For the last two years, it seemed inevitable that every interview involving a member of Metallica requires at least one question about the status of new music. The last update we got was that the music would be unique but still heavy and that there are 20 songs written for it.
But is one of the band members over answering questions about the new album?
While promoting this weekend's Fear FestEvil, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, who curates the fest mixing horror and metal, was interviewed by San Jose Mercury News. The interview was primarily about Hammett's favorite horror movies, but, as I mentioned at the top, you can't do an interview with Metallica nowadays without asking about the new album. Here's how Kirk responded:
Q: Of course, I can't let you off the phone without asking for a Metallica update. When will we see a new album?
A: You guys will see the album when it's done. We have songs. I can verify that. We are working on music. I can verify that.
Q: You mentioned at the beginning of this conversation that you were just leaving the studio. I assume you were working on Metallica stuff.
A: Yeah, I was. It's so early in the project — things can shift drastically to the left or the right within a week's time. It's hard to comment on anything right now, because nothing is really permanent.
Now obviously, you can't really grasp the tone with which Kirk was responding. He could've said everything in a joking matter, or perhaps he is just really over answering questions about an album that is still so far down the pipeline there really isn't much to talk about. Which do you think it is?
