Description
American Walmart exclusive on flame orange vinyls with gatefold cover
Hardwired…To Self-Destruct was Metallicas first studio album since 2008’ s multi-platinum Death Magnetic. Hardwired…To Self-Destruct does indeed rage, roaring out the gate with a title track where James Hetfield bellows “We’re so f***ed/S*** out of luck.” That palpable desperation recalls the free-floating angst that fueled Metallica’s ’80s, but Hardwired…To Self-Destruct doesn’t find the quartet scrambling to sound as ferocious as they did during their heyday. Often, they do unleash the fury — “Moth into Flame” gallops forward in a manner reminiscent of “Battery” — but there’s no denying that Metallica are an older band now, either incapable or uninterested in maintaining that intensity over the course of a full double album. When they slow down, it’s not exclusively to churn and brood. “Murder One,” a salute to departed Motörhead leader Lemmy, may belong in that category, but “Am I Savage?” teeters between ominous dirge and intricate transitions, while “Dream No More” has a backbeat that nearly swings. “ManUNKind” also has a bit of buried funk in its rhythms and that, along with the preponderance of complicated suites, is a clue that Hardwired…To Self-Destruct is primarily the work of Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Kirk Hammett doesn’t have a single songwriting credit — allegedly, this is due to the guitarist losing an iPhone filled with riffs just prior to recording — and he’s also diminished in terms of solos, leaving Hardwired as a showcase for Metallica’s musical constructions. If the riffs don’t always sink in deeply — and if the entire production feels slightly monochromatic — what impresses here is the thought and musicality within the compositions and the performances, elements that have always been at the band’s core and shine brightly on Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
Track list:
1. Hardwired
2. Atlas, Rise!
3. Now That We’re Dead
4. Moth Into Flame
5. Am I Savage?
6. Halo On Fire
7. Confusion
8. Dream No More
9. Manunkind
10. Here Comes Revenge
11. Murder One
12. Spit Out The Bone