Metallica: Hardwired… to Self-Destruct review – thrillingly direct

(Blackened Recordings)It’s testament to the enduring appeal of Metallica’s early work that in recent years their live setlists have included almost nothing recorded after 1991’s Black Album. To that end, their 10th album is an attempt (and a more successful one than 2008’s patchy Death Magnetic) to replicate the glories of their first three. The back-to-basics approach serves them well. Recent single Hardwired is a thrillingly direct opener, almost matched in ferocity by