the time needed for metals to respond structurally to electronic excitation is usually considered to be set by picosecond-long electron-phonon coupling, hence limiting the rapid achievement of structural phase changes. via time-resolved ellipsometry, we show that fs laser excitation of tungsten determines unexpectedly fast optical and structural transformations, almost on the time scale of the laser pulse, with sub-ps destructuring of matter. if at low energies, below the damage threshold, fermi redistribution within the d-band pseudogap populates localized states that screen ions, in ablative ranges, at electronic energies above 4 ev, a charge deficit appears on bonding orbitals generating bond-softening and ionic repulsion in spite of the metallic environment. along pressure gradients, this rapidly destabilizes the structure. sub-ps ablation occurs, challenging thermally driven scenarios of phonon activation. first-principles and hydrodynamic models show that ablation interrelates nonclassical charge distortions, electronic stress, and classical electron-phonon dynamics, with the coexistence of thermal and nonthermal effects on scales believed to be prohibitive for the former.