LARS ULRICH On 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct': 'I'm Pretty Sure It Sounds Like METALLICA'

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke to StarTribune.com about the band’s tenth studio album, “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct”, which will be released on November 18 via Blackened Recordings. Regarding the musical direction of the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s “Death Magnetic”, Ulrich said: “I don’t know if I have enough distance from it yet to really describe or explain it. Greg [Fidelman, producer] is back home mixing it as we speak. We’re mastering it starting on Monday. Here’s what I can tell you: I’m pretty [bleeping] sure it sounds like METALLICA. The songs are probably a little leaner and shorter than the last go-around, and slightly less progressive. They’re more one-dimensional, meaning each song really just has one individual mood instead of having many moods within one song. And I can tell you, it feels pretty damn good to have this new music and to be getting it out there.”

Asked about the long wait between albums and tours, Lars said: “There’s just been a lot of other stuff going on. METALLICA has always been active. Since we started making ‘Death Magnetic’, it’s coming up on ten years of steadily working. The last time we took a break was after San Diego in 2004. We started up songwriting for ‘Death Magnetic’ in 2005, then we toured it for three years. We spent about a year on ‘Lulu’, about two years on the ‘Through The Never’ movie and soundtrack. We’ve been playing all the great festivals around the world and hitting some really amazing places like China, Malaysia and Indonesia. Really, we haven’t sat still in almost 10 years.”

“Hardwired…To Self-Destruct” was produced by Fidelman with frontman James Hetfield and Ulrich. The band recorded the disc at its own studio.

“Hardwired…To Self-Destruct” will be issued on double CD, vinyl and digital download. A deluxe version will feature a bonus disc containing the riffs that formed the origins of the album along with “The Lords Of Summer”, which the band debuted on tour a couple of years ago.