Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Metallica

Blackened, 2016

http://www.metallica.com

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 11/29/2016

If we all pretend that St. Anger never happened, then Hardwired would easily fit as the missing link between Reload and Death Magnetic. Combining the best of those discs, Hardwired is heavy, chock full of pummeling riffs and solos and everything you love about Metallica. Twelve songs are spread across two CDs, each one around seven minutes long, each song a labyrinth of metal riffage with almost no concession to pop or crossover appeal.

This will be a delight to longtime fans; nary will you find something like “Until It Sleeps” or “Nothing Else Matters.” The downside to this is the lack of variety means the songs all bleed together, especially on the second disc, where the admittedly amazing riffs and volume don’t always coalesce as real songs, more like fist-pumping male bravado that will kick your ass in concert.

Why this is split on two discs when it could have fit on one is beyond me, but then again, Metallica has never run out of ways to piss people off, so why stop now? Trimmed by three of the songs on the second disc, this could have been a lean classic; as it is, it’s an overly long near-classic that you still need to hear if you like this band even a little…and that prove they can keep up with all of today’s bands that they inspired so long ago.

“Hardwired” opens with three minutes of thrash, some jaw-dropping drumming, and the realization that these guys haven’t lost a step with age. It’s akin to “Battery” as far as album openers, it’s that good. “Atlas, Rise!” barrels along with intensity and a great Kirk Hammett solo, while James Hetfield’s vocals harken back in spots to my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Kill ‘Em All, an album that these guys used as inspiration for this one. “Now That We’re Dead” also has a bit of a “Seek And Destroy” vibe as filtered through Reload, which is how you’d expect these guys would sound in 2016.

“Moth Into Flame,” the second single released in advance of the album, has the chugging riff pattern that “Battery” had way back in 1986, the staccato vocals in the chorus that give way to melodic harmonizing in the chorus, all over pummeling riffs from the guys who pretty much invented it. It’s my favorite track on the disc inasmuch as it would have fit onto Master Of Puppets or Death Magnetic seamlessly, albeit with a little blood from its razor-sharp riffs.

Keeping up that level of brilliance would have been difficult for anyone, and “Dream No More” tends to plod instead of punch, though the mythical creature Ktulu returns for an encore, last seen on 1984’s Ride The Lightning. “Halo On Fire” ends the first disc with a winding eight-minute epic featuring shades of every Metallica album from the ‘90s. How you feel about those will dictate your mileage on this one, but damned if it isn’t great to hear these guys continuing to write ambitious, multi-part metal epics. The softer moments also lend a bit of relief from the onslaught.

“Confusion” starts the second disc with some promise but doesn’t quite live up to its potential, and the bulk of the rest gives way to songs that are technically impressive but not quite memorable or emotional, particularly the sludgy “Am I Savage?” and “Murder One,” which botches its tribute to Motorhead’s Lemmy (no way it should have been that slow, for starters).

But! Holy shit! The final song “Spit Out The Bone” bookends the disc with a thrash masterpiece, not losing a single step while finding space for some great soloing (including from bassist Robert Trujillo). Lars has made comments about how physically demanding it can be to play songs like this, as opposed to easier stuff by the Rolling Stones, and he’s got a point, but judging by this song alone these guys are just as capable now as they were in their twenties coming out of San Francisco. And “Spit Out The Bone” is just as good as any of the thrashers you can think of from the ‘80s albums, but with better production.

So yes, there is some bloat in the middle of the album, but Hardwired as a whole is focused, intelligent, and blisteringly intense. It’s Metallica being Metallica, without the detours, without the ballads, without the questionable lyrics, and mostly without the indulgence.

Rating: B

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