Metallica
Hardwired... To Self Destruct

Hello everyone, this is my first review and I apologize for any mistakes: I wanted to fill a gap regarding this album, which has already been reviewed inadequately (or incomprehensibly). Let's analyze Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, the latest album released by Metallica, who certainly need no introduction. I was hesitant to approach the album, but what I had heard on YouTube (the tracks were officially available for listening) and the enthusiastic reviews from the critics convinced me to purchase not the standard (double) CD but the deluxe edition of the album! But let's analyze the album in detail.

Hardwired: first track and opening single of the album. Metallica copying themselves. Dispensable.

Atlas, Rise!: already-heard beginning, then Kirk starts delivering with the solos like he hasn't since …and Justice for All and FINALLY DAMN IT! Solos with even a vaguely Maiden-esque flavor. James does a good job with the vocals, too bad for Lars Ulrich's overly repetitive drumming.

Now That We're Dead: The 'Tallica tries to invent something new, but it sounds like Metallica from And Justice for All covering Metallica from Load. Not every donut is a success, but it's listenable.

Moth Into Flame: Our guys try to make an old-school thrash metal piece, but it only works halfway.

Dream No More: Should be a slow and solemn piece, but in reality, it's boring and drawn out.

Halo On Fire: Slow and solemn piece with wide melodic openings: not bad, but too drawn out and eventually becomes tiresome.

Confusion: opens disc 2, this Confusion once again reminds us how much Hetfield & Co. owe to Diamond Head... shamelessly imitating them. Metallica, you were heroes, but you're also a bunch of damn fools who don't know when to stop.

ManUNkind: A melodic arpeggio introduces us to a shapeless and crazy thing just like the pun at the base of the title. James has written great lyrics, but when he tries to overreach, he writes crap, and this is the biggest crap he's done since Frantic (my lifestyle determines my deathstyle: it’s not a clever pun, James, it's just nonsense).

Here Comes Revenge: Massive, nervous, distorted, not bad at all, even if it lasts too long (like the whole album, an average of six minutes per song is excessive).

Am I Savage: I mean, first you copy the intro of Am I Evil and now you copy the title? Moreover, there are good ideas with a pleasant NWOBHM aftertaste, but it takes too long to get going and ends badly and hastily.

Murder One: Short and repetitive, not bad but nothing unforgettable. In this position, it seems clearly a filler: essential as a Naruto filler.

Spit Out The Bone: Should be the violent final track, the Dyers' Eve of the situation, but ideas start to run low, and it overstays its welcome, still sufficient.

Lords Of Summer: opens the DELUXE disc with a track we had already heard in shorter versions. Not bad, also here too stretched out. However, Kirk Hammett is in a state of grace as rarely happens nowadays and pulls out solos that kick ass.

Ronnie Rising Medley: The 'Tallica pays homage to Ronnie James Dio (RIP) with a medley of his songs with Rainbow (a light in the black, tarot woman, stargazer, and kill the king). We appreciate the effort, but James Hetfield is not Dio. And to tell the truth, Kirk Hammett, although a great guitarist, is not Ritchie Blackmore. And Lars Ulrich is not Cozy Powell, but above all, Lars Ulrich is a damn clown.

When a Blind Man Cries: After spending thirty years covering incredibly unknown bands Diamond Head, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motorhead (RIP Lemmy), and Misfits, evidently Metallica has discovered even more unknown bands and cover Rainbow and Deep Purple. Strangely enough, our guys manage to convey the heartbreaking sadness of the original piece. Approved Hetfield and Hammett, almost acceptable Lars Ulrich, Trujillo as always missing.

Remember Tomorrow: An Iron Maiden cover? Seriously? And you choose the one that had the LEAST chance of turning out well? James tries hard, but there's no comparison with the original. Have I already mentioned that Metallica are a bunch of damn fools?

The last part of disc 3 is a live recorded in April 2016... introduced ONCE AGAIN by a Diamond Head cover: WELL DONE BUT CUT IT OUT. The old glories are performed professionally (Hit the Lights, The Four Horsemen, Ride the Lightning, Fade to Black, Jump in the Fire, For Whom the Bells Toll, Creeping Death, and Metal Militia), and in closing, there's also a Hardwired which we would have gladly done without.

FINAL SCORE: Metallica continues with the path taken with Death Magnetic of erasing the sad past of Load, Re-Load, and St. Anger, which indeed do not appear in the final live (neither Death Magnetic nor the Black Album appears, in fact: better because I never appreciated them much, although a piece from And Justice for All wouldn't have looked out of place. Less surprising than it may seem the absence of songs from Master of Puppets, which we've heard in all possible forms by now). JAMES HETFIELD confirms himself as a competent rhythm guitarist but especially as an important vocalist who withstands well the passage of time, KIRK HAMMET inserts riffs and solos like he hasn't done in years and it's nice to see that he hasn't become a shadow of himself. Lars Ulrich is a clown as always, but at least he doesn't mess things up like on St. Anger (brrr) and poor Bob Trujillo is imperceptible as always. A great album then? Not at all! But it's an album with good tracks and, apart from a lot of drawn-out moments and some slips, confirms 2016 as an important year for the historical American thrash metal, where Metallica, Megadeth with Dystopia, and Anthrax with Terminal Redux have managed to recover decently after past mistakes. And above all, they didn't make me curse like a sailor for throwing my money down the drain.

And we can expect a bright future without Super Collider and St. Anger waiting for us...