Metallica - Hardwired… to Self-Destruct
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On November 18, 2016, “Metallica” released their tenth studio album, “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct”.
Eight years had passed since “Death Magnetic” — the longest gap between studio albums in the band’s history — and the expectations surrounding their return felt heavier than any amplifier they had ever dragged onstage. This wasn’t just curiosity about a new record. It was a question of identity. Whether a band that shaped the foundations of thrash metal on albums like “Kill 'Em All” and redefined mainstream heaviness on “Metallica (The Black Album)” could still summon that fire after decades, tragedies, triumphs, reinventions, and a changing musical landscape.
By the time work began on this album, the band was in a more stable place than during the dramatic years that followed “Load”. Relationships had strengthened, battles were behind them, and the hunger to write something meaningful had returned. "Hardwired… to Self-Destruct" became a project of renewed focus — a reminder to themselves of what “Metallica” truly is, and what drives them beneath the noise and the legend.
Recording began at their San Rafael headquarters with Greg Fidelman producing alongside James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The process was disciplined and deliberate: hundreds of riffs catalogued, sorted, sharpened and sculpted into shape. A major shift came when Kirk Hammett famously lost his phone — and with it, nearly 250 riffs that he hadn’t backed up. For the first time since joining the band in 1983, Hammett had no songwriting credits on a "Metallica" album. The weight of structuring the record fell largely on Hetfield and Ulrich, giving the music a tightened, focused edge. Robert Trujillo contributed the intro to “ManUNkind”, written as a tribute to the late Cliff Burton.
The album’s lyrical themes circle around destruction, anxiety and the darker wiring of human behavior. “Moth Into Flame” mourns the seduction and toxicity of fame, “Hardwired” dives into self-destructive impulses and addiction, “Dream No More” reaches back into Lovecraftian nightmares, and “Murder One” stands as a heartfelt tribute to Lemmy Kilmister, the iconic "Motörhead" frontman, named after his favorite amplifier.
The album begins with “Hardwired”, a blast of pure thrash aggression — short, sharp, and unfiltered. It reconnects instantly with the spirit that originally fueled the band. “Atlas, Rise!” carries that energy into a triumphant stride, with harmonized leads and a chorus built for arenas. “Now That We’re Dead” dives into a muscular, ritualistic groove that balances heaviness with melody, while “Moth Into Flame” becomes one of the album’s defining peaks — urgent, addictive, and lyrically piercing. “Dream No More” which finds Robert Trujillo singing backing vocals drops into thick, sludgy depths, pulling listeners into a slow-moving monster of a track, and “Halo on Fire” ends the first disc on a long, emotional rise, opening into brightness and release.
Disc two shifts into darker, heavier terrain. “Confusion” marches with a sense of psychological fracture and inner conflict. “ManUNkind” blends tribute with tension, twisting between eerie harmonies and unsettling rhythms. “Here Comes Revenge” delivers one of Hetfield’s strongest modern vocal performances, built on cycles of anger and consequence. “Murder One” honors Lemmy with thick, pounding riffs. And the album ends with “Spit Out the Bone”, a full-throttle thrash explosion — one of the most exhilarating tracks the band has recorded since their earliest days.
In addition to its two main discs, “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” was also released in a deluxe edition featuring a rich third disc of bonus material. The Bonus disc opens up with a re-recorded version of “Lords of Summer”, originally released as a rough 2014 demo. “Ronnie Rising Medley (A Light in the Black / Tarot Woman / Stargazer / Kill the King)” was recorded for the 2014 Ronnie James Dio tribute album "Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life". “When a Blind Man Cries” initially recorded for "Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple’s Machine Head" (2012). “Remember Tomorrow”, originally recorded for the 2008 Iron Maiden tribute "Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden". Beyond the studio material, the bonus disc delivers a vivid burst of live energy recorded at Rasputin Music in Berkeley, California, on April 16, 2016, and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on August 20, 2016.
Upon release, “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” debuted at number one in more than fifty countries, instantly embraced by fans as a return to intensity, energy and purpose. Critics praised its ambition, its balance between old-school speed and modern weight, and the genuine spark running through its best moments. The “WorldWired” tour that followed became one of the band’s most successful, confirming several of the album’s tracks as new-era staples.
In the years since, the album has come to represent a meaningful milestone — not a reinvention, but a reaffirmation. A reminder that even after decades, “Metallica” can still tap into the essence that made them monumental in the first place. It is a record that stands confidently beside the giants of their catalog, not as a copy of the past, but as proof of continued evolution and vitality.
“Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” is the sound of a band rediscovering its bite — powerful, emotional, aggressive, and alive. A confirmation that “Metallica”, even after so many years, can still shake the earth the moment they choose to.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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