It is always pleasant to receive a new album from legendary and classic bands like Metallica. Regardless of whether the content is good or bad, such groups will always have millions of spotlights on them due to their long and successful careers, along with the armies of fans they have garnered. The year 2023 has surprised us with great releases, including Insomnium’s ‘Anno 1696’, and now Metallica’s ’72 Seasons,’ an album accompanied by a significant marketing campaign. Efforts such as playing the entire album in the world’s most famous cinemas, accompanied by incredible audiovisual production.
’72 Seasons’ was released through Metallica’s own record label and production company, ‘Blackened Recordings’, the same label through which they released their previous album, ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ (2016), which we enjoyed quite a bit. The band returned to and refreshed their classic style since 2008 with ‘Death Magnetic’, after experimenting with ‘St. Anger’ (2003).
Today, we discuss ’72 Seasons,’ the eleventh album from the legendary band hailing from Los Angeles and San Francisco, Metallica.
What can we hear?
A sound very similar to their previous album ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ (2016) in terms of production and style, in fact, it was also produced by Greg Fieldman. We hear an impressive James Hetfield (Guitar/Vocals), both his voice and guitars carry a well-aged quality, much like fine wines that only get better with time. Lars Ulrich (Drums) has considerably improved compared to previous works where he seemed comfortably settled, although his fills are quite predictable and basic, it’s noticeable that he has worked on his double bass pedal and speed, as evident in the opening track, the eponymous ’72 Seasons.’ Robert Trujillo (Bass) leaves a very pleasing impression, as the bass is entirely audible throughout the entire work. It looks and sounds great even in the intro of ‘Sleepwalk My Life Away,’ a smart move by Metallica to finally give Robert a prominent role after so many years, considering him a musician of elite caliber.
As for Kirk Hammett, opinions are divided, as his creative contribution hasn’t been prominent in recent years. He has consistently used the same pentatonic blues scale for his solos, accompanied by his classic ‘Cry Wah’ effect; ’72 Seasons’ is no exception. He maintains his characteristic classic style of the band, a sound that is not surprising but also not displeasing, as it is a completely identifiable Metallica signature.
In ’72 Seasons,’ we appreciate that Metallica employs two types of power: the first, embracing thrash speed as in ‘Room Of Mirrors,’ and the second, a slow but heavy groove reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s ‘Master Of Reality’, as heard in ‘You Must Burn’ or ‘Crown Of Barbed Wire’, two songs with echoes of their famous Black Album from 1993.
72 Seasons, Metallica's longest album
Something noteworthy about the band’s latest offerings is that the average duration of the songs hovers around 6 minutes, something that they could have honestly economized on, as they occasionally veer into repetitiveness. However, they extend instrumental bridges to amplify the songs further; something we appreciated was the harmonized dual guitar solos in ‘Inamorata’, the longest song on the album and in the band’s history. The bridge presents a section of very pleasant guitar solo instrumentals. One can even hear a slight influence from Queen’s Brian May with his classic harmonies or even the memorable guitar play of Iron Maiden. In terms of vocal melody and structure, this song brought back memories of the band’s era in albums like ‘Load’ (1996) and ‘Reload’ (1997).
Despite most songs being lengthy, there are two tracks that stand out as very good and appropriately timed for a band like Metallica: the first being the single ‘Lux Aeterna’, a powerful, fast, and old-school track with an impressive James Hetfield hitting high notes. The second is ‘Too Far Gone?’, our favorite song from the entire album, with a slight punk touch and a tonal shift that revitalizes the album in its final part.
We also highlight ‘Room Of Mirrors’, a 100% thrash song that we would love to see them play live, as its speed encourages moshing. Additionally, James Hetfield’s vocal melody stands out, providing a slight variation from the band’s recent albums.
A James Hetfield in tremendous form...
What pleased us the most about ’72 Seasons’ is hearing James in such great shape. Despite dealing with alcoholism and addictions over the years, we see that he has risen remarkably. At almost 60 years old, he managed to deliver one of the best vocal performances of his career, showcasing a raspy, powerful voice, some growls, and a wide tonal spectrum, as heard in the chorus of ‘Chasing Light.’
’72 Seasons’ is an album we were thrilled to receive in the midst of 2023; we find it very good. However, we believe it could have been even better if a lead guitar with more creativity and better solos were more prominent. Despite this, we enjoyed it a lot, and it is undoubtedly a piece of work that we will be listening to throughout the year.
What about you? Opinions are divided, but every fan has their own perspective. Leave us your comments!
