Metallica To Start Work On New Album

Metal’s biggest and most successful act have spoken of plans to record a new album this September.

Don’t worry, it’s not a sequel to the widely panned Lulu, their collaboration with a cranky Lou Reed. Metallica are getting back to business and focussing on writing and recording the follow-up to 2008′s Death Magnetic.

Metal Hammer reports that drummer, Lars Ulrich has confirmed that the band will be heading into the studio this September to tentatively begin on work on their tenth studio album.

“Every time James Hetfield picks up a guitar, there are some brilliant riffs that come out of it,” says the sticksman, “..and I try to make sure that they are all recorded and try to do my best to keep up with them and try to put some drums in behind them.”

Ulrich added that there are “obviously, tons of ideas sitting around waiting to be had at in terms of turning ideas of James’ into songs;” but indicated that the group couldn’t commit until September due to  their touring commitments and their current film project, a 3D concert movie the band are making with Predators director Nimród Antal.

Speaking to Rolling Stone about the project, Ulrich bigged up the new feature: “You’re not watching Metallica onstage. You’re onstage with Metallica. In IMAX, James Hetfield is 38 feet tall, snotting on you, spitting on you. It’s 2,000 decibels. If there is an earthquake outside, you wouldn’t notice.”

“But you can’t do that for 100 minutes,” he continued. “It loses its appeal. There is another element in there – intimate, small, a story that takes place over the same trajectory as the concert. The question is, “Where do they weave in and out of each other?” But you have to cut away from the concert to enjoy the concert.”

The great Dane also remarked that “when we’re done with the movie and [headlining San Francisco festial] Outside Lands, which should all be wrapped up by early September, we’re gonna basically just concentrate on new music and try to get another Metallica record [done].”

As for the direction of the new album? Considering Death Magnetic was considered a reflection of the sprawling thrash sound of their eighties material, especially …And Justice For All; combined with the fact Metallica have been playing 1991′s The Black Album in full in concert (in reverse order at that) – it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to suggest that the next record could evoke their early 90s era.

A time when frontman James Hetfield was forced by his bandmates to open up and record ‘Nothing Else Matters’. As long as it’s as far-flung from ‘Loutallica’, we won’t complain.