Remember how I said in my St. Anger review (assuming you've read it) that that album was Metallica's final masterpiece? Well, fuck that because Hardwired... to Self-Destruct was Metallica's actual final masterpiece! Now anyone reading this might be pissed off because I am aware of how much you hate this album, but to be honest, before listening to it, I expected it to be one of Metallica's worst albums because their later releases generally haven't been as good as their original four albums. However, upon continuing to listen to this album, it surprised the shit out of me. It literally blew my mind because I didn't expect the album to sound so damn awesome. I honestly thought it would be like Death Magnetic but worse. But holy shit was I dead-ass wrong, as wrong as I was when I used to believe that homosexuality is immoral. By no means is this their best album, but it is a masterpiece nevertheless.
First, the riffs composed by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett are mind-blowing! Kirk Hammett especially is a fucking genius for coming up with these riffs, even after he literally lost 250 riffs the year or two before as a result of having lost his phone! What a legend! Nearly every track on this album has well-composed riffs, but especially "Hardwired", "Atlas, Rise!", "Moth Into Flame", and "Spit Out the Bone". These tracks contain perhaps some of Metallica's best riffs, with each one capturing my interest and compelling me to not zone out without fail. My favorite of these tracks is the self-titled track, "Hardwired", which, in my opinion, is Metallica's best song since "Dyers Eve" from AJFA. There isn't much more for me to say except that this track, as well as the other three I mentioned, kicks ass. The rest of the songs also do, but not nearly to the same capacity as these four.
However, although I do love this album, I have a couple of complaints about it. First, James Hetfield's vocal work for this album is perhaps his worst to date, so that didn't do it nearly as much for me as his and Kirk's guitar work. Second, Lars Ulrich's drumming is too damn simplistic for me to even say it's remotely enjoyable, and I really hate how he's always done the bare minimum when it comes to drumming, hence why he never became as awesome as drummers such as Joey Jordison, Jason Sherlock, Vinnie Paul (R.I.P.), or even James Hetfield. I honestly wish that Lars would care more about his own craft; that way, he'd likely be able to come up with more creative drum techniques to give any later albums more substance and color instead of constantly doing the most base-level shit. Finally, I didn't enjoy the lyrics in "Now That We're Dead"; they felt too bland for me, but especially the chorus, which I enjoyed the least.
Finally, each of the songs sounds distinct from its predecessors, even from Death Magnetic. This album felt much more passionate and energetic than the previous one, as I felt that Metallica finally mastered the art and craft of composing modern thrash metal music. Not a single one of the songs bored me, unlike in the case of its predecessor, which is still a good album, but it doesn't compare to the sheer awesomeness that is Hardwired... to Self Destruct. I mean, albums such as RTL, AJFA, Kill 'Em All, and even Testament's Brotherhood of the Snake were better than this one in my opinion, but this one still kicks ass.
Overall, although I have a few complaints about this album, it completely blew my mind because I expected it to be so much worse. James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett really got their act together after 19 years of struggling to put together an album that was phenomenal musically. The riffs are phenomenal, and each song has a unique sound that cannot be found even on Death Magnetic. I mean, sure, St. Anger is perfect for what it is, hence why I ranked it higher than any of the other Metallica albums, but Hardwired... to Self Destruct is so much better musically. Furthermore, if I could say anything about this album, it was Hardwired... to defy all my expectations.
The songs I would recommend the most from this album are "Hardwired", "Atlas, Rise!", "Moth Into Flame", and "Spit Out the Bone".
Track List :
1. Hardwired2. Atlas, Rise!
3. Now That We're Dead
4. Moth into Flame
5. Dream No More
6. Halo on Fire
7. Confusion
8. ManUNkind
9. Here Comes Revenge
10. Am I Savage?
11. Murder One
12. Spit Out the Bone
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