Metallica’s long-awaited new studio album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, will finally be in our hands come Nov. 18. Fans are already celebrating the three tracks officially released by the thrash legends so far, but guitarist Kirk Hammett has revealed he felt somewhat left out of the album’s songwriting process, calling it a “very bitter pill to swallow.”

Metallica has long been powered by the songwriting team of James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Kirk Hammett has penned plenty of great instrumental parts over the years, but Hardwired… to Self-Destruct will see the shredder take a back seat.

For the next issue of Metal Hammer magazine, bassist Robert Trujillo described how Lars and James formed a tight creative bond during the Hardwired sessions. "Lars focused more on simplifying the creative journey, and locking into James and really bringing him in for this album,” Trujillo says. “It’s Lars’s vision, and I’m happy to support whatever we need to do."

While the band has received praise for the three songs already released, Hammett was still affected by a lack of inclusion.

“For me, being in this band, I always want to contribute,” Hammett shares. “Obviously, that was not meant to be this time and I had to accept that fact … Hopefully I can bring my ideas to the next Metallica album. I just hope it’s not another eight years."

Metallica’s double album arrives Friday, so make sure you keep a couple of dollars handy! The latest issue of Metal Hammer, heavily featuring Metallica, will hit shelves next week.

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