Kirk Hammett: new Metallica album will “cut through division” in the world

Kirk Hammett has discussed the upcoming Metallica album, saying he hopes it will “cut through the division” in the world.

The band have been working on their new album during the coronavirus pandemic, with James Hetfield confirming that the band wrote 10 songs together over Zoom in quarantine.

In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Hammett discussed his hopes for the next record, saying it comes with a hope for unity.

“Metallica has always been about bringing people together through music,” he said. “I think the sentiment now is that people need music more than ever to bring everyone together and collectively celebrate that we’ve got to this point.

“There’s a lot of division in the world, and hopefully this Metallica album will cut through the division and bring people together in ways that are more beneficial for everyone over all…”

Of their time in quarantine, Hammett added: “We’ve tried to make the most of the Covid year-and-a-half, and we’ve been pretty successful. We’ve got together remotely and worked, and we’ve got together [properly] and worked.

“Things are moving really well. I would say that the music we’re coming up with is very appropriate for the times.

“Music should bring everyone together, it should be a celebration. That’s what music is about. It’s not about selling albums or getting Grammys, it’s about putting out good music and helping the situation with that music.”

In January, drummer Lars Ulrich admitted that Metallica are only making “glacial” progress with their new album, suggesting that the follow-up to 2016’s ‘Hardwired…To Self-Destruct‘ won’t see the light of day for some time.

Last November he said that he and his bandmates were engaged in some “pretty serious writing” sessions for the album, promising the following month that the forthcoming LP would be the best record that Metallica have ever made.