Robert Trujillo says he already “sees” and “feels” the next Metallica album – although the idea disturbs drummer Lars Ulrich.
Their 10th title, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, was released on Friday, eight years after previous record Death Magnetic.
But the bassist believes the groundwork is already being laid for an 11th album, and says a few ideas have already surfaced.
Trujillo tells Rock Antenne: “I’ve been in this business a while and I’ve seen a lot of bands who get a little bit older and lose some of that fire and edge. They lose their creativity.
“I think we’re growing together now more than ever creatively, which is really exciting.
“Already there’s been a couple of loose jams that have been like, ‘Whoa – that’s pretty good.’ I know there’s another great album probably waiting to happen.
“That drives Lars crazy, because it took a lot to make this one. Creatively I see it. I feel it. I’m excited about where we’re at and where we’re going.”
The majority of the material on Hardwired… To Self-Destruct was written by Ulrich and frontman James Hetfield – but that doesn’t concern Trujillo.
“Songwriting credits? It’s not a big deal,” says the bassist. “I thing the bigger deal is how the songs develop, and my role in supporting a song.
“Whether the idea comes from James or me, or whatever, it doesn’t matter. What matters is, does the song sound great when it’s finished?”
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He adds: “The great thing about Hardwired – I love the songs, the sonics, the sound, the production.
“I love the fact that I was able to go into the vocal booth with James and sing backups, and be part of the vocal production on that level, which is something I don’t think had ever happened.
“There’s a lot of really great experiences with this album. I’m looking forward to the next record in this journey.”
Meanwhile, it’s been revealed that Metallica fans have streamed nearly 12,000 years’ worth of the band’s music – making them the most-streamed metal outfit in the world.
Spotify say that over 7,000,000 listeners play Metallica every month and they appear on over 15,000,000 playlists.
Their most popular track, Enter Sandman, has been streamed over 108,000,000 times. The top UK city for listening to Metallica is London, followed by Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool – with the global total reaching 11,982 years of streaming.
Hardwired… To Self-Destruct is predicted to sell between 260,000 and 280,000 copies in the US during its first week on sale. The band continue to add dates to their WorldWired tour, set to expand across 2017. Metallica are the cover stars of the new edition of Metal Hammer – out now in print and via TeamRock+.
Metallica tour dates 2016-17 so far
Dec 17: Oakland Fox Theater, CA
Jan 11: Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome, South Korea
Jan 18: Beijing Le Sports Centre, China
Jan 20: Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo, China
Jan 22: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore
Feb 03: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Feb 05: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Feb 07: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Feb 09: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Mar 25-26: Sao Paulo Interlagos Racetrack, Brazil
Mar 31-Apr 01: Buenos Aires Hippodrome San Isidro, Argentina
Apr 01-02: Santiago Parque O’Higgins, Chile
Metallica's Trujillo came face-to-face with starstruck dentist
