Watch Metallica’s Unsettling New ‘Am I Savage?’ Video
The world, surrounding people and a sense of self are questioned in the unsettling new video for Metallica‘s “Am I Savage?” Directed by Hardwired … to Self-Destruct album package photographers Herring & Herring (who also helmed the band’s video for “Now That We’re Dead” and “Halo on Fire”), the clip features a man who moves through stark scenes surrounded by family, coworkers and others who all wear white body stockings that disguise their faces.
“Am I savage?/ Scratching at the door,” singer James Hetfield howls. “I don’t recognize you anymore.”
As the churning tune progresses and the uneasiness of moving through a faceless world sets in, the man begins to disturbingly unravel as he loses a sense of himself, mirroring the lyrics, “I don’t recognize me anymore.” The band members also appear separately, adding to the feeling of alienation.
“Am I Savage” is a cut from Metallica’s upcoming 10th LP, Hardwired … to Self-Destruct, out November 18th. The band will mark the release with a “Blackened Friday” event – a twist on Record Store Day’s Black Friday – at hundreds of independent record stores across the U.S. Fans participating in the midnight sale will be eligible to win items like limited edition vinyl slip mats and posters; the grand prize winner will receive the new album in a variety of formats, including the deluxe box set and a test pressing of the record.
In August, drummer Lars Ulrich spoke to Rolling Stone about Hardwired, detailing the album’s “simpler” songs. “We introduce a mood and we stick to it, rather than songs we’ve done where one riff happens and we go over here and then over there and it becomes a journey through all these different soundscapes,” he said. “The songs are more linear. And by ‘less frenetic,’ I mean there are certainly less starts and stops in the songs. It cruises along a little bit more than the last record.”
Find out five things you didn’t know about Metallica. Watch here.