Hardwired... to Self-Destruct

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
Studio album by Metallica
Released	November 18, 2016
Recorded	May 2015 – August 2016
Studio	Metallica's HQ in San Rafael, California
Genre	Heavy metal[1]
Length	77:26
Label	Blackened
Producer	Greg Fidelman James Hetfield Lars Ulrich
Metallica chronology
Beyond Magnetic (2011) Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
Singles from Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
"Hardwired" Released: August 18, 2016 "Moth Into Flame" Released: September 26, 2016 "Atlas, Rise!" Released: October 31, 2016

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct is the tenth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released as a double album on November 18, 2016 by their vanity label Blackened Recordings. It is their first studio album in eight years following Death Magnetic (2008), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in the band's career. It is also their first studio album not to feature songwriting credits from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett since he joined the band in 1983, and their first studio album released through Blackened. Hardwired... to Self-Destruct was produced by Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed Death Magnetic. The album was Metallica's sixth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 291,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Overall, the album topped the charts in 57 countries. Critical reception of the album was mostly positive. Hardwired... to Self Destruct also marked the first appearance of another logo variant, which has been referred to as the "glitch" logo.

Background

In October 2011, bassist Robert Trujillo said that the band had returned to the studio to begin writing new material. He said: "The writing process for the new Metallica album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during most of next year".^[2] In an interview with Classic Rock on January 8, 2013, Lars Ulrich said regarding the album, "What we're doing now certainly sounds like a continuation [of Death Magnetic]". He also said, "I love Rick [Rubin]. We all love Rick. We're in touch with Rick constantly. We'll see where it goes. It would stun me if the record came out in 2013".^[3] In a July 2013 interview, Ulrich told Ultimate Guitar, "2014 will be all about making a new Metallica record"; he said the album would most likely be released during 2015.^[4] Trujillo and Kirk Hammett later confirmed the band's intention to enter the studio.^[5]

In March 2014, Metallica began a tour called "Metallica By Request", in which fans requested songs for the band to perform,^[6] and a new song, titled "Lords of Summer", was written for the concerts and released as a "first take" demo in March 2014.^[7] A Black Friday exclusive single featuring the "First Pass Version" and a live version limited to 4,000 copies was released later that year on vinyl. In March 2015, Ulrich told Rolling Stone that twenty songs had been written for the album, and that he hoped some of them could be played at their shows later in the year.^[8] In October 2015, the band unveiled a new website with an introduction from Ulrich containing footage from the studio of the band working on new material.^[9] In November, Hammett said that the album was expected to be released in late 2016 or early 2017.^[10]

On February 6, 2016, during their "The Night Before" show at AT&T Park prior to Super Bowl 50, James Hetfield said that the band was nearing the end of the recording process, and Ulrich said that the album would be released soon.^[11] Ulrich further elaborated in March 2016 when he said that the band hoped to finish production of the album during the spring. "I think [2016] will be a pretty in-your-face year, at least the back half of it... hopefully we should be able to knock that on the head (finishing the album) this spring, I would guess".^[12] In March 2016, Hammett said that the band had worked with Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed Death Magnetic, as producer on the new album. "The title 'producer' itself is a bit ambiguous. It differs from person to person. You can call Rick Rubin a producer, but he's not the [same] type of producer as Bob Rock, who is there for every note. At the same time, Rick Rubin gets stuff done. Greg Fidelman is a different type of producer in that he's with the engineer always looking to try and move the project forward."^[13]

In April 2016, during the week leading up to Record Store Day, for which the band was its ambassador for 2016, Ulrich told Billboard that the band's expanded role within the music industry had played a part in the amount of time that it had taken to write and record the album. "The way we do things now is very different than the way we did things back in the days of Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. Nowadays we like to do so many different things." Ulrich was also optimistic that production of the album had almost reached its completion. "Unless something radical happens it would be difficult for me to believe that it won't come out in 2016".^[14] In May 2016, Ulrich said in an interview with Metal Forces that the album would be released in the summer of 2016, and that details for the new album would be finalized in the next month. "If the record doesn't come out this year then it won't be because it’s not done... it will be because there's some sort of cosmic reason that it would be smarter to hold onto it until next year. But the record will be done this summer".^[15] Recording of the album was completed in June 2016 once the recording for the song "Hardwired" was finished.^[16]

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct marks the first studio album by the band not to feature songwriting contributions from Hammett since he joined the band in 1983 prior to the recording of Kill 'Em All. In 2014, Hammett had lost his phone at Copenhagen airport, which contained almost 250 riff ideas.^[17] Since Hammett did not back up the data, it affected his creative input for the new album and he "had to start at zero again while [Hetfield and Ulrich] had material for songs".^[18] Regarding lyrical themes, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct bemoans the music industry and subjects such as overdose, on tracks such as "Hardwired", "Atlas, Rise!", and "Moth into Flame". Familial lyrics dealing with the H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos are explored on "Dream No More", the late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister's hard living with Motörhead too is offered in tribute "Murder One", named after the bassist's favorite amplifier.

Release

In a live Facebook event on August 18, 2016, Lars Ulrich said the album would be released in November 2016, and would contain twelve tracks. According to the announcement on the band's website, the CD version of the album would contain two discs with six tracks each, and that the album would contain nearly eighty minutes of new music. Metallica released the first single from the album, "Hardwired", that same day; those who pre-ordered the album through the band's official website received an instant download of the song. The album artwork, created by Herring & Herring,^[19] and the music video for "Hardwired" were also released.^[20] On September 15, 2016, the band announced that they had updated the track list for the deluxe edition of the album. In place of the thirteen "Riff Origins" songs that the band had initially included on the third disc, the band included "Ronnie Rising Medley", which the band had recorded for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life in 2014, covers of Deep Purple's "When a Blind Man Cries" and Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow", and remastered versions of the nine songs performed live at Record Store Day on April 16, 2016, along with a live version of "Hardwired".^[21] On September 26, 2016, the band released the second single from the album, "Moth Into Flame", along with a music video.^[22] The album's third single, "Atlas, Rise!", was released on October 31, 2016, with a music video composed of footage from the album's recording process.^[23] Ulrich also told The Straits Times that same day that the band would be filming music videos for all twelve tracks on the album, using YouTube as their platform. "Now that YouTube is the world's biggest television station, we figured we may as well knock a video out for every song... the practicality of shooting twelve music videos is kind of crazy, especially when you're trying to promote your record, and you're all over the place, and trying to make sure it doesn't leak. It's crazy but, at the same time, fun".^[24]

On November 12, 2016, a local Walmart started selling the album in advance of the official release date of November 18. On November 16, the music videos for all nine remaining tracks (along with "Lords of Summer") were released.^[25] The Italian city of Matera appears in the music video for "Spit Out the Bone".^[26]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100[27]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[28]
The A.V. Club	C[1]
The Chicago Tribune	[29]
Classic Rock	[30]
The Guardian	[31]
NME	[32]
PopMatters	8/10[33]
The Daily Telegraph	[34]
Rolling Stone	[35]
Sputnikmusic	3.5/5[36]

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct received an average score of 73/100 from 27 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[27]

Accolades

Commercial performance

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 291,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, of which 282,000 were pure album sales.^[39] The remaining 9,000 units were comprised of 34,000 song purchases and 9,3 million streams. It was the third-largest debut of the year in the US, behind Drake's Views and Beyoncé's Lemonade.^[40] It became the highest selling debut of the year in Germany with more than 200,000 copies shipped in its first week, earning a platinum certification.^[41] Hardwired... to Self-Destruct had the biggest opening week of 2016 in Australia with 26,000 copies sold, debuting at number one on the ARIA chart.^[42] Overall, the album was number one in 57 countries, entered the top three in 75 nations and the top five in 105 countries.^[43]

Track listing

Disc one

Disc two

Disc three

Tracks 5–13 were recorded live at Rasputin Music in Berkeley, California on April 16, 2016, for Record Store Day. Track 14 was recorded live at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 20, 2016.

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Personnel

References