Single Review: Metallica, ‘Moth Into Flame’

By: Reid Smith

Photo courtesy of metalinjection.net

Song: ‘Moth Into Flame’

Record Label: Blackened Recordings

Release Date: September 26, 2016

Rating:

The behemoths of metal are back with the second single from their upcoming album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.

It’s been over eight years since Metallica has put out any new music, with their last album being 2008’s Death Magnetic. Critics praised the band for returning to their musically complex thrash metal roots and abandoning the stripped down sound of St. Anger (which featured a grand total of zero guitar solos). Fans are no doubt hoping for more of the same with Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, and “Moth Into Flame” gives us a clear indication on the direction the record is going.
“Moth Into Flame” opens with the duel guitar playing of James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, who intertwine a melodic riff before they come crashing into the song’s verse with mechanical precision. The rhythm section of Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo is on point as always, providing the thumping machinelike repetition that is the foundation of this and most Metallica songs. Lyrically, “Moth Into Flame” deals with the not so glamorous side of stardom and what happens after the limelight fades. “Light it up, light it up, Another hit erases all the pain, Bulletproof, Ah, kill the truth, You’re falling, but you think you’re flying high” Drug abuse isn’t a new topic for the band, with the title track from 1986’s Master of Puppets being about the power that cocaine has over its users. Unlike “Master of Puppets”, the band presents “Moth Into Flame” with a more straightforward and brutal picture that leaves little ambiguity about the song’s meaning.
With all four members in their 50’s, Metallica isn’t getting any younger, but that seems like a nonfactor in terms of their music. The speed, precision, and intensity that Metallica brings with “Moth Into Flame” shows that this band isn’t done by a long shot. This is pure and unapologetic Metallica. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hardwired to Self-Destruct is scheduled to drop on November 18th from Blackened Recordings.