So Metallica, Necrophagist and Tool walk into a bar. Nobody fucking hears them because none of them have made a single peep in the last two years.
Seriously though, if Metallica put in the time that I've put in writing about their studio record actually recording, then we'd probably have more than one song at this point. Though it's not like Metallica needs to prove themselves either at this point- people will still eat that record up even if it comes out in 2021.
That being said, Kirk Hammett said in a recent interview that the group is finally planning to hit the studio very soon!
"We're just plowing away it and working on it every day, and we're gearing up to actually record some of it now. It's still so early in the process. You know, these songs we're recording, they might be on the album, they might not be on the album. It's just one of those things where we're just trying to, like, negotiate through all the material and just figure out what the best way to move forward is. And so, that's basically where we're at right now."
At least we know there will be album tracks and b-sides? This way we'll have that little extra to hold us over until the next Metallica album in 2053.