After detours for a movie and touring, Metallica are now focusing on their long awaited follow-up to 'Death Magnetic,' and while the band has plenty of material to sift through, don't look for a massive new release, a la 'Load' and 'Reload,' to populate shelves.

Speaking with CBS Radio's Live 105 in San Francisco, frontman James Hetfield stated, "'Load/Reload' was more like overload. There were a lot of songs and what are we going to do with all these. We can make a lot of songs pretty good. But I think we learned a little bit of a lesson from that. Why not focus on eight to ten really good ones. It is quality over quantity." Hetfield also stated that after making fans wait so long for a new album, he's not interested in prolonging things by going for an expansive release.

As for that new disc, the rocker says, "We've got to sift through like 800 riffs and figure out what the best stuff is. Lyrically there is a lot to work off of -- the last six or seven years since the last record. But we are constantly inspired by stuff -- not just books or movies or things like that, but life happenings, being parents, and things that happen in life." Hetfield adds that there's been plenty of life experience since the last album that could factor into the next disc.

While touring hasn't completely subsided, Hetfield says that playing shows definitely helps with the new album process. He adds, "[You] get your chops up, get out of the studio and that environment and get inspired."

To check out more of San Francisco's Live 105 interview, see the video above or more excerpts from the interview at this location.