Should there have been any doubt that Metallica could, nay, should make a new album following Death Magnetic, it will be swiftly silenced for good by Atlas, Rise!, the latest single to be launched from the band’s upcoming record Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, set for release on Friday, 18th November.
Atlas, Rise! (below) is a monstrous song which keeps the pedal to the metal for its entire six-and-a-half minutes. There’s little moments of repreve, while the band belts out riff after riff and bridge after bridge. But the pièce de résistance of Atlas, Rise! is the chorus, which is best described as HO-LY SHIT ‘TALLICA ARE BACK, BABY.
According to Stereogum, there was a heavily embargoed listening session of Hardwired… to Self-Destruct about a month ago at Electric Lady Studios, and even back then Atlas, Rise! showed signs of being a big hitter off the album. No doubt when the band began teasing a new song, people in attendance were pumped that it would be this one.
When tacked onto the end of previous singles Hardwired and Moth Into Flame, Atlas, Rise! makes for a goddamn fulfulling experience.
All indicators thus far suggest Metallica is harking back to their roots. Rather than piling in the seven-minute guitar solos, they’re looking back at Master Of Puppets, getting all fuzzy, and thank god for that.
Watch: Metallica – ‘Atlas, Rise!’
