A new Metallica album, the "By Request' sets, the future of heavy metal and the power of haircuts. These were just a few of the topics Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich discussed in a recent IAmA interview on social networking site Reddit with questions posed by the site's users. Here are some of the highlights.

Have you guys started on the new album yet?
Yes we have started. Coming along slowly, like everything in our world. But the jams we've done so far have been super exciting and it's gonna be fun putting this record together in the next year.

Do you have a set sound or feel that you're building towards, or are you just jamming and seeing where it takes you?
Mostly jamming and seeing where it takes us. Death Magnetic is our obvious point of reference. Going good for good riffs, good energy, interesting progressions, with a melodic sensibility.

What do you think of Death Magnetic?
Death Magnetic is the album of ours that has lasted the longest for me in a positive way.

If there could've been a 4th single from Death Magnetic, what would it be?
What were the first 3 again? I think I stopped paying attention to the word, "singles" a while ago.

Do you/the band ever watch or listen to old performances, from the '80s or '90s? Is your reaction usually closer to "Wow, that kicked ass', or "I'm glad we don't play like that anymore'?
Are those the only 2 choices? It's usually somewhere in between. I quite appreciate the youthful innocent energy, but I appreciate how we feel more in control of what we're doing now.

Why did you guys cut your hair back in 1996? I felt not only your image changed but so did your music. Was this the point or part of marketing?
It had nothing to do with marketing whatsoever. It was 5 years between the Black Album and Load and in that timespan the members of Metallica at various points decided individually to trim their hair length. It stunned us to the point of disbelief that people actually gave a shit about our hair when the record came out. But it was nothing to do with image or marketing or any of that nonsense.

Who pushed the hair to the back of your head?
My mom and dad and my DNA.

Friends still mention the NAPSTER thing when I talk about Metallica. Any regrets there or do you feel it has had any long-term positive or negative effects on sales/the band/digital music?
"No way he's touching this question"...oooh here we go... A couple thoughts: I wish we had been better prepared for the shit storm that we found ourselves in. I don't regret taking on Napster, but I do find it odd how big of a part of our legacy it has become to so many people, because to me it's more like a footnote. I was also stunned that people thought it was about money. People used the word, "greed" all the time, which was so bizarre. The whole thing was about one thing and one thing only - control. Not about the internet, not about money, not about file sharing, not about giving shit away for free or not, but about whose choice it was. If I wanna give my shit away for free, I'll give it away for free. That choice was taken away from me.

Have you ever downloaded illegally a song  from the internet ?
Yes. When Death Magnetic leaked 10 days early, one of the HQ guys was over at my house, drinking  wine, and we played around with bit torrent and downloaded our own songs, which we figured we were somewhat entitled to do. The scariest part was how easy it was.

The Metallica By Request results looks pretty... don't get me wrong, boring. Most of the voted setlists looks the same and contain songs you usually play anyway. Are you going to change the setlists a bit, for more fun and excitement or play the songs that were chosen by fans only?
Obviously, we are going to play what the fans are choosing. That was the whole point of the exercise. Rare songs were not left out at our end. We are as motivated to play them as some of you are to hear them. But in this case, if you, the fans vote for certain songs that we "usually play anyway" then so be it.

If you could only choose one song from the setlist to play, what would it be? I think I'd choose Fixxxer.
If I could only choose one song, I'd probably choose "Frayed Ends".

Rumor has it your vault has all kinds of collectible goodies, rarities, etc stored in it How much truth is there to all this?
Yes, there's tons of stuff in the vault that hasn't been released, including soundboard tapes, full videos, lots of goodies to come your way, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Do you think we will ever see another HUGE metal act the likes of Metallica/Maiden/Priest and such? Do you think metal will ever make a resurgence to the glory days of the 80s?
That's a great question. I think it would be so awesome if there was a band that come along and shook it all up again. I just don't know who. I think the coolest band for me in the last couple years is Baroness. I also love Norwegian band Kvelertak. But I just don't know if any of these bands can take it to those heights unfortunately.

After all these years, how do you feel about Dave Mustaine? ?
It hasn't changed. I respect him as a musician and I will always love him as a brother and as a part of Metallica.

What's your favorite Megadeth song?
"My Last Words'

Do you think Hetfield could kill a bear with his bare hands?
I think he already has.

Favorite beer?
Tuborg or Carlsberg

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