Metallica album echoes mood of U.S.

Metallica had never gone longer without issuing a new studio album, making fans wait eight years for a follow up to 2008’s double-platinum-certified “Death Magnetic.”

Yet, “Hardwired… to Self Destruct” proves worth the wait.

The legendary band’s 10th album, which hits stores today, finds vocalist-guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo in dominant form, flexing through one mighty metal number after another.

It’s an album that starts off strong and just keeps getting better. The most accessible, catchiest tracks are loaded up front — especially title number “Hardwired” and “Atlas, Rise!” — while the second half is more complex and ambitious, filled with material that should continue to reveal treasures over time.

The record has some incredibly bleak and dark moments — even by Metallica standards. Hetfield sounds like the voice of a divided nation on the fantastic opening number, “Hardwired,” a tune that should remain in the band’s live repertoire for the rest of its career.

“In the name of desperation/In the name of wretched pain/In the name of all creation/Gone insane.”

Then comes the punch line:

“We’re so (expletive).”

Yeah, there are a lot of people who can identify with those lyrics right about now. And, in that sense, Metallica has once again delivered an album that echoes and underscores the mood of millions.

But, ultimately, this isn’t about adding to the despair. It’s more about exorcising the demons, as we find reassurance in the growl of Hetfield on such offerings as “Atlas, Rise!”

“All you bear/All you carry/All you bear/Place it right on, right on me”

The music, written by Hetfield and Ulrich, is proudly punishing, combining machine-gun rhythms with the kind of fret fireworks we’ve come to expect from Hetfield and Hammett. Ulrich, in particular, is an absolute titan here.