Metallica Sets Their ‘Halo On Fire’ As Guitarist Kirk Hammett Feeds His Anger [Video]

Metallica went from being that hardcore garage band to striking it big over 35 years ago. Now, Metallica is set to release their 10th LP, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, adding a whole new offering for fans who have given the band an impressive 110 million albums sold status. The band has just released the first single from their upcoming album along with a video for the song, “Halo on Fire,” which is shot in black and white to emphasize the imagery of the fallen hero. Meanwhile, Metallica’s lead guitarist opens up about growing up with anger and how he has channeled that into his performances.

Hardwired… To Self-Destruct Single, “Halo On Fire,” Is All About Conflict

Rolling Stone shares the release of the “Halo on Fire” music video, one of the first singles to be released from the upcoming Metallica album, and if this song is any indication, fans can expect angry, fast-paced metal anthems typical of Metallica.

The “Halo on Fire” music video uses black and white imagery, switching back and forth between a Metallica performance of the song and the story of an angry female boxer. The latest Metallica song tells her story from the moment she awakens, nursing bruises which will soon be revealed to have come from a fighting opponent, and sets off for a new day. The video follows her as she makes her way through the city, bumping into strangers and confronting their angry responses to her own boiling rage. Later, she makes it into a makeshift boxing ring and pours all of that rage into fighting, ultimately achieving victory and taking a lap around the ring to flaunt her win.

While Metallica rocks hard in “Halo on Fire” and more songs from Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich says the entire album delivers songs with a much more “simpler” structure. The Metallica drummer adds that they tried to stick with a specific mood, as opposed to mixing up riffs and changing their sound from song to song.

“The songs are more linear. And by ‘less frenetic,’ I mean there are certainly less starts and stops in the songs,” said Lars Ulrich. “It cruises along a little bit more than the last record.”

Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett Sounds Off

Through the years, Metallica has achieved success that might have softened some metal musicians, but Kirk Hammett tells the Herald Sun that he has remained just as driven and angry through the good years as he had been through the lean years. That anger can certainly be heard in the songs on Hardwired…to Self-Destruct with heavy riffs like those found on “Halo on Fire” and “Confusion,” but Hammett wants it to be known that kind of rage is only tapped for constructive purposes.

“If you turn out to be an angry young kid, chances are you’ll grow up to be an angry young man and chances are you’ll remain an angry adult for the rest of your life — but the one choice you have is to process it in a healthy manner,” says the Metallica guitarist.

It’s not just Kirk, either. Hammett says the other members of Metallica are all driven by that same anger and that is what has kept them bonded through the years.

“All of us have this well of anger in us, it’s what attracted us to each other and we’ve learned to use it as a fountain for inspiration and creativity,” Hammett said of his Metallica crew. “The anger doesn’t go away.”

Hardwired…to Self-Destruct will see its release on what Metallica has labeled “Blackened Friday,” which is this Friday, November 18. The new Metallica album will go on sale at participating independent record stores at midnight with buyers able to win special swag, including posters and limited edition vinyl slip mats. One grand prize winner will receive Metallica’s Hardwired…to Self-Destruct in all formats, including a deluxe box set and a test pressing of the record.

[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]