METALLICA's official Instagram account has been updated with a photo of the band's bassist, Robert Trujillo, laying down tracks in the studio. The picture in question, which includes the caption "Rockin along . . .", appears to have been taken by METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, whose hand and feet are also visible in the photo.

Trujillo told Rock Cellar magazine in a recent interview that METALLICA is "blueprinting" the songs for its new album at the moment, saying, "There are a lot of ideas, a lot of song bodies; you gotta go through the process. For me personally, I'm really excited about what we've been able to jam out." Trujillo added, "I don't like to make predictions, but I'd like to think — at least for me — that I'm really happy with what's happening instrumentally."

Trujillo told The Pulse Of Radio that the band is enjoying the writing process this time around. "We're having a really amazing time," he said. "It's fun, it's a lot of hard work, it's like you're looking at that mountain of ideas and you're like, 'Okay, it's time to climb this beast and do what we've got to do.' I'd say we've pretty much exhausted our touring cycles, so we're really, really excited about nurturing the songs and bringing them to life and that's where we're at right now."