Metallica New Album: 10 Old-School Thrash Lessons They Need To Relearn

Ever since the release of St. Anger, Metallica's songwriting prowess has been a bit hit and miss at best. Hell, even though the band had tons of material to draw from on that album, the resulting lyrics ended up sounding like they were being written by a robot who is trying to write a metal song.

Though there have been some improvements, it might be worthwhile to get the band back in touch with more meaningful lyrics.

For as much as a return to form as Death Magnetic was back in 2008, the lyrics still felt like the band were playing it safe, as if they were trying to make a good thrash record down to the letter.

Hardwired...to Self Destruct was also a clear step in the right direction, with lyrics dealing with PTSD-stricken soldiers and the takeover of technology in the modern day, but there's still clearly room to expand.

Though each of these songs are great, it would make sense for James Hetfield to take a few cues from classic songwriters like Rob Halford and Geezer Butler if he wants to write something as meaningful as, say, "Disposable Heroes" or "Battery." Metallica may still have their wits about them, but the cleverness of their riffs should carry over onto the lyric sheet a bit more often.