Is Metallica Still Metal?

It seems that Metallica has 25 songs in the hopper for their next release, which the band says will be slimmmed down considerably. Ever since Jason Newsted left the band, the group has completely lost direction. St. Anger and Some Kind of Monster were lessons not in evolution of sound, but of sonic compromise. Apparently, Lars was quoted as saying the new album will have much the same feel as Puppets. Of course he needs to say that to try and get the most hardcore fans back on his side. However, if they convincingly recreate the same vibe as on Puppets or Ride the Lightning, then I will jump back on board. But right now, I'm not too keen on them. Please Please come back! The band also rekindled their interest in that sound because they played the album in its entirety at several European shows over the summer. "Having to deliver Master Of Puppets for three months this summer definitely revitalized some of that stuff in us," he added. "It's been kind of fun having that in the back of our mind." (via FMQB)