Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has revealed to famed singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers that his band is currently hard at work on music for a new album. The news broke during a conversation the two musicians were having as part of a recent edition of Rolling Stone magazine’s “Musicians on Musicians” interview series.

According to Consequence of Sound, the band began sharing new ideas around music with one another over Zoom calls and emails during early stages of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Now, Ulrich explains, the iconic metal rockers have made headway into writing material for their next album.

In the interview, Bridgers explains to Ulrich that she herself is a longtime fan of Metallica’s music and that their storied 2003 studio LP St. Anger was the first album of the band’s that she heard. “That record had a very, very different makeup,” responded Ulrich. “For those couple years, everything was about being open with each other, about the spirit of no rules. I’m happy we did it.”

At this point, the drummer begins discussing the band’s current activity. “We’re three, four weeks in some pretty serious writing. And of all the shit – pandemics, fires, politics, race problems, and just fucking looking at the state of the world – it’s just so easy to fall into a depressive,” explains Ulrich. “But writing always makes me feel enthusiastic about what’s next. It’s like, ‘Fuck, there’s an opportunity here to still make the best record, to still make a difference. To still do something that not even turns other people on, but turns me on.’”

Bridgers is fresh off scoring four GRAMMY nominations for the upcoming award ceremony in February including Best New Artist, Alternative Music Album for her 2020 LP Punisher and both Rock Performance and Rock Song nods for that album’s breakout single, “Kyoto.”

A new album for Metallica would make 11 full-length studio efforts for the rock legends. Earlier this month, the group was seen performing for their virtual concert in association with their charity foundation All Within My Hands, which raises money to help prevent global starvation.

Photo credit: Mauricio Alvarado