Metallica : 72 Seasons

At this point Metallica have ascended to elder statesmen of rock and roll. 40 years into a career that’s seen the Bay area thrash band rewrite what it is to a be a metal band. Game-changing albums(Kill Em All through …And Justice For All) to remaking themselves as stadium filling rockers(The Black Album, Load), to another reinvention during the most tumultuous time of their careers(St. Anger), only to find themselves back where they started for a round of nostalgic head-banging records(Death Magnetic, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.)

Metallica have seen it all, heard it all, played it all, and drank it all in excess.

You’ve either stuck with them on this road to metal dominance, or you got off the tour bus at some point in the last 30 years. I myself am a Metallica diehard from years 1983 to 1988. I fell for the more groove-heavy tunes of The Black Album, but it was short-lived as the “Bro” community adopted it as their own. The 90s seemed to be a bad time to be an old school Metallica fan, so when St. Anger came out and became a punch line, I actually got interested again. The album makes more sense in the context of the doc Some Kind Of Monster. It was the only album they could make in that state.

Since 2008 the four-piece has been on a bit of a nostalgia kick, making Death Magnetic(2008) and Hardwired… to Self-Destruct(2015), two albums that locked into pre-Black Album song lengths, time signatures, and musical dexterity. Both admirable in attempts to lock into the magic of those Flemming Rasmussen-produced records, but were excessive in length. With 72 Seasons, Metallica’s brand new record and first in 8 years, they continue to ride the glory days wave.

Album opener and title track “72 Seasons” wastes no time getting to business. The riff is King on this adrenaline rush of song, as the Master of Puppets vibes come thru. The band sounds great here, as well as on “Sleepwalk My Life Away”. We get a true showcase for now lontime bassist Robert Trujillo, a rarity on post-Cliff Burton records. There’s also a great Kirk Hammett solo here, showcasing his shredding skills. If there’s an MVP on this record it’s Hammett. Album closer “Inamorata” takes it’s time over 11 minutes of atmospheric metal. There’s another epic solo from Hammett and a nice dual guitar part that is reminscent of classic Metallica.

Songs like “Chasing Light” and “If Darkness Had A Son” could have used a little editing, while “Lux æterna” is fast and not much else. Though, “Crown Of Barbed Wire” is promising with a nice tight guitar riff, while “Room of Mirrors” veers into Mastodon territory.

72 Seasons is on par with what’s come before. If you were a fan of Death Magnetic and Hardwired… to Self Destruct then you will be pleased here. If you’re looking for primo-era Metallica, then go listen to that. No new levels of awesomeness unlocked, but some solid rocking from four old dudes.