Metallica released their eleventh album, «72 Seasons», on April 14, 2023 via their own Blackened Recordings — their first with new material after 2016’s «Hardwired… to Self-Destruct». The title refers to the first 18 years of life, the “72 seasons” that shape a person.
Country: USA
Genre: Thrash Metal / Heavy Metal
For fans of: Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera
The listen
«72 Seasons» isn’t perfect, but from the title-track opener you feel the band is more natural and honest than on its immediate predecessors. The title track is a triumph: the perfect capture of what most people want from Metallica in 2023, with their signature groove at full power.
«Lux Æterna» had already shown the way with its sharp, fast thrash, while «Screaming Suicide» and «Sleepwalk My Life Away» continue in the same vein. «Cross of Barbed Wire» recalls an amped-up outtake from the «Load»/«Reload» era, with one of Kirk Hammett’s best solos in recent years. «If Darkness Had a Son» is one of the best moments: classic mid-paced groove, Danzig-school darkness and some of Hetfield’s best lyrics in a long time.
«Too Far Gone?» is the record’s sleeper hit, with two wonderful Hetfield riffs and a mood that recalls Volbeat in the chorus — Metallica sound like they’re having a great time. «Room of Mirrors» nearly matches it, while the closer comes with the eleven-minute «Inamorata», which perhaps suffers from comparisons with the sacred monsters of the past, but highlights its creators’ joy in the whole. «Its best moments are as good as anything they’ve recorded in three decades», wrote Blabbermouth.
See also
Judas Priest – Invincible Shield · Saxon: Announced their 25th album «Gods Of Thunder»
