There’s a huge difference between popularity and relevance in the music world.
This is very much the case for the world of hard rock and heavy metal. So many bands, who were the absolute titans of the music industry in the ’70s, ’80s, (and for some the ’90s) are still living off their former glory.
Now this isn’t to say they aren’t popular. When artists like Guns ‘N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Ozzy, etc. announce a tour — arenas and stadiums around the world are filled to capacity in mere hours. The reason being? The popularity of these artists, and others just like them, are undeniable. They’ve left indelible marks on the souls of their fanbases. They’ve provided a song or soundtrack to the most important parts of people’s lives. They’ve inspired hope, tears, love and joy.
However these bands relevance within the music world, as creatives, seems to have long since passed them. Think about all those aforementioned bands. How many of them have actually produce songs that resonate and matter in the world of pop culture, but more importantly their own genre? The answer is very few, if any.
And this is the burning question in 2023 for the reigning kings of heavy metal, Metallica.
Literally nothing has stopped this band from being the end all, be all of heavy metal. Whether it be death, addiction, a shocking aesthetic and musical change, a brawl with Napster, a damning documentary, or divisive records and horrific collaborations.
However, the one thing that Metallica cannot defeat is time itself — and it’s not something they are denying. Recently, Lars Ulrich talked about how he’s been working extra hard to stay in shape to perform and that one day songs like “Master of Puppets” may be impossible for them to play.
And that brings us to April 2023 and the release of the band’s latest effort 72 Seasons — the band’s second release off their Blackened label.
“72 Seasons” opens with a frenetic, driving bassline from Robert Trujillo — a completely uncharacteristic move for the band. Outside of deep cuts from Cliff Burton’s heyday or the thundersome thumping from Jason Newsted on “Devil’s Dance” off Re-Load, bass play is not at the forefront of a Metallica song. Here the notorious, crab-walking bassist seemingly pays homage to surf guitar legend Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” with the sheer velocity with which his fingers fly across his frets. The seven-and-a-minute song is an absolute thunderous anthem that declares that Metallica is here and time has not weathered them at all.
“If Darkness Had a Son” shows a different side of Kirk Hammett’s lead guitar work. Instead of the electric chaos that we’ve become accustomed to for nearly 40 years, Hammett’s solo bounced off Hetfield’s crunchy riffs and the buoyant bassline created by a Trujillo/Hammet one-two punch. The solo still has that signature shred, but it feels a little less shrill and wah-wah pad dependent. It’s a bit more intricate than the 150 mph adrenaline-spiked solos of the days of yore.
“Lux Æterna” is undoubtedly the anthem of the album. The song is an absolutely shocking 3:25 in length and despite what all Metallica-centric logic and reasoning would state — this is the perfect length of time for this song. It’s such a fast song that 100% evokes the oft-forgotten influence punk rock has had on Metallica (go check out Garage Inc. if you don’t believe this writer). What makes this song just an absolute beast is the production of the song takes Hetfield’s trademark roar and lets it absolutely soar. When he screamed “Lux Æterna!” In the chorus his vocals take the listener to another stratosphere. It’s a range and pitch we haven’t heard James hit since the ’80s and it’s such a welcome return to form. Of the three songs mentioned, this is the song that you can tell is going to be a showstopper when the band hits the road this summer.
The weakness of 72 Seasons really comes in the back end of the record as the final three songs just blend together in a bit of a slogging riff-heavy soup. If you weren’t paying attention and someone said you were listening to a 15 minute song, you could easily believe. There’s just nothing distinctive, or frankly interesting about these tracks. This is a bit of a bummer to end the record on as listeners just would be fresh off “If Darkness Had a Son.”
Ultimately, 72 Seasons is a very good Metallica record. It’s fast, it’s furious and most important — it’s an album filled with songs that will live forever in Metallica fan’s hearts and will reverberate throughout stadiums around the world for years to come. However, the album does not stand on the same level as Death Magnetic or Hardwired…to Self-Destruct. Those are far superior Metallica albums, and it’s not even close. You can tell time is starting to catch up with the fearsome foursome and given the amount of time it takes for the band to produce albums (and their current ages) this legitimately could be the last full-length Metallica record we ever hear. If that truly is the case, 72 Seasons is the right record for the band to ride off into the sunset on.
72 Seasons by Metallica is available at all music retailers and streaming on your favorite music platform.
