METALLICA Begins Recording New Album; Photos Available

The following message has been posted on METALLICA's official web site:

"METALLICA left the comfort of HQ this week to descend upon the greater Los Angeles area to begin recording their ninth original album. This is the first time they've recorded outside of the Bay Area since they spent an eternity at One On One Studios recording the 'Black' album in '90 and '91. The last couple days have been devoted to each band member working out the right sounds, including Lars [Ulrich, drums] who remembered to turn on the snare and Kirk [Hammett, guitar] who played a solo! The big, shiny red button was finally pushed today — and the wait begins.'

Check put pictures from the recording studio at Metallica.com.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told a New York radio program on March 2 that the band will lay down 14 songs for its ninth studio album, which the group officially began recording on March 12.

Unlike the troubled, turbulent sessions for the band's last album, 2003's "St. Anger", Ulrich told Launch that pre-production for the new effort has had a whole different vibe. "It's frighteningly tame (laughs)," he said. "The four of us show up and we hang out and we have a great time, and there are no psychiatrists in sweaters, there are no film crews, it's very much like it used to be. It's pretty mellow around here. All that 'St. Anger' stuff seems like a movie (laughs)."

The group plans to work in the studio until early June, take a break for its European tour, then finish recording in August. As for whether METALLICA will release the new album in 2007, Ulrich said, "I'd like to try and get it out this year, I hope we can get it out this year. If it doesn't come out this year, then it will be out at the very beginning of next year."