Metallica's 11th Album: 10 Things Fans NEED To See
Giving metal a shot of adrenaline.
Metallica has become synonymous with everything great about heavy metal. Without their massive hits crossing over into the mainstream, the entire metal landscape of today would look completely different. Though the band have done many great things for the genre, there are some aspects of the band that have rubbed fans the wrong way over the years.
From their sellout years in the 90's to the supposed dumpster fire that was St. Anger, Metallica fans have had to deal with one of the greatest metal bands in the world having a spotty track record. While the band have returned to their thrash roots over the years, this latest era of the band is missing that certain X-factor that can take their songs from good to great.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with albums like Death Magnetic or Hardwired to Self Destruct, but there are some elements that could be tweaked in the future so the band can wow fans like they did in their heyday.
Given their long lifespan, here are just a few things that Metallica could include on their next album to give us a taste of the awe-inspiring metal machine that we knew and loved back in the 80's.
10. More Equal Contributions
On the band's past few albums, they seem to be crediting the songs to the entire band rather than to just one or two members. However, it's pretty clear that James Hetfield is the one who steers the ship in terms of riffs, with Lars Ulrich overseeing the arrangements.
Though the duo have done an exquisite job over the years, it may be time to give Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo a greater role from a writing perspective. Hetfield may bethe master of the riffs, but Hammett has delivered some great licks over the years from the breakdown of "Creeping Death" to the main structure of "Enter Sandman."
The fact that Kirk lost his phone with his riff ideas during the production of Hardwired didn't really help, making most of the album feel like a straightforward Hetfield affair.
While Rob Trujillo is the newest member, it stills feels like there's some songwriting potential he hasn't tapped into yet, given the contributions he brought to songs like "All Nightmare Long" from Death Magnetic.
Some fans may see the Hetfield/Ulrich team as something not to be messed with, but a shakeup in dynamics might be just what the band needs to make something unprecedented.