It's been eight long years since Metallica released Death Magnetic. With Hardwired... To Self-Destruct set for a Nov. 18 release, the Bay Area thrash veterans have already released three new songs with music videos to boot and it looks like it's a trend that will continue for the rest of the record's tracks.

Drummer Lars Ulrich recently spoke with The Straits Times, discussing the new record as well as how the band has tackled the ever-shifting musical climate since the arrival of the Internet and the subsequent bottoming out of album sales. "Twenty to 30 years ago, there was a right way and wrong way to do things," he began, "but now it's just what suits you the best because it's a whole new game out there."

With no standard model to operate under and with Metallica in control of their own destiny with their Blackened Recordings imprint, Ulrich spoke about the freedom to pursue different creative ventures on an album cycle, stating, "It's almost like the music business is the Wild West now; you kind of roll the dice and hope it all works out the best way possible."

As for what works best for the band, the drummer added, "We like to stay active on social media. It's fun to do stuff where it instantly shows up all over the world" and noted, "Now that YouTube is the world's biggest television station, we figured we may as well knock a video out for every song (on the new album)."

Of course, shooting a video isn't easy and requires intense planning, to which Lars conceded, "The practicality of shooting 12 music videos is kind of crazy, especially when you're trying to promote your record, and you're all over the place and trying to make sure it doesn't leak. It's crazy but, at the same time, fun."

Metallica's latest music video came with the release of "Atlas, Rise!" on Halloween, joining previously released singles "Hardwired" and "Moth Into Flame." Pre-order the album at Metallica's website and catch the band on tour as they have dates set scattered around the globe.

Metallica Timeline: Death Magnetic Through Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

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