METALLICA Frontman: 'We're Trying To Write, But Gigs Keep Popping Up'

Dave "Higgo" Higgins of Australia's long-running rock station Triple M conducted an interview with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield during this year's Soundwave festival in Australia. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for METALLICA's follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic", Hetfield said: "Yeah, we're trying to write [new material], but gigs keep popping up that are too exciting to stay home for. We have lots of material [we've been] working on from the day 'Death Magnetic' ended all the way up until now.

"There's tons of material. Some [riffs] stick with me because the theme keeps coming back. Out of 700 riffs, there's at least three I've played 20 times."

Asked what the new material is sounding like, Hetfield said: "I don't know where it's going yet but we've got lots of different sounds, different styles. We're certainly not afraid of jumping into past 'feels.'

"After 'Death Magnetic', we've stopped running hard and started embracing some of our past. 'Master Of Puppets' was kind of a core reference for 'Death Magnetic'."

On the topic of how he responds to fans who want METALLICA to make an album that sounds like their old stuff, like "Master Of Puppets", Hetfield said: "Let's not do that, shall we?! It's a catch-22, because I completely understand what people want. It's like they're asking you to recreate a memory in their past and you cannot do that. It's a moment of time.

"We're one of those bands that doesn't really care what people want.

"We have been artists since day one. We're not going to roll over for anyone and, you know, we're METALLICA for a reason and we're going to keep doing that."

METALLICA's much-anticipated 3D movie, "Metallica Through The Never", will make its theatrical debut on August 9.

"Metallica Through The Never" will be the first new release via Picturehouse, the full-service independent film marketing and distribution company started in 2005, which is reopening its doors with founder Bob Berney at the helm. The film, written and directed by Nimród Antal ("Kontroll", "Predators"),stars members of the iconic rock band and Dane DeHaan ("Chronicle", "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"). DeHaan plays a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down.

"The idea started off as a best-of show," Hetfield said. "Taking all the effects and props and ideas from all the tours from 'Ride The Lightning' all the way up… 'Kill 'Em All' was just us and a Vodka bottle.

"The footage is unbelievable but we wanted a storyline along with it... [It's] about one of the runners in the show who goes on this crazy adventure trying to find this 'bag' that we need for the end of the show. There is a plot, but we're still trying to figure it out!"

Interview (audio):