Kirk Hammet says ...

[lurch70]

Krone.at: Can you tell me some things about the new album you're working on?

Kirk Hammett: I think it's the best album we've put out in, say, fifteen years.

Krone.at: Oh, but that rules out quite a lot of work you've done in the past!

Kirk Hammett: Yeah, it's our eleventh studio album, but it feels like our sixth. It's just a really spectacular range of songs. This time we're not afraid to refer to our past music in order to create future music. People will see that we've kind of embraced our old vocabulary again and are using that vocabulary to express new things. I'm super excited to make this album, finish it and release it — 'cause then we can go out and play it to the people. We might have stretched our cores a little too much in the last fifteen years, but we've always came back to what we originally are and have been. I think with this album we're definitely going a little more back into our roots.

Krone.at: Does this mean, you're heading from "St. Anger" as a start further into, let's say, the raw meat!?

Kirk Hammett: Yeah, it's super raw! There are some songs on that album that are so fast, that James and I kinda look at each other and go, "Ouch! Our wrist are gonna fall off." There are a lot of really, really fast songs, a whole lot of really heavy stuff. We changed our approach to writing the songs, all of us were working on the material this time. We also changed our tuning. With "St. Anger" we had the guitars really low. This time, we tuned the guitars back up to what they originally were for the first five albums. Because we've done that, James' voice sounds more like it did in the '80s than it did in the '90s. There's a lot of changes that we've made, but I believe that they are all for the better.

I'd really like to believe it coming from Kirk ... and I know Rubin can pull some magic.

Why do I still want to believe?

 

[skeptik]

They've played two tracks from the new album live before, and they sucked.

 

[Crimson Velvet]

As do I, though I know I am only putting myself up for a giant disappointment, again!

 

[lurch70]

The only thing I know from seeing Bob Rock in action and following Rubin's career ... is that Rock is a pushover and will follow any assinine idea the band mught have ... Rubin on the other hand is totally opposite, not afraid to tell megastars that what they have is shit ... and push them to their limits.

At least we got solos again.

if the Megadeth disc ends up to be better than theirs ... well ... that opens up another debate about the two bands careers and catalogue

 

[MajestikMøøse]

BACK TO OUR ROOTS! THESE SONGS ARE LONG!

ANDTHEREAREFASTPARTSSOTHATPEOPLEWILLSAYTHATITSHEAVYMETAL

DOUBLE BASS-AAH

 

[J.]

lurch, you do this every time with metallica and slayer and every time you are disappointed. quit being so optomistic about these old farts

 

[lurch70]

lurch, you do this every time with metallica and slayer and every time you are disappointed. quit being so optomistic about these old farts

... you're right but it's fun to be masochistic in some ways.
Slayer delievered in some ways last time around (although after a recent spin the disc did not quite hold up)

 

[Para-Void]

BACK TO OUR ROOTS! THESE SONGS ARE LONG!

ANDTHEREAREFASTPARTSSOTHATPEOPLEWILLSAYTHATITSHEAVYMETAL

DOUBLE BASS-AAH

COMPLEX JUST LIKE JUSTICE! COMPLEX JUST LIKE JUSTICE!

 

[General Zod]

There are two things every band state when doing press for a forthcoming release...

1. It's the best thing we've done in years
2. It's a return to the sound that our fans like best

Metallica was great when they were a bunch of angry kids. They're now wealthy adults. I've got a better chance of getting head from Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston, at the same time, than Metallica does of putting out a CD that rivals the first four.

Zod

 

[circus_brimstone]

There are two things every band state when doing press for a forthcoming release...

1. It's the best thing we've done in years
2. It's a return to the sound that our fans like best

A new spin I've heard some bands put on the first one is: I know it's a cliche, but our new album really is the best one evar!

Metallica was great when they were a bunch of angry kids. They're now wealthy adults. I've got a better chance of getting head from Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston, at the same time, than Metallica does of putting out a CD that rivals the first four.

True.

 

[Nate The Great]

Since Metallica is pretty much responsible for 90% of my life choices up to and including the black album, I'll probably get the new one. If it is better than St. Anger, I'll probably listen to it a few times. If it is like the band has been describing it, I'll probably weep periodically.

 

[Dark One]

LOL @ even the minor notion that any of the members of Metallica have any credibility left when it comes to the possibility of giving old school fans the music they want.

 

[Ars Magna]

Not that anyone remotely cares, but I too fall into the category of one who hopes. I know it will be shit, but they meant so much to me as a young'un. I am hoping that Rubin fucks them up, somehow funnels some booze into James and some balls into Lars, and makes them realize what an utter bunch of shit they have become. Rock and roll has nothing to do with counseling sessions.

 

[cthulufhtagn]

it's sad to watch some of you crawling back after getting burned so many times, like a girl that won't leave an abusive boyfriend. "they punish my ears because they love me!"

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

The phrase New Metallica will always mean shit nowadays.

 

[MFJ]

Not that anyone remotely cares

why do you constantly degrade yourself in your posts? it actually makes people care less, just so you know. maybe that's what you're going for.

 

[Krilons Resa]

There are two things every band state when doing press for a forthcoming release...

1. It's the best thing we've done in years
2. It's a return to the sound that our fans like best

Metallica was great when they were a bunch of angry kids. They're now wealthy adults. I've got a better chance of getting head from Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston, at the same time, than Metallica does of putting out a CD that rivals the first four.

Zod

Exactly. Its the same shit they say every damn time a new album is in the works. EVERY time. Same ol' same ol'.

And Rick Rubin is another queer.

 

[Ars Magna]

why do you constantly degrade yourself in your posts? it actually makes people care less, just so you know. maybe that's what you're going for.

I've been on a Rodney Dangerfield kick.

 

[JayKeeley]

if the Megadeth disc ends up to be better than theirs ... well ... that opens up another debate about the two bands careers and catalogue

Hang on, that isn't even up for debate. Megadeth have consistently been releasing better material than Metallica for a long, long time:

Killing is my Business > Kill 'em All
Ride the Lightning > Peace Sells
Master of Puppets > So Far So Good
Rust in Peace > And Justice for All
Countdown > Black Album
Youthanasia > Load
Cryptic Writings > Reload
Risk > St Anger

Other than RtL and MoP, I think Megadeth had this won pretty much the day Mustaine was retired from Metallica LLP.

 

[skeptik]

Killing is my Business < Kill 'em All
Ride the Lightning > Peace Sells
Master of Puppets > So Far So Good
Rust in Peace > And Justice for All
Countdown < Black Album
Youthanasia > Load
Cryptic Writings > Reload
Risk > St Anger

For me. I'll take Metallica.

Edit: It should be noted that I don't care for Megadeth after Rust In Peace, and I actually somewhat enjoy the Black Album. It was also my first Metal album too, so that might have something to do with it, but I think it's good nonetheless.