Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has revealed he’s regularly joked with Tool counterpart Justin Chancellor about each band’s album delays.

The near-neighbours have both been under fire from their fans since their most recent studio works appeared several years ago.

Metallica will release 10th record Hardwired… To Self-Destruct on November 18, while the follow-up to Tool’s 2006 album 10,000 Days is remains in production.

Trujillo tells Full Metal Jackie (via Loudwire): “Justin, the bass player of Tool, he’s my neighbour pretty much, in the Santa Monica mountains, and we joke about that together.

“You know, ‘Whose album is going to come out? How are you doing with your record? I don’t know… how are you doing with yours?’

“And I guess we beat them out with this one.”

But he doesn’t feel bad about keeping followers waiting for the sequel to 2008’s Death Magnetic. “It takes a while, and I think the end result speaks for itself,” he says.

“It’s not a negative. Hopefully we delivered this time. I feel great about this record and I’m sure the fans are going to love this one.”

Hardwired… To Self-Destruct is only Trujillo’s second studio album with Metallica since he joined in 2003. But he says he’s seen a lot of growth within the band in recent years.

“I think one of the most important things is having that energy to create, and the inspiration – at a time in a lot of bands’ careers where they start getting bored with music. A lot of bands will actually go to outside writers to help them, and that’s not what’s happening here. But it does take time.”

He admits: “We’ve also been sidetracked over the years. I know that’s frustrating to our fans.

“We made a film called Through the Never and we did an album with Lou Reed, which was very important to us. We like to try things, and sometimes in our fans eyes it’s a success – and sometimes it isn’t. But that’s what we do. We take chances.”

Metallica tour South America later this month with further dates announced for 2017, and more to follow.

Watch Metallica's Robert Trujillo explore New York city

Oct 22: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheater, CA

Oct 23: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheater, CA

Oct 26: San Juan Coliseo, Puerto Rico

Oct 29: Quito Parque Bicentenario, Ecuador

Nov 01: Bogota Hipodromo de los Andes, Colombia

Nov 03: Guatemala City Estadio Cementos Progreso, Guatemala

Nov 05: San Jose Estadio Nacional, Costa Rica

Jan 11: Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome, South Korea

Feb 03: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark

Feb 05: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark

Feb 07: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark

Feb 09: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark

Mar 25-26: Sao Paulo Interlagos Racetrack, Brazil

Mar 31,-Apr 01: Buenos Aires Hippodrome San Isidro, Argentina

Apr 01-02: Santiago Parque O’Higgins, Chile

Metallica: Hardwired… To Self-Destruct tracklist

Disc 1

Hardwired Atlas, Rise! Now That We’re Dead Moth Into Flame Am I Savage? Halo On Fire

Disc 2

Confusion Dream No More ManUNkind Here Comes Revenge Murder One Spit Out The Bone

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