Metallica News Round-Up: ‘Hardwired…’ Goes Platinum, New Video Released
Metallica has notched another win for last year’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
The group’s first album in eight years has been certified platinum for sales of more than a million copies; The group actually received its platinum plaques on May 17 in Nassau, Long Island.
All nine of Metallica’s previous studio albums are multi-platinum, as is 1998’s Garage Inc. covers album and the 1989 live set S&M. But guitarist Kirk Hammett tells us that Metallica does not take that kind of success for granted:
“Just because we’re an immensely successful metal band, that doesn’t guarantee that everyone’s gonna like everything we record, and we’ve experienced great success in the past with stuff we’ve recorded and not so great success in the past with stuff we’ve recorded. So our attitude going into a new release is hope for the best, expect the worst. Just because we’re one of the biggest bands in the world doesn’t mean we’re gonna sell biggest band in the world record numbers…At the end of the day you just have to live with…knowing you’ve done the best you possibly could and it’s good enough. That’s good enough, at least it’s good enough for me, knowing that.”
Metallica has also released a second video for the “Hardwired…” track “Now That We’re Dead,” featuring live footage from its current WorldWired Tour. The group is currently on the road in North America and next plays Saturday (June 4) in St. Louis.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
