Eve of Destruction

With the release of Hardwired... To self-destruct, their 10th studio album and first in eight years, just days away, Metallica get ready for the end of the worlds... in positive way

- Brad Tolinski

“We’re so fucked!” bellows James Hetfield over the opening track of Metallica’s first album in eight years. It’s a pretty harsh way to say “howdy do” after such a long absence, but most metal fans would probably agree a pissed James Hetfield is a good James Hetfield. And on Hardwired…to Self-Destruct the thrash icon is none too happy. Over 12 lengthy songs, spanning two discs, Metallica’s chief songwriter rages like an angry bull about the crummy state of mankind, even summoning the mythical beast Cthulhu to destroy the Earth “as the world dies screaming.”

His fury on Hardwired is undeniable, but in person the 53-year-old singer is pretty chill. With his mellow West Coast drawl and thoughtful responses Hetfield seems like one cool cat. After speaking with him for a while, however, you start to notice his dry, sardonic chuckle.

A-heh-heh-heh.

It’s a small laugh, but it radiates an undercurrent of menace that he often uses to punctuate his bleakest observations. It’s the kind of chuckle you might hear seconds before getting hit in the head with a wrench in a dark alley.

Dressed in various shades of motorcycle black with patches of gray sneaking into his sandy hair, Hetfield’s a bit meatier than in past years, but it looks good on him. He might not be the guy that would start a barroom brawl, but with the extra weight it’s certainly believable he could finish it. When asked about the pessimism expressed on the song “Hardwired,” and to some degree, the entire album, the question is greeted with that laugh.

A-heh-heh-heh.