Hardwired...To Self-Destruct

Product Information

Adams, Cameron (November 29, 2016). "Metallica have the fastest-selling album in Australia for 2016". News.com.au. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020 . Retrieved November 30, 2016. Here Is the Complete List of Winners From the 2017 Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018 . Retrieved January 21, 2018. Anyway, you start with good intentions, with “Hardwired”, “Atlas, Rise!”, “Moth into the Flames” which have all strong trash metal riffs and an excellent guitar work (James Hetfield delivers fantastically in this album) but fail to keep this strength as they weaken in the choruses and lose themselves in mid-tempos, intersections and rhythmic changes that breaks the flow. Kind of frustrating, but this will endure so…better accept this before listening to HTSD.

RIAA certification for Metallica albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017 . Retrieved June 1, 2017. Album Top-100 2016" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016 . Retrieved December 31, 2016.I can not ignore the "reverse side of the coin." Well, most likely, "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct" is a commercial move. Metallica are good managers, they'd thought this album out properly: it would be possible with the help of this work to attract into the army of their fans followers of the new generation, as well as to revive the interest of the old ones. Well, it worked – at least as applied to me. I really like "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct", I listen to it quite often. Definitely it's not "Load" or "ReLoad" or "St. Anger" or... Ok then. According to Fidelman, the actual recordings took place during four distinct sets of sessions in June, July, September and November 2015. Three songs were recorded in each of these sets, while the album’s opener, ‘Hardwired’, was recorded in February 2016. Fidelman often continued working at HQ once recording sessions were completed, which allowed him to sift and comp and work on rough mixes and in general hone the sound he was after. Hardwired... To Self-Destruct sounds extremely hard-hitting and alive, and also remarkably transparent for a heavy metal record. According to Fidelman this was by design... Never thought I will review a Metallica album... I never liked them that much and they never were one of the bands to introduce me to metal. Manowar and Dimmu Borgir did that so many winters ago. But truth be told, this album feels as one of their most natural since Ride the Lightning and their most diverse and interesting since their self-titled opus, if only slightly better. Yeah, for me their ballads were always getting old fast and did not connect with me, but I cannot deny their effort to explore other artistic path (with emphasis on effort). Fast forward to 2016, and we get this. Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2016" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021 . Retrieved April 1, 2022. Although there's a thankful absence of "Yeahee-yea-yuh"s, we're still dealing with handlebar mustache Hetfield; that is to say, angsty wails in that impossibly annoying cowboy accent. Throughout 'Murder One', their tribute to the late, great Lemmy, Hetfield's southern twang is preposterous to the point of self-parody. Just how many syllables can garnish the word "damn"? Hetfield intends to find out, hoping to rekindle his band's longstanding triad with the Superbowl, Wrestlemania, and other similarly meritorious pursuits.

Danish album certifications – Metallica – Hardwired ... To Self-Destruct". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved March 7, 2023. Best Metal Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016 . Retrieved December 10, 2016. ARIA Top 100 Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018 . Retrieved January 5, 2018. The major problem is that I’m actually enjoying this. And not only for a spin or two, I've been listening to this on repeat almost everywhere - at home, in my car, even while pumping irons. No Metallica album has ever sparked my interest quite like this one did and still does (apart from the defiled monstrosity that is Lulu, an experiment gone SO TERRIBLY WRONG that it just has to be heard to be believed) and I'm slowly coming to terms with what's causing this weird kind of (guilty?) pleasure. Kennelty, Greg (February 8, 2016). "Metallica Nearing The End Of Recording Process For New Album, Allude To A 2016 Release". Metal Injection. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016 . Retrieved April 28, 2016.

Statistics

Young, Simon (March 9, 2023). "Here are the astonishing US sales stats for every Metallica album". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023 . Retrieved March 12, 2023. The title of their latest album Hardwired... To Self-Destruct reflects the unlikeliness of the fact that, after 36 often turbulent years, Metallica are still going strong. Their 10th studio album, it reached number one in 57 countries and ended up as the eighth best-selling long player of 2016, despite only being released in November. It has been called Metallica’s “finest record in 25 years” in a reference to the widespread view that the band peaked with their four albums Ride The Lightning (1984), Master Of Puppets (1986), ...And Justice For All (1988) and Metallica (1991) before gradually losing their way. The consensus is that Metallica have managed to recapture a lot of their old glory on Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, which, wrote one critic, “shows audiences a side of Metallica that’s been sorely missing for the last 29 years: fiery, focused, aggressive, disciplined.” A Change Of Scene Greene, Andy. "Readers' Poll: 10 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017 . Retrieved January 14, 2017. As a die-hard fan, I have been somewhat religiously accepting anything produced, finding good sides to all albums. For example, I think that Load and Reload are great hard&heavy albums with some interesting features within them, funny experiments that were children of their times. The notorious St. Anger is indeed a failure but it’s a catharsis, influenced by the circumstances around it. At first, I didn’t care much for Death Magnetic, but I have revalued it lately, so that’s why I was very anxious about the release of Hardwired…to Self-Destruct: would it be another step forward towards a more mature and defined sound of modern Metallica, or will it be another slip towards being just average good, a product parasitizing the band’s massive iconic status, its huge fan base and earlier masterpieces? Caulfield, Keith (January 3, 2018). "Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2017 in U.S". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 27, 2018 . Retrieved January 4, 2018.

a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 18, 2016). "Metallica – Hardwired...To Self-Destruct". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019 . Retrieved November 18, 2016. Okay, it might not be the most inspiring song title, but that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that it’s the one song Rob Trujillo co-wrote, and you can tell in its much looser approach to Metallica’s grand metal offerings. With its revving riffs and obvious political overtones, it’s metal with a message, but sadly it begins to lose focus and the edge is gradually softened.The 50 best metal albums of the 2010s". Loudwire. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021 . Retrieved March 17, 2022. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” should remind us all why Metallica are one of the top-selling artists of all time. The album is a collection of songs which showcase their formidable command of the fundamentals. This is a band that can take a superficially simple idea and run a hundred miles with it. A little shift in the groove here, a little rhythmic idiosyncrasy there, it all keeps the music fresh, without losing the listener by abandoning a pattern they’ve been familiarised with with and moving onto an entirely new idea.

James Hetfield sings better than ever in this record, accepting his age and doing the best he can. Lars Ulrich shows an energy that we all thought that was lost with the past years. Robert Trujillo has a great performance proving to everyone that he deserves to be in the band but Kirk Hammet is the only guy here that decided to stay in the comfort zone. His solos are pretty commom but effective. Only in “Halo On Fire” and “Spit Out The Bone” we see him trying to do something more creativity but we can consider his job here more decent than on Death Magnetic. Weingarte, Christopher R. (November 28, 2016). "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017 . Retrieved January 15, 2017. So, here we are now. Is there something still to be said about the new Metallica album? I was supposed to write this review a little earlier but I've been too busy with my studies. Anyways, I'm here to tell my own opinion in case someone wants to hear it. a b Camp, Zoe (November 22, 2016). "Metallica: Hardwired...to Self-Destruct". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020 . Retrieved July 25, 2020.IFPI Global Music Report 2017" (PDF). p.9. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2017 . Retrieved July 21, 2021. Bass & Guitars: Avid Time Adjuster & EQ3; SoundToys Devil-Loc & Echo Boy; UA Precision EQ, 1176, MXR Flanger, Roland Dimension D, EP34, Neve 1081 & Helios Type 69; Tube-Tech LCA-2B; Lucas Limiting Amplifier. Metallica's 'Hardwired... To Self-Destruct' Tops U.S. Chart With Nearly 300K Copies Sold". Blabbermouth. November 27, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017 . Retrieved November 27, 2016.