Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo predicted the band’s 11th album would arrive within a shorter interval than previous ones had, and suggested work might be done at some point within the next two years.

Five years elapsed between the arrival of St. Anger in 2003 and Death Magnetic in 2008, then fans waited another eight years for their most recent release Hardwired … To Self-Destruct.

“We have a zone we call the Tuning Room, which is a space where we can jam and warm up before the show,” Trujillo told The Music in a new interview. “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.”

He explained that Death Magnetic "was, for the most part, a collaborative effort. Hardwired was more central to James [Hetfield]’s 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.”

Trujillo said the next LP would “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.”

He noted that Metallica’s touring schedule meant they were “gonna be still busy next year,” suggesting that the new material might be heard in late 2020 or early 2021 – though the later date would make it five years since the arrival of Hardwired ... To Self-Destruct.

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