Metallica's 'untitled studio album', their 9th, will be released sometime in the summer or fall of 2007.The producer for this album will be Rick Rubin, known for his work with Slayer, Johnny Cash, and Run-D.M.C..This will also mark the first Metallica album not produced by Bob Rock since 1988's ...And Justice for All. According to frontman James Hetfield, the mood is much more relaxed than the recording of St. Anger.This will be the first studio album by Metallica released on Warner Bros. Records. Their last album with Elektra was the Some Kind of Monster EP.

Starting with St. Anger, Metallica began writing more songs than would be put on an album. Whether this process will continue with this album is unknown at this point. During their Escape from the Studio '06 live tour, the band debuted two songs, cleverly titled "The New Song" and "The Other New Song". Notably, the two songs mark the first official writing credit for new bassist Robert Trujillo on any Metallica song.Trujillo was hired after the recording of St. Anger; producer Bob Rock played bass for the entire album and shared writing credit on all the songs.

"The New Song" debuted on the European leg of the tour on June 6, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. The song clocks in at around 8 minutes. Hetfield repeatedly sings "Death is not the end", leading to speculation it may become the title of the song. The song has been compared to the songs from ...And Justice For All in terms of length and complexity. "The Other New Song" debuted August 12, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan, and is much shorter. Just over three minutes in length, it has drawn comparison to work from The Misfits.

Both songs are fast paced and feature solos from Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, ending fan and critic opinion that there would not be any guitar solos from Metallica, as these were missing from St. Anger.

According to Hammett, the band has written about fifteen songs for the new album.

Metallica is an American heavy metal band, formed on October 15, 1981

With 57 million albums sold in the United States alone and 35 million albums sold outside the U.S., the band has sold just over 90 million albums, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal acts in history. Metallica is currently 18th on the RIAA's list of top selling acts in the United States.

After building a loyal following by helping to develop modern heavy metal, especially thrash metal (Metallica is the most successful of the "big four" of thrash metal, which include Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax) in the mid-1980s, the band broadened its audience in the early 1990s.

In 2003 Metallica released their long-delayed 8th studio album, entitled St. Anger. Although the album polarized critical and popular opinion, their 2004 Madly in Anger with the World supporting tour was a success and a documentary of the recording of the album during a time of internal turmoil, Some Kind of Monster, was a critical success.

Metallica dominated heavy metal music in the 1980s and 1990s, emerging as one of the top musical acts in history by the end of the century. Drummer Lars Ulrich (26 December 1963) and guitarist James Hetfield (3 August 1963) started the band in 1981. After a few line-up changes (including guitarist Dave Mustaine, who left in 1982 to form Megadeath), the band released Kill 'Em All in 1983 and toured the U.S. with Ulrich, Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett (18 November 1962) and bass player Cliff Burton (10 February 1962). In 1986 the band released Master of Puppets, signalling their development from speed metal thrashers to serious songsmiths who could pound out the heavy riffs. That same year a bus accident claimed the life of Burton, and Jason Newsted (4 March 1963) joined the band. Their major-label release ...And Justice For All was a critical and popular success (they had a top 40 hit with "One"), and the band toured relentlessly. Their so-called "black" album in 1991 included the hit song "Enter Sandman," and their exposure on MTV helped make them superstars. In 1996 they released Load, followed the next year by Reload, both top-selling albums that solidified Metallica's presence in mainstream rock. In 2000 they were in the news regularly for their legal battle with the online file sharing service, Napster, and drummer Ulrich appeared before the United States Senate, explaining to a sympathetic Orrin Hatch that file sharing was, in fact, stealing. Eventually Metallica and Napster reached an agreement, but in 2001 Jason Newsted left the band and James Hetfield entered a substance abuse rehabilitation program, leaving the band's latest recording on hold.