David Gahan, the singer of New Wave legends Depeche Mode, recently discussed the band's surprising influence on heavy metal with Rolling Stone. The silky-voiced singer examined the connection his music has had with metal and offered up his take on some of his favorite heavy acts, including Metallica. The thrash titans have been had several labels throughout their career, but saying they write pop songs might raise a few eyebrows.

"Metallica are a heavy-sounding band, but they write pop songs," insists Gahan. "They've got their dark moments, just like Depeche Mode have, but deep in there is a tune with a catchy chorus or a pop arrangement. Certainly bands like Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, though I wouldn't necessarily call those metal bands, but Metallica really do their own thing and always have."

Metallica have dabbled with the more commercial side of things, most noticeably in 1991 with the release of their self-titled album, also dubbed The Black Album by fans due to the album cover. The statement comes from an angle of appreciation rather than what the metal community can rebelliously consider an insult.

With fans eagerly anticipating the follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic, the group has been slow to release any concrete details about the new album they're reportedly working on. The writing process may not be on the same pace fans would like, but when you're one of the biggest bands in the world, a lot of pressure naturally surrounds any new material. So far, the only glimpse at new music has been the "Lords of Summer" single which came out in June 2014.

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