I think the hype machine is really more in the hands of the people rather than Metallica themselves. They drop a few tidbits here and there about them digging Meshuggah, Hatebreed and Entombed and suddenly the average music fan, plus media are positive the new record will be some sort of mutant child of the three previously mentioned bands. Take your expectations and throw them out the window, people. I could care less what the naysayers, Metallica bashers and so called "metal purists" have to say about what this new material will sound like. It's been said before a million times, Metallica play their own game, on their own field, with their own rules.

As for the pre-Raider game gig, I just watched the performance of Battery from that on Met's website. Pretty kick ass.