Lars Ulrich says Metallica are in no hurry to finish their upcoming album.
The metal band have been busy with their feature film 'Through the Never', but are now working on the follow-up to their 2008 record 'Death Magnetic', although Lars admits they're in no rush to complete it.
The drummer said: "What I can say is, we're one day closer to the next record being released than we were yesterday. Unless there's what's called an 'Act of God,' I would hedge my bets that '201' would be the first three digits in the release year.
"And I don't know much beyond that. We've been jamming along. We've been putting in some time."
The heavy metal legends - made up of frontman James Hatfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo - will premiere a new track on their upcoming tour but Kirk claims they haven't done much work on the album so far.
He added to Rolling Stone magazine: "We've jammed on certain bits and pieces of music ... But we're still going through that process. Once we figure out what pieces of music are actually gonna work us, then we're going to start turning those pieces of music into songs and seeing where that leads us."

Linkin Park feel "inspired" recording their new album.
Frontman Mike Shinoda has teased details of new material for the record, the follow-up to their 2012 album 'Living Things', and said the band plan to go in a new direction.
In a blog post, Mike attached a photograph of the band in the studio and wrote: "As most Linkin Park fans know, the sound of each album is usually quite different from the last.
"The new album is no exception. But as usual, the album's sound twists and turns as it is created, so any attempt at estimating what it sounds like today would be silly.
"The moment I tell you it sounds like 'X', the songs will automatically take a drastic turn and evolve into something different within a week."
He added: "But what I can tell you is I'm inspired. We're inspired."
Meanwhile, the US metal band - which also features Chester Bennington, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell and Joe Hahnhave - have been named as one of the headline acts for Download Festival 2014 and plan to perform their 2000 album 'Hybrid Theory' in its entirety at the popular event.
Festival organiser Andy Copping has confirmed they will play on Saturday, June 14, joining special guests Fall Out Boy. Friday night headliners are Avenged Sevenfold and Aerosmith will close the festival, held in Donington in Leicestershire, on the Sunday.

Sam Faiers feels like her "body has shut down".
The 'Celebrity Big Brother' contestant was rushed to hospital twice during the latest series of the Channel 5 reality show due to a mystery illness and she has even considered the thought she might have cancer.
She revealed: "I haven't had my results back yet. I had two trips to the hospital and blood tests and other tests.
"They haven't said [what it is] but I've got all things going through my mind, like cancer and god knows what. I haven't been able to hold food down for two weeks. It's like my body has shut down."
The 23-year-old beauty, who stars on ITV2's 'The Only Way is Essex', has lost so much weight due to her condition she no longer fits in her clothes.
She said: "I'm just wasting away. I'm all bones. I've lost so much weight, barely any of my clothes fit.
"I was just over eight stone before going in and I think I could be below eight stone now. I was so busy in December and excited, I wasn't stressed at all. Then I came into the house and my body shut down. I was having cold sweats and being sick and going to the toilet every five minutes."

Sherrie Hewson is "thrilled" William Roache has been acquitted of historic sex charges.
The ex-'Coronation Street' actress fought back tears when she discovered her friend and former co-star was found not guilty of four counts of indecent assault and two rapes against girls under 16 between 1965 and 1971.
The news broke this morning (06.02.14) while Sherrie was on ITV's 'This Morning' to discuss 'Benidorm', and hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willougby interrupted the programme to show a clip of William outside court.
Sherrie exclaimed: "It's made me really well up... I'm sorry. It's just that we've all backed him for so long and I just thank God for this day. We all know Bill. We've worked with him, we know of his innocence and we knew right from the beginning - this should never ever have gone this far... and it's made me so cross.
"I'm so grateful, and his such a fantastic man. I'm so thrilled... but there are no winners, absolutely not, it should never never have happened."
The 'Loose Women' panellist hopes the press will leave William alone after the 81-year-old actor vowed to return to his role as Ken Barlow on the long-running soap as soon as possible, having originally left the show in May 2013 when the charges were first brought against him.
Sherrie added: "I can't tell you the emotional release now for me - let alone him and his family for God's sake - so it's absolutely fantastic, but everybody has been terrified and scared... this climate we live in is so dreadful. It's got to stop and today says it all. Stop it, for God sake, and let him get back to his work and his family."

Les Dennis will play Gail McIntyre's new love interest in 'Coronation Street'.
The 60-year-old comedian is set to arrive in Weatherfield next month as troublemaker Michael Rogers, who will romance the unlucky-in-love character played by Helen Worth after burgling her house.
Dennis will return to the ITV soap in June when his character comes face-to- face with Gail as part of a government-backed restorative scheme, in which criminals are allowed to meet their victims or make amends through remedial work.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Producers are getting stuck into the restorative justice storyline - this is going to be the next big issue the show tackles.
"They are keen to pursue the angle of criminals meeting their victims in a scheme which was set up by the Government."
This isn't the first time that Gail has fallen for the wrong man, as her dating history has seen her falling for a number of criminals over the years.
The waitress was pursued by con artist Lewis Archer, played by Nigel Havers, and also married serial killer Richard Hillman, played by Brian Capron.

Andi Peters and Gethin Jones will host two new ITV daytime game shows.
Andi - who currently narrates ITV2's 'The Big Reunion' - will front 'Ejector Seat', which sees contestants thrust out of their seats if they fail to correctly answer a series of questions.
Former 'Blue Peter' presenter Gethin will host 'The 21st Question', in which hopefuls will be pitted against each other in a winner-stays-on format as they work their way through 21 difficult general knowledge questions.
Both programmes were commissioned by ITV's daytime director Helen Warner.
She said in a statement: "ITV Daytime is the home of some fantastic quiz formats with the hugely successful 'The Chase' and 'Tipping Point' so I'm delighted to welcome these two exciting new series to the schedule for 2014."
In 'Ejector Seat', a group of six contestants will each be seated in moving chairs, which move backwards towards 'the edge' with each question answered incorrectly. Once at the final point on the track, the contestant is ejected from their seat and eliminated from the game.
Both shows will air later this year, with 'Ejector Seat' securing an order of 30 60-minute episodes, and 'The 21st Question' getting an order for 10 60-minute episodes.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. is to star in 'Gridlocked'.
The 46-year-old actor has signed on to play a former SWAT team leader in the action thriller, which is being directed by Allan Ungar, according to The Wrap.com.
The story sees the former chief followed by an obnoxious movie star, who is shadowing him while researching a role.
However, the unlikely pair are forced to join forces when a team of mercenaries attack a training facility and the duo must organise its surviving members, while fighting for their own lives.
Ungar will direct from an original screenplay he wrote with Rob Robol, while Bruno Marino, Geoff Hart and Cody Hackman produce.
Meanwhile, Cuba won an Oscar award for his supporting role opposite Tom Cruise in the 1996 comedy-drama 'Jerry Maguire'.
He has also received praise or his role as Carter Wilson in Lee Daniel's 'The Butler' and will next be seen alongside Sharon Leal in the slavery drama 'Carry Me Home'.
Gooding admits his career hasn't reached the same heights since his 1996 Oscar win, but he insists it's all down to his personal choice of roles.
He said previously: "My post-Academy Award years weren't great choices for me as an artist. It's been a problem. Caught in the trappings, that private-jets way of life, I had to deal with my stubbornness and the fame hype. I picked low-budget films."
Filming for 'Gridlocked' will kick off this spring.

Kate Winslet is in talks to star in 'Triple Nine'. The 38-year-old actress - who welcomed her third child Bear into the world just two months ago - is in negotiations to take on the lead role in John Hillcoat's upcoming crime thriller, according to V...

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are to host the Golden Globe Awards next year.
The comediennes have fronted the star-studded ceremony for the past two years, and have now agreed to host the 72nd annual event on January 11, 2015, held at the glitzy Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Hollywood Foreign Press Association president, Theo Kingma, announced the news in a press release, saying: "Not only do we have the privilege of announcing the date of the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards, we are very appreciative of Tina and Amy for hosting the ceremony for a third year in a row.
"There is no doubt they will once again host a memorable Golden Globe Awards celebration!"
Fey, 43, and Poehler, 42, inked deals last year to present the ceremony this year and next year after they received raving reviews for their hosting skills of the prestigious event in January 2013.
The former 'Saturday Night Live' stars opened the awards this year with well-received jokes about Matt Damon, Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio.
However, the funny duo were forced to apologise to Taylor Swift last year after Fey upset the country singer - who is renowned for dating a string of Hollywood stars - by warning her to "stay away from Michael J. Fox's son" and advised her to take "some me time".
Poehler later apologised, saying: "Aw, I feel bad if she was upset. I am a feminist, and she is a young and talented girl. That being said, I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons. Mostly boring tax stuff."

Selena Gomez left rehab four weeks early.
The 'Come & Get It' hitmaker checked into The Meadows in Arizona last month and spent two weeks having treatment before departing the facility, but it has now been revealed she had been enrolled in the six-week long DAWN programme and staff at the clinic advised her to see out the whole course of treatment.
Selena - who was reportedly being treated for alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug Ambien use - checked out to attend the Sundance Film Festival in Utah to promote her movie 'Rudderless' and told her advisers she would return to the clinic afterwards.
However, according to website TMZ, she then decided she was "cured" and had no reason to return.
The 21-year-old star - whose on/off relationship with Justin Bieber is said to have contributed to her problems - felt completing the initial "survivor's week" was enough as that is regarded as the hardest part of the programme.
Following her treatment, the brunette beauty - who cancelled a planned tour of Australia this month - is now focused on returning to work and has been reading lots of scripts and attending casting calls in a bid to move forward.
The former Disney star was spotted leaving an audition with a script and a big smile on her face in Studio City, California earlier this week.

One of Britney Spears' co-conservators will earn almost $500,000 this year.
The 'Piece of Me' hitmaker's personal and professional affairs have been controlled by her father Jamie Spears and Andrew Wallett since her breakdown in 2008, and a new court order has increased the payments the two men receive for their work.
The judgement rules: "For 2014 in the amount of $426,000 to be paid Mr. Wallett. The proposed 2014 compensation shall be paid monthly, in the amount of $35,500, payable on the first day of each and every month, to commence on January 1, 2014."
Jamie has also asked for the amount of money he receives to increase to allow for a higher rent on his office space.
According to RadarOnline.com, he claimed in court documents: "As my rent has steadily escalated over the last three years, I request that I be reimbursed an additional $800.00 per month for my office expense for the time period of November 1, 2012, through August 31, 2013.
"[I ask] that I be authorised to spend the sum of $2,000 monthly, rather than the previously ordered $1,200 monthly, for my office space in a secure location that is dedicated to Britney's activities."
Judge Reva Goetz said the payments were important to ensure Britney's career and interests are run properly.
She said in the court order: "The conservatorship estate entails the active management of Britney Spears substantial career, business interests and assets as well as numerous trusts and entities. The conservatorship estate represents a portion of the conservatee's total assets."

Stevie Nicks "lost eight years" of her life to prescription medication.
The Fleetwood Mac singer no longer has faith in the medical profession after being prescribed Klonopin, an anti-anxiety drug, to help her from relapsing into cocaine addiction in 1986 but now doesn't think the pills were necessary and can't help but wonder what would have happened in her life if she hadn't had the treatment.
She said: "I was on Klonopin. It's a tranquiliser. You're tranquil. I stayed home in a really beautiful house, watched a lot of TV, and ordered from Jerry's deli. I went from 125 up to 173 pounds.
"One day I woke up and said, 'This doctor is insane. He's a groupie who wanted to have me come in a couple times a month to talk about rock 'n' roll'. I learned a valuable lesson. Never trust doctors, ever. I called up my best friend and said come get me and take me to a hospital. I spent 45 days there and got over it.
"I had gotten out of Betty Ford [rehab clinic] three months before I went to see him and I was doing great. But everyone was worried I was going to start using cocaine again. So I lost eight years of my life. Think of what could have happened during those eight years. I might have gotten married, I might have had a baby, I certainly would have made more albums."
Despite many years passing, Stevie, 65, still feels resentment towards the doctor.
Asked if she is still angry, she told the New York Times newspaper: "If I was driving a car and he was crossing the street I might run over him."