Metallica

From the Source

Five years in the making, 2008's stupendous Death Magnetic is Metallica's ninth studio album and their widely-hailed return to top form. Less frantic than its predecessor, St Anger, the album recaptures the energy, the scale and the full-tilt thrashery of the band's heyday. Metallica are most definitely back with a vengeance.

Providing changes aplenty, Death Magnetic saw the band working with legendary rock producer Rick Rubin for the first time, releasing the album on a new record label, and laying down their first recording with bassist Robert Trujillo.

Trujillo, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies, recalls what the process was like: 'It's taken us five years to make this album. The music of Death Magnetic is pretty challenging so to get through an arrangement was a task in itself. In terms of writing, the door was wide open. I think it was the first time they had a bassist on hand for the creative process and the songwriting and they were very respectful. For me, it was about seeing the process and how Metallica writes and arranges a song. Death Magnetic is kind of the blueprint for things to come. It's gonna be bad ass.'