album, which is a follow-up to Death Magnetic released in 2008, is currently being mixed and everyone involved is hoping for a release date towards the end of the year. Ulrich said in May that the band were reaching the end of the ‘creative process’ and this seems to have been confirmed now with the start of the mixing stage. Ulrich also went on to say that the whole band were going to sit down in the month of June and discuss exactly what steps to take. He has noted that they want to release it to ‘the universe’ but it seems as though this month will be pivotal in deciding just how soon the universe will get to listen to the supposed 20-track album.
Hetfield has spent a lot of time in the studio recently having provided a vocal track for Heart’s new song Beautiful Broken. Concord Records will be releasing Heart’s new album in July and the Metallica frontman can be heard on the title track echoing the song title from the teaser that has been released.
Back to Metallica’s new album and Ulrich has noted that even though a 2016 release is what the band are aiming for, it may not be this way. He said that there is no way they will be releasing music to the world if it simply isn’t ready; the only way it will get released is if it is ready and they are happy with the final product.
This new release will be Metallica’s tenth album and as of yet, it has no working title. Kill ‘Em All was the band’s first foray into music way back in 1983 and they have gone on to become one of the most popular and recognisable groups ever since. Their first five albums came within an eight-year period with the following four split over a period of 17 years but the fans are just as passionate now as ever. The hype around the new release, the first for eight years, is set to increase the closer we get to the end of the year and judging by past results, the band aren’t likely to disappoint.
~EY