Metallica guitarist self-destructs over loss of riffs

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. rock group Metallica's new album, 'Hardwired... to Self-Destruct', could be their best ever, according to bassist Robert Trujillo, but guitarist Kirk Hammett will always be left feeling something was missing. Hammett's contribution to the band's tenth studio album, and first in eight years, was scaled back after he lost a phone containing scores of riffs during writing sessions. "It's something I've had to deal with," he said at a midnight fan meet and greet session in London on Friday morning to welcome the album's release. "It's never a good feeling when something that we work hard at and you put so much time invested and you have so much expectations for it all of a sudden disappears. It's the most disappointing thing." Despite the disappointment, Hammett believed that Metallica were enjoying a strong creative run and that there was more to come from the group, who formed in 1981 and have produced famed songs including 'Enter Sandman'. The band have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and over 60 million in the United States, with those numbers set to increase after early positive reviews from critics to 'Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'. Trujillo said producer Greg Fidelman deserved a lot of credit for his work on the new album. "It could possibly be the best Metallica album ever. I mean, the sounds are so amazing, the drums, the bass, the vocal production," the bassist told Reuters. (Reporting by Francis Maguire. Editing by Patrick Johnston)