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Get ready to ride the lightning. Heavy-metal pioneer Metallica is bringing its aggressive riffs and head-banging heroics to Charlottesville on Saturday night.

The band formed in the early ’80s and quickly developed a following behind a new thrash-metal movement. Steadily, though, the group — known for the manic drumming of Lars Ulrich, the gruff dominant vocals of James Hetfield and the blazing solos of guitarist Kirk Hammett — crossed over into the mainstream spotlight.

The epic video for the song “One” from 1988’s “… And Justice for All” became an MTV hit. Then the follow-up, 1991’s “Metallica” (known as the Black Album), exploded the band into a new realm of popularity with the songs “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters.” To date, the album has sold more than 25 million copies.

Now, after a bit of a rocky road earlier this decade, including the departure of 15-year bassist Jason Newsted and a polarizing 2003 album, “St. Anger,” the band is touring around the world behind last year’s “Death Magnetic.” The album is the band’s first with producing guru Rick Rubin and largely has been hailed as a return to the group’s early hardcore roots.

Ahead of the band’s big show at John Paul Jones Arena, Hammett took some questions by phone from the road.

Q. Is “Death Magnetic” an intentional return to your early roots?

A. Out of the box it was not. We were prompted by Rick Rubin. When we first met, he told us his favorite Metallica album was “Master of Puppets,” and he suggested we put the new music through a similar filter to what we were doing back in the mid-’80s. He convinced us that it wouldn’t just be recycling old ideas — it would be new ideas through an old filter. The end results sounded fresh and exciting.

Q. Rick Rubin has worked with artists from every genre — from Jay-Z to the Dixie Chicks to Slayer. Why do you think he is so versatile?

A. He approaches it more as fan of music than a bona fide producer or musician. He’s not trained in a particular genre, so he can produce anything. He’s a fan with a perspective that knows what he should be hearing. In the ’40s and ’50s there were a lot of music producers like that — people with trustworthy opinions that could work with everybody.

Rick Rubin is a throwback to that sort of approach. He also doesn’t get into personal band politics. He keeps his distance on everything but the music.

Q. 2003’s “St. Anger” was a controversial album among fans. Has “Death Magnetic” weathered the storm?

A. Whenever you put out an album, you never know how it’s going to be received. If I feel we’ve made the best possible album under the circumstances, for me that’s the entire battle. If I’m creatively satisfied with our performance as a band, we have to put it out there and see if people understand it. Our audience is all over the map is far as what they think the true Metallica sound should be like, so it’s crazy to try and achieve that.

Q. “Metallica” (Black Album) is one of the best-selling albums of all time. Do you consider it your masterpiece?

A. I think it’s a great album with a lot of strong material. But personally I would rate “Master of Puppets” as our perfect album. I’ve always said that.

Q. With more than three decades of material, what do you mix into the live show?

A. There are certain standards that people expect, and we feel obligated to play them. This is the “Death Magnetic” tour, so we play a lot of the newer stuff. But some fans have been saying we’re not playing enough of it. There is also a small portion of the set list that we shake up every night. A lot of that comes down to requests or thinking about something we haven’t played in a long time.

Q. Earlier this year the band was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame. What was the best part?

A. It was great to be acknowledged, since we are now in out third decade of doing this. But what meant even more to me was to be there on stage playing guitar with my childhood idols — Ron Wood, Joe Perry, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Hanging out with all of those guys together, that’s what dreams are made of.