Metallica album still nowhere in sight

Metallica’s 10th album is still nowhere near completion, drummer Lars Ulrich has admitted.

They’ve been working on the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s Death Magnetic since last year, with recent reports suggesting serious progress had been made – despite guitarist Kirk Hammett losing 250 riffs he’d prepared for the project.

Ulrich tells ALT98.7: “Compared to the age of the Earth, and the age of man populating this wonderful planet, it’s very close by.”

But he adds: “I wouldn’t hold my breath or skip going to the bathroom – but it’s coming.”

Bassist Robert Trujillo last month reported that the material they’d written was “special and unique, but still heavy.” Hammett described it as “a bit more prog” than previous work.

Ulrich said in March that Metallica aimed to include material from the album in their summer shows, which include headlining sets at the Reading and Leeds festivals in August.

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.