Album Review: Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct
Bay area metal legends Metallica have finally released their follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic. But is it worth checking out after such a lengthy wait?
I'm going to forego all of the inane checklist reminders that other reviews need to touch upon. We know this band made Master Of Puppets. We know all about 2003's St. Anger. We know they cut their hair and released the hard rock-inspired Load and Reload albums in the 1990's. Everyone knows Metallica's story. So, this review won't be about their legacy or any of that fluff. This is about Hardwired...To Self-Destruct. Is it good? Is it a misstep? Let's dive in.
The album begins with the thrashing title track, which is also the shortest track on the album. It's a tad corny, but it's also oddly appropriate for the times we're living in. Something about James Hetfield screaming that we're all fucked and shit outta luck feels proper. Following this introduction, we're given some of the best material Metallica have written in a long, long time. Now, I will be the first to admit that I love their Load era, so I'm not quick to dismiss those works in order to get back to the band's classic period. Still, the first disc of this album showcases Metallica again writing powerful, heavy, frenetic, and most importantly, organic metal music. Moth Into Flame is an exhilarating ride and might be one of Metallica's best ever singles. Hetfield's love of H.P. Lovecraft and crushingly heavy songs combine on Dream No More, which will make any Metallica fan grin from ear to ear. Half-twisted ballad and half-feel good rocker, Halo On Fire is the most inspiring song on the record. It feels like one of Metallica's classic Garage Inc. covers, but with it being an original Metallica composition. It's a remarkable way to conclude the first disc.
The band's decision to make this a double album ends up hurting its consistency, albeit just a little. ManUNkind and Murder One (a tribute to late Motörhead legend, Lemmy Kilmister) don't have the same strengths as the material on the first disc. They're still good songs. I actually quite like them for the most part. But they just seem to be lacking that special feeling the first half of the album contained. Still, the second disc does contain some wonderful material. Confusion, a piece on the effects of PTSD, is hard-hitting with plenty of groovy riffs. Goofy song titles aside, both Here Comes Revenge and Am I Savage? are unmistakably Metallica. The former having a nice 90's chugging Metallica vibe, while the latter contains one of the heaviest riffs Metallica have ever recorded. It's delicious, it's confident, and it's fun to listen to. It's nice to hear a fun Metallica record again.
Closing out the album is the song a lot of Metallica fans are talking about: Spit Out The Bone. It's a mammoth song, jam-packed with everything you'd expect from Metallica: fast riffs, chugging riffs, intense melodies, etc. But the true strength in this song is the true strength throughout the entire album: James Hetfield. He is the true MVP of this album, and he's all over it. His signature vocals are in full force, sounding like a man possessed on several of these cuts. Listening to him on Now That We're Dead's outro or Spit Out The Bone's chorus, you will feel chills because of what he is able to accomplish. The rest of the band sound great, even though I find many of Kirk Hammett's solo work to be less than stellar on this record. He has some great lead work in spots, but some of the song's solos leave a bit to the imagination.
Even though the consistency dips a bit when you hit the second half of the album, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct feels like a Metallica album. You can hear this in its arrangements, the melodies, the vocals, etc. It's an effort that doesn't feel like a smorgasbord of riffs and odd arrangements. Even though I was a fan of Death Magnetic, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct is a quality effort that feels like Metallica being Metallica. And that's the most refreshing thing about it: it feels like Metallica in 2016. Not 1986. Not 1991. Not 1996. This feels like a natural, comfortable-sounding heavy metal band doing their thing in current times, rather than trying to pounce on their glory days.
