Artist

REVOLVER How does it feel to have 'Hardwired… to Self-Destruct' named Revolver's Album of the Year?
LARS ULRICH Seriously? Whoa! Awesome! I just got goosebumps—I'm not kidding! [Laughs] Well, fucking way cool; thank you, what an honor! I don't even know where this record fits in yet with everything we've done, but now I'm going to go back and listen to it with a smile on my face!
JAMES HETFIELD:Wow— well, thanks; it's nice to hear that. It's been eight years [since Death Magnetic], and we've been working on it for two years—not in a row, but on and off for a while. You do your best, and then you're like, "Well, here it is!" I'm so happy that the album is finally out, and that people can listen to it.  

REVOLVER When you guys were first starting out, could you have even imagined that, 35 years later, you'd be hailed for making the Album of the Year?
HETFIELD It's weird to think that something that we love doing is loved by other people so much. Because honestly, we're writing these songs for ourselves, and the  fact that other people like them still blows me away. And after 35 years, having an impact on people like that… I really appreciate the fact that it's accepted by so many people, especially you guys.  ULRICH Listen, 35 years ago when we started out, we didn't know that there would be another 34 years in front of us. I mean, back in the '80s, with Reagan and Brezhnev and the talk of nuclear war, who the fuck knew that the Earth would still be even fucking bouncing around in the universe 35 years later? So the fact that we're still here, and you guys are awesome enough to not only run a magazine, but to say that our record deserves all these accolades, I don't even know where to begin with any of that stuff. So maybe I'd better just leave it there! [Laughs] Thanks for always supporting us, and for supporting everything in metal and hard rock.

AS TOLD TO DAN EPSTEIN

The last 15 years or so haven't exactly been the smoothest stretch of Metallica's existence. From the Napster affair through the financial flop of the Orion Music + More festivals, metal's biggest band has made more than a few high profile missteps. Even when they've largely gotten it right, like on 2008's 'Death Magnetic' (their thrashy comeback from the turgid mess that was 2003's 'St. Anger') or in the thrilling performance sequences of their 2013 3D concert film 'Metallica: Through the Never,' they've been tripped up by questionable artistic decisions— a harsh, overly compressed digital mix in the case of the former, and a contrived and unnecessary "plot" in the case of the latter. Still, there's something admirable about how Metallica have steadfastly soldiered on through it all. They could have packed it in years ago, and spent the rest of their lives living like kings off the royalties of "The Black Album" alone; instead, they've taken chances like 'Lulu,' their 2011 collaboration with Lou Reed, even when such experiments have earned them little more than disdain from critics and massive amounts of shit from the metal community.

And since the band's epic live performances have continued to be fiery, passionate and skillful, one could never entirely rule out the tantalizing possibility of them someday channeling that power into another truly great 'Tallica record. Well, here it is—the album that we knew (or hoped) they still had in them, featuring 12 lean and mean songs that split the difference between the blistering thrash of their early days and the swinging hard rock whomp of "The Black Album." James Hetfield's dark musings on the state of the planet ("Hardwired," "Man- UNkind" and "Atlas, Rise!") aside, there's no heavy concept at work here—unless you count 77 minutes of Metallica unapologetically kicking major ass as a heavy concept in itself. Co-produced by Hetfield and Lars Ulrich with Greg Fidelman (Slipknot, Slayer, High on Fire), Hardwired… to Self-Destruct is a dynamic feast unmarred by crappy-sounding snare drums or brick-walled "loudness war" mixes. In fact, there's an appealing sense of warmth and spaciousness to the production that recalls late-'70s UFO or Judas Priest, especially on such headphone-friendly tracks as "Moth Into Flame" and "Murder One," the latter of which pays tribute to their late friend and mentor, Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.

With the exception of the hard-driving opening title track, all of the album's songs clock in at 5:45 or longer, yet there's no trace of the …And Justice for All-style self-indulgence that reared its head on Death Magnetic. The churning, burning riffs simply pull you in, pin you down, and make you beg for more. While it's easy to fall into "their best album since X" tropes with classic bands, 'Hardwired… to Self-Destruct' pretty much defies you to not set it alongside Metallica's prime outputs from the '80s and early '90s. A major return to form from one of the most important and influential metal bands to ever stalk a stage, 'Hardwired… to Self-Destruct' is unquestionably our album of the year for 2016.

DAN EPSTEIN

With 2016 coming to an end, Revolver has compiled a list of the 20 best albums that came out this year. Take a look at what made it to our list and let us know which ones made your list this year.

Metallica have issued behind-the-scenes footage of the making of "Murder One," which pays homage to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Originally titled "Frankenstein," the song was renamed and given the namesake of Lemmy's favorite amplifier.

"Murder One" appears on Metallica's latest album, 'Hardwired… To Self-Destruct,' which is out now.

Watch the behind-the-scenes video below.

The Amity Affliction have issued a statement regarding the departure of drummer Ryan Burt who has left the band's "This Could Be Heartbreak" U.K./European tour due to issues pertaining to his mental health. The band will continue onward with the rest of their trek with former Funeral for a Friend drummer Casey McHale.

The band's statement is as follows:

"We are sad to announce that Ryan will not be performing on any further shows on the This Could Be Heartbreak UK / European headline tour. 

"Ryan has recently been battling some ongoing mental demons, and as a group of friends who have had to deal with mental health issues in one way or another, all four of us knew that the best course of action was for him to take the time to go home and get some professional support. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but it is the right one. Our priority at this point is Ryan's health, and that will always come first.

"The shows themselves will all continue as planned, with Casey McHale filling in on drums. He's an amazing musician and a great friend of both Ryan and the band, and we know we can rely on him to deliver the show you all deserve to see.

"We ask that everyone respect Ryan's privacy while he's getting better.

"If you need someone to talk to regarding mental health, please don't hesitate to seek help from someone who is properly trained and qualified. "

The remaining tour dates are available here.

The following is an excerpt from the Attila feature in the December issue of Revolver. Here, frontman Chris Fronzak talks about how "people just get bothered way too easily," being a self-styled entrepreneur, and a polarizing figure.

To read the rest, pick up the new issue on newsstands December 13 or get your copy here. Story by J. Bennett.

Chris Fronzak has a term he likes to use. "I call it 'pussification,'" the Attila frontman tells Revolver over the phone as he stands in line at the DMV near his home in Orlando, Florida. "I think the world is undergoing a huge pussification process right now, where everyone's just becoming really soft. People just get bothered way too easily. Before the Internet existed, I feel like people could handle things better."

Fronzak isn't just blurting this out in a crowded government building unprompted. We're asking him about "Public Apology," the third track on Attila's latest album, 'Chaos.' "'Public Apology' is saying 'Stop being a bitch about everything,' but it's also kind of a personal story because a lot of people judge me personally and think that they know everything about me and my life and they think that I've had everything handed to me," he says. "People think I'm this trust fund kid or something but they don't realize that we've struggled really hard to get where we're at."

In many ways, these comments get to the heart of the public discussion about Attila—and Fronzak in particular. Since 2007, the highly successful and insanely prolific Georgia-based metalcore outfit has put out seven albums and courted controversy almost every step of the way. From Fronzak's frequent self-promotion to public beefs to a fight with a fan in Perth, Australia, and accusations of inciting a riot during Attila's set on the Denver stop of last year's Warped Tour, it seems Fronzak has made as many enemies as he has fans.

As Attila's frontman and a self-styled entrepreneur who owns a clothing line (Stay Sick), a record label (Stay Sick Recordings) and even hawks his own brand of cologne (Rage), Fronzak revels in online exposure. On his personal YouTube channel, he regularly uploads video clips of himself talking about things like, "Finding Your Path in Life," "How to Get a Ferrari," "I Crashed My BMW i8," and "I HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS!!!!"

For many, Fronzak—or "Fronz" (or Fronzilla) as he's known to his legion of fans—has become someone to look up to: A successful artist and businessman who has carved his own path through an unforgiving industry. But not everyone wants to hear Fronzak's life advice, or how he crashed his expensive ride or what his exciting news might be. Just take a look at Internet comments—"turd" and "douche" would be considered some of the lighter words for what people have to say of his lyrics. But the assessment of Fronzak and Attila? His (or their) supporters: over 357,000 Instagram followers (Attila's 183K), 192K Twitter followers (Attila's 180K) nearly 69,000 subscribes to his aforementioned YouTube channel.

And yet Fronzak fully acknowledges that he's a polarizing figure. "The bottom line is that I'm outspoken," he concedes. "I say shit without a filter. Sometimes it comes back and bites me in the ass, but I say what I feel at the time. I feel like people love me for that because maybe they relate to me. But then you have people that go, 'Oh, that offends me.' It really is one way or the other. There's not a whole lot of people who are in the middle about me. You either love me or you hate me, and I think that's fine."

For the rest of the story, pick up the December issue.

Thanks to our partners at Musicians Institute, Revolver sat down with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta at Ozzfest meets Knotfest to talk about how to survive a festival, selling toilet paper at old Ozzfests, not losing street cred, upcoming plans, and so much more!

For more on Hatebreed, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Opeth and Gojira will join forces for a U.S. tour in the spring of 2017. The trek will start on May 4 in Nashville, T.N. and will end on May 14 in Somerset, W.I.

The dates are as follows:
May 04 - Nashville, TN @ War Memorial Auditorium
May 05 - Concord, NC @ Charlotte Motor Speedway (Carolina Rebellion)
May 06 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
May 07 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
May 09 - Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre
May 11 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
May 12 - Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theater at the Midland
May 13 - Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre
May 14 - Somerset, WI @ Somerset Amphitheater (Northern Invasion)

Will you be catching this tour? Tell us!

The nominees for the 59th annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Metallica, Megadeth, Disturbed, Baroness, Gojira, Korn and Periphery have all received nominations in various categories, including "Best Metal Performance," "Best Rock Song" and "Best Rock album." The categories and their respective nominees are listed below.

"Best Metal Performance" nominees:
Baroness - "Shock Me"
Gojira - "Slivera"
Korn - "Rotting in Vain"
Megadeth - "Dystopia"
Periphery - "The Price Is Wrong"

"Best Rock Performance" nominees:
Disturbed - "The Sound Of Silence" (Live On Conan)
Alabama Shakes - "Joe" (Live From Austin City Limits)
Beyoncé Featuring Jack White - "Don't Hurt Yourself"
David Bowie - "Blackstar"
Twenty One Pilots - "Heathens"

"Best Rock Song" nominees:
James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica) - "Hardwired"
David Bowie, songwriter (David Bowie) - "Blackstar"
Radiohead, songwriters (Radiohead) - "Burn The Witch"
Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots) - "Heathens"
Rich Meyer, Ryan Meyer & Johnny Stevens, songwriters (Highly Suspect) - "My Name Is Human"

"Best Rock Album" nominees:
Gojira - 'Magma'
Blink-182 - 'California'
Cage The Elephant - 'Tell Me I'm Pretty'
Panic! At The Disco - 'Death Of A Bachelor'
Weezer — 'Weezer'

The ceremony will be held on February 12, 2017 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The live broadcast can be viewed on CBS at 8:00 P.M. Eastern.

Who would you like to see take home the Grammy this year?

In conjunction with Sixx: A.M. and Shinedown's current U.S. tour together, Shinedown frontman Brent Smith interviewed Sixx: A.M. for an exclusive radio special. The guys discussed their trek, Sixx: A.M.'s new album, "Vol. 2, Prayers For The Blessed," which is out now, and much more.

The full 50-minute interview will be available until January 7.

Listen to the interview below and tell us what you found to be the most interesting part.