Metallica – Hardwired … To Self-Destruct (2016)

Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career.

The band’s fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship made them one of the founding “big four” bands of thrash metal, alongside Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. Metallica’s current lineup comprises founding members and primary songwriters Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo.

Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who formed Megadeth after being fired from Metallica, and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, and Jason Newsted are former members of the band.(wikipedia)

Hardwired… to Self-Destruct is the tenth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released as a double album on November 18, 2016, by their own label Blackened Recordings. It was their first studio album in eight years following Death Magnetic (2008), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in the band’s career. It is also their first studio album released through their record label Blackened Recordings. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct was produced by Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed Death Magnetic.

This was Metallica’s sixth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 291,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, and topping the charts in 57 countries. The number one ranking marked the second time in history that any band of any genre would have six consecutive albums debut at number one, following only Dave Matthews Band. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct received generally positive reviews from critics, and in 2020 Lars Ulrich ranked it as his favorite Metallica album

Hardwired… to Self-Destruct received generally positive reviews. The album received an average score of 73/100 from 29 reviews on Metacritic, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.[33] At AnyDecentMusic?, that collates critical reviews from more than 50 media sources, the album scored 6.8 points out of 10, based on 27 reviews.

AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine said although the album featured all of Metallica’s core music elements, he thought the band did not sound as ferocious as it did in its ’80s heyday. David Anthony of The A.V. Club had a mixed impression, saying “77 minutes of endless thrashing gets tiring” and thought the songs would benefit from leaner songwriting. He did, however, praise the album’s first three singles, saying they were some of the best songs the band has written since the 1980s.[44] Writing for Rolling Stone, David Fricke said Hardwired… to Self-Destruct reminded him of …And Justice for All and Metallica, having the “jagged apocalypse” of the first and the “focused brawn” of the second.[42] Pitchfork’s Zoe Camp also felt that the album was “an attempt to revisit their early days”, similar to Death Magnetic, but adding that “the only difference is that this time they sound like they’re actually trying, and maybe even having a bit of fun”.[40] Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune opined that Hardwired… to Self-Destruct was not comparable to Metallica’s finest work, and predicted the album will be quickly forgotten as its promotional tour is done. Dom Lawson of The Guardian had an opposite opinion, declaring Hardwired… Metallica’s “finest record in 25 years”. He criticized the second disc for not being on the same level as the first, and stopped short of calling the album a classic.

Sputnikmusic’s Trey Spencer wrote that, performance-wise, Hetfield’s voice sounded reinvigorated, but complained on Ulrich’s drumming for not “breaking a sweat” on most of the tracks. He concluded that Metallica was not attempting to recapture its trademark sound, but made this album “just for the love of playing”. Stephen Dalton of Classic Rock said Metallica were still competent with the biggest pop stars in a climate where rock music was declining. Dalton liked the album’s cover art, but his opinion on the music was “more mixed”.[36] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters complimented the band’s concise songwriting and wise selection of songs for not including ballads and long instrumentals. He observed that Metallica was having fun again and made a record that will please old and new fans. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph felt the album was “80 minutes of in-your-face shouty rage with absolutely no let-up”, and that “if it was half as long, it would have been twice as effective” (wikipedia)

Personnel:
Kirk Hammett (lead guitar)
James Hetfield (vocals, guitar, second guitar solo on 03.)
Robert Trujillo (bass, background vocals on 05.)
Lars Ulrich (drums)

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Hardwired 3.09
02. Atlas, Rise! 6.28
03. Now That We’re Dead 6.58
04. Moth Into Flame 5.50
05. Dream No More 6.29
06. Halo On Fire 8.14

CD 2:
07. Confusion 6.40
08. ManUNkind 6.55
09. Here Comes Revenge 7.17
10. Am I Savage? 6.29
11. Murder One 5.44
12. Spit Out The Bone 7.08

All songs written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich
except 08., written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo

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The official website:

Witchfinder General – Death Penalty (1982)

Witchfinder General was a heavy metal band from Stourbridge, England. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. They were named after the 1968 British horror film Witchfinder General.

Witchfinder General formed in 1979 by Zeeb Parkes & Phil Cope in Stourbridge, England, as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement during the early 1980s. They were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath, and are widely recognised today as one of the pioneers of the doom metal style. The band’s importance became acknowledged mostly after they disbanded.

The band (minus vocalist & writer Zeeb Parkes) reformed in November 2006, with new vocalist Gary Martin. In 2007 the band released Buried Amongst the Ruins, a compilation CD featuring the “Burning a Sinner” single, the Soviet Invasion EP, and four live tracks including a live version of the unreleased track “Phantasmagorical”. Whilst stating they would not perform live again, the band released their third full-length album, entitled Resurrected, in 2008.

Death Penalty is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band Witchfinder General. It was released in 1982 on Heavy Metal Records. The album received some criticism for the cover photograph, which featured topless model Joanne Latham. The photograph had been taken in the yard of St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church in Enville, Staffordshire, without the permission of the local Reverend. The album was originally released on LP and picture disc and was later reissued on CD. Pictured on the cover is Phil Cope, Zeeb Parkes, Graham Ditchfield and a member otheir road crew. While Peter Hinton is credited with producing this recording, the writers Phil Cope and Zeeb Parkes always felt the credit should have gone to the engineer Robin George. (by wikipedia)

Unlike many of their New Wave of British Heavy Metal peers who injected their music with a certain punk attitude, Witchfinder General drank strictly from the Black Sabbath fountain. Their 1982 debut, Death Penalty, is a celebration of all things Sabbath — from the plodding rhythms of “Burning a Sinner” and “R.I.P.” to the early-Sabs intro of “No Stayer,” and even the band’s rocking “Paranoid” knock-off, “Free Country.” Singer Zeeb Parkes’ range is rather limited, but that never stopped Ozzy Osbourne, and his mostly satanic lyrics are especially amusing on the cryptic-sounding opener “Invisible Hate,” which eventually resorts to shouts of “more beer.” Despite similarly silly lyrics, the song that bears the band’s name is definitely the album’s highlight, thanks to its engagingly ferocious main riff. (by Eduardo Rivadavia)

HeavPersonnel:
Phil Cope (guitar, bass (bass credited as Woolfy Trope)
Graham Ditchfield (drums)
Zeeb Parkes (vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Invisible Hate 6.06
02. Free Country 3.11
03. Death Penalty 5.35
04. No Stayer 4.26
05. Witchfinder General 3.52
06. Burning A Sinner 3.29
07. R.I.P. 4.04

All songs written by Zeeb Parkes and Phil Cope

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A backcover like this is not really necessary !