Metallica @ The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, 26 Oct

A palpable sense of excitement can be felt amongst Glasgow's metalheads as kick-ass Norwegian metal band, Kvelertak, warm up necks in the mosh pit with their wild outfits and face-melting riffs. As their 35-minute set comes to a close, the audience continue to swarm around the unusual 360-degree stage. The atmosphere continues to build as the moment we're all waiting for approaches; Metallica are about to take to the Glasgow stage for the first time since 2009.

Eventually their customary entrance theme, Ecstasy of Gold, fills the arena, while footage from Western classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly introduces the audience to the 30-odd cube screens that hang above the stage. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo arrive on the stage and get straight to business, battering out Hardwired and Atlas, Rise! from their latest album. The raucous crowd is audibly appreciative of the new material, a sentiment that wasn't shared with their previous two albums.

Following this strong opening, Ulrich paces the stage, with the energy of a much younger man, as Hetfield finally addresses the crowd, setting the precedent for what's to come: "We're gonna play some new stuff. Some middle stuff... and some old stuff". And with this declaration, the band fire straight into thrash-metal classic Seek & Destroy, from 1983 album Kill 'em All. The mosh pit begins to churn.

For a band that has been touring for over 30 years, the levels of energy and enthusiasm on display are stirring. Ulrich regularly receives flack for his ability behind the kit, but tonight he looks fit and able, compensating for his technical misgivings with an undeniable presence. Hetfield is his usual self – a model pro – while Hammett lays down his solos with ease. Trujillo, who will soon equal the record 15 years Jason Newsted spent as the band's bassist, is in fine form too, as he stomps around the stage in his legendary crab pose. While the band is in fine form, their preference to push audio devices to their absolute limit is, however, problematic, as the low-end warble of the bass guitar and kick drums dominate the mix with ear-shattering presence.

The remainder of the set is a mix of tracks from Hardwired... to Self-Destruct and their extensive back catalogue. The audience is in fine voice for the hook of The Memory Remains. Moth Into Flame exhibits the extravagent special effects at their best, as 15-to-20 glowing mini-drones take flight hovering in a circle over the stage. Their final offerings of One, and Master of Puppets are the highlights of the set, punctuated by bursts of flame from the ground around the drum riser. The audience has reached a fever pitch in perfect time, ahead of an inevitable encore which features Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman, clocking the set in at a good bit over two hours.

It has been an outstanding spectacle, aided by the stage and special effects (which is a relief, given the prices they were charging for tickets). Metallica, with their level of fame and fortune, could have easily got away with phoning it in tonight, but that certainly wasn't the case. This is a band that appears to have just as much love for their live craft as ever before.