Metallica have started working on their next album over Zoom in lockdown.

In April, drummer Lars Ulrich said there was a ''very good chance'' the heavy metal legends could make a quarantine album.

He revealed he and his bandmates - James Hetfield, Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett - discussed ''how we can just be a band again'' post-lockdown and teased that if they are still stuck at home in six months' time, they are bound to make their first record since 2016's 'Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'.

Quizzed on the prospect of them making an LP remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, Lars said: ''A lot of that will do with how long the stay at home orders are in place and a lot of that will have to do with if there's a second wave of the virus. Who knows what our world will look like six months from now?

''But obviously, the one thing you can depend on from creative people, for better or worse, is that they can't sit still for very long and I can tell you that one these weekly Metallica Zoom sessions we are talking about how we can just be a band again.''

He added: ''I can tell you that all four of us are really excited about what that could look like. Will there be a Metallica quarantine record?

''I can't tell you because I can't tell you how long the quarantine will last, but if you and I and the rest of the world are still sitting here six months or a year from now, I can say there's a very good chance.''

And with lockdown measures still in place three months later, the 'Enter Sandman' rockers are in full album mode.

Speaking to Swedish talk show host Fredrik Skavlan, Lars said: ''So far, at least the sonic side of it and the practical elements are in surprisingly good shape, actually.

''So now we've just gotta figure out how much we can create without being in the same space.''

The Grammy-winners are in the creative zone and have weekly Zoom sessions to ''exchange ideas''.

He added: ''We've been obviously connecting [before that], but we [have now] connected creatively, and now we're sort of in discovery mode, I think is a good way to say it.

''We are sending ideas to each other via email and via Zoom and [trying to] make music in these unusual situations.

''But now that we've started exchanging some ideas, it's great. It's nice to be in touch, it's nice to be part again of that group, and I look forward to the creative opportunities that lie ahead of us.''

Guitarist Kirk previously revealed he has tonnes of ''kick-ass'' material ready for the band to work on, as losing ''500 musical ideas'' when his iPhone broke made him ''produce twice as much''.