The Singles Jukebox

More like “Softwired” amirite

[Video][Website]
[4.83]

Jonathan Bogart: Earlier this year I realized I am a member of the generation for whom Metallica is classic rock. I have some fondness for their bloated, self-important 90s records from when I first encountered them on the radio, and will probably always feel about “One” the way people ten years my senior feel about “Layla” or “Stairway to Heaven” — resentful of its omnipresence when I was younger, the way it’s burrowed into my subconscious without my consent, while also reluctantly admitting that it is kind of a jam. “Hardwired” is representative of one of the periodic back-to-basics versions of Metallica, more concise and riff-stupid than I’ve heard them be in two decades, and if I was hoping for a political critique in the shouted refrain that stands in for a chorus, I should have remembered that for zillionaires, everything is about them.
[5]

A.J. Cohn: This song is one-note, but what a note! With its barreling drum and roaring riff the whole track is unvaryingly insistent — it charges forward, fast, furious, and ferocious.
[7]

Thomas Inskeep: This is superior to most of Metallica’s output over the past two decades, simply because it’s a return to their thrash roots, as opposed to the commercial “hard rock” swill they’ve been pumping out in regular intervals. That said, the lyrics (chorus: “We’re so fucked/Shit outta luck/Hardwired to self-destruct”) are a whole lotta nothing, and frankly, if you wanna hear Metallica doing thrash, you’re better off spending time with their ’80s output. Nothing much to see here. 
[3]

Ryo Miyauchi: After living with Metallica more as the leader of macho metal ballads of the aughts for a good portion of my life, it’s exciting to see them try to outdo the speed of “Whiplash” from Kill ‘Em All. They also ditch self-seriousness, and to that I say, thank god. All I want is a fast and furious outlet for aggression. “We’re shit out of luck” is just about the deep commentary I need from them and nothing more than that.
[6]

Juana Giaimo: Given my complete and self-acknowledged ignorance of metal, I decided to search about “Harwired” to find many fans of Metallica happy because they went back to their roots. To me, instead, it sounds like an aimless explosion of anger that may be shocking on first listen, but loses power with each new listen — the vocals too raspy but motionless, guitar virtuosism that little has to do with the desperation of the song and noisy drums as pointless as a drum solo. 
[2]

Brad Shoup: Listening to this, I had to remind myself that Death Magnetic was received rather warmly. Even though every track was over six minutes; there was a song called “Unforgiven III”; when the whole band leans into something you realize that a trash compactor can have engineers too. But they were exploring, not flailing, and lowering Hetfield in the mix — such as it was — was a wise acknowledgement that their best imagery was behind ’em. Here, though, he’s more legible, and likely tickled to be one of the first people to find this year lacking. It’s OK: it’s not like the anti-Reagan scene was brimming with ripping satirists. Stylistically, they’re taking their cues from the punx: fast tempo, charming profanity, a solo rooted in rockabilly. Hammett’s patented yowl enters “Sandman” territory, zipping frenetically up and down. He only settles into true thrash territory in the closing seconds. If it’s not terribly rousing, it’s at least decently mixed: definitely the place where guys this rich should be putting their capital.
[6]