Metallica album out in mid-2007

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told England's BBC Radio 1 that the group's new album is likely to be released in the summer or early autumn of 2007. Ulrich explained, "I think we've realized that the creative process works a little slower for us than it used to, and we're OK with that. It's not a bad thing, unless, of course, you're waiting for a record." Ulrich added that the band now is far more relaxed than the turbulent state in which it recorded 2003's St. Anger. The drummer said, "Everybody's getting along, having a great time...Back on (St. Anger), it was just a very different experience 'cause we had to kind of get it back together. Now everything's cool."

Metallica is recording the new album, its ninth studio effort, with famed producer Rick Rubin.

The band is currently on a European festival tour, during which it has debuted a new song and has also played its classic 1986 album Master Of Puppets in its entirety.