EXCLUSIVE: Metallica Confirm New Album Coming 'A Lot Sooner Than The Previous Records'

Metallica fans had to wait eight years to hear new music with 2016's Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, but according to bassist Rob Trujillo a new album from the metal icons is coming much sooner than you'd think.

Appearing on this week's The Music Podcast ahead of their forthcoming Australian stadium tour in October, Trujillo said the group have already begun "jamming" on new material while on the road for their current WorldWired tour. 

Speaking to host Neil Griffiths, Trujillo said, "We have a zone we call 'The Tuning Room' which is a space where we can jam and warm up before the show. We're always in there coming up with ideas and you may get a few seconds of an idea but everything is recorded, always. And then of course at home, everyone has got ideas.

"[2008 record] Death Magnetic was, for the most part, a collaborative effort. Hardwired was more central to James' specific ideas and was also taking the spirit of what we had done on the previous record. 

"I'm excited about the next record because I believe it will also be a culmination of the two records and another journey. There's no shortage of original ideas, that's the beauty of being in this band."

Though there is no specific time frame on when the new album will be released, the 54-year-old songwriter promised the wait will not be long.

"It will come a lot sooner than the previous two did... this time around I think we'll be able to jump on it a lot quicker and jump in the studio and start working," Trujillo said.

"We're all vowed to get this one going sooner than later. Now, how soon? I don't know. We've been touring non-stop. It's been over two years now. At some point, sure, we'll need to take a little bit of a break. It's sort of the right thing for us to do because we've been going so hard."

Perhaps giving us the biggest clue Trujillo concluded, "We're gonna be still busy next year".

Check out the full episode below or on iTunes! 

Metallica's Australian tour with special guests Slipknot kicks off in Perth on 17 October. General public tickets for all dates go on sale from 2pm local time (excluding Sydney which go on sale from 3pm) on Monday 18 March.

For more details, click on theGuide or scroll down.