Metallica surprised ’em all last week when they announced plans for a new LP Hardwired…to Self Destruct. In the days that followed, the band played a show at Minneapolis, MN’s US Bank Stadium and debuted the song for the first time, kicking off the encore that evening.

How we got to this point, a new Metallica record and live debuts, is documented in a nine-minute behind the scenes video of the “Hardwired” recording process. Drummer Lars Ulrich is predominately featured, spending much of his time working out the arrangement of the song with James Hetfield before Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo come in to contribute their parts. Ulrich and Hetfield discuss the “mission statement” of the opening track, as Hetfield recounts someone using the phrase “hardwired to self destruct” in conversation recently, sparking the idea for the song. 

All in all, the two also make time to have some fun, as Ulrich pokes and prods at Hetfield’s guitar while he’s playing. The two also marvel at the amount of wah Hammett manages to use during his solo in the song. 

Watch below. 

And of course, here is the finished product on stage over the weekend in Minneapolis.