Jetzt kommt es dicke. METALLICA haben das Material zu ihrem neuen Studioalbum fertig und es wird "anders" sein. Sollen wir das nun positiv oder negativ werten? Kirk Hammett ist von der Arbeit der Band begeistert und damit hier nichts "misgedeutet" werden kann hier seine Originalaussage in der Märzausgabe des Gitarrenmagazins "Guitar World":



The forthcoming Studio CD is very dissimilar to anything we've ever done. We have a lot of new material, and I like to think it's the best stuff we've written in a long time. It's heavy, it's very dynamic, and this time, James, Lars and I wrote together, which is a very, very new thing. Rather than do it as 'Okay, the A part is his, the B part is mine, and we've forced them together,' the new songs have unfolded in a very natural, organic way. We sound like a band, even though we still need a bass player."