72 SEASONS

Sophia Cook
Apr 17, 2023
4 min read

Updated: May 1, 2023

If you have ever heard of music EVER, you know who Metallica is. The legacy metal band has just released their 11th studio album, 72 Seasons. The night of the album release, Metallica had a global listening party and the album premiered in theaters all around the world. Naturally, I got a ticket, wore my band merch, and showed the hell up. The premiere included clips from the band explaining each song, as well as a visual or music video accompanying each song.

The title track and album opener was probably the most perfect way to open the album. Each instrumental part fits together so well and James Hetfield’s familiar vocals give fans a feeling of comfort as they embark into this new era. The succeeding, “Shadows Follow”, has a bit of an old school feel, while still maintaining its new and cool vibe. The song explains the feeling of trying to run away from yourself, only to realize that no matter where you go, you’re still there and always will be. The hook, “On I run, but still my shadows follow” is simple but effective. Evidently, what shapes this song are the guitar breakdowns, proving a million times over again that Kirk Hammett knows how to destroy a guitar.

The second single to be released from 72 Seasons, “Screaming Suicide” is just crazy. Post chorus is the killer, incorporating almost distorted or techno guitar parts that we hear the song open with. This song proves that metal isn’t dead, and neither are guitar solos, contrary to popular belief. “Sleepwalk My Life Away” holds one of the best and most intriguing intros, thanks to Robert Trujillo ripping on the bass. The song has less of a temper than the rest even though it upholds its electric energy. Hetfield sings, “All isn’t what it seems/Cannot comprehend it/Captive inside a dream/Where the dawn won’t end it”. The lyrics convince listeners that this song represents simply going through the motions of everyday life and not being able to consciously know what you’re feeling.

During the premiere, drummer Lars Ulrich’s song introductions were always funny, to the point where whenever his clips played, everyone in the theater just started chuckling. However, Ulrich’s drumming on “You Must Burn!” was no joke, and it truly connected all of the elements. Immediately, this became one of my favorite tracks. The guitar in the latter half of this song makes it easy to just float away to the music, as well as adding so much character to this song and the record as a whole.

“Lux Æterna”! The first single of 72 Seasons, released way back in November. This track is absolutely hard, with Hammett annihilating the guitar, as usual, and Hetfield’s incredible vocal performance. The lyric “Never alive more than right here tonight” adds so much to the theme of eternal light that this song embodies.

When explaining the concept of “Chasing Light”, Hammett said that his and Hetfield’s guitars just mold together for this track. The opening resembles 1997’s “Fuel”, as the beginning has a vocal statement and then jumps into a guitar solo. Personally, I found this track the most repetitive and dull, with exception to the bridge. “Too Far Gone?” was described as “simple” and “bouncy”, and Hammett went as far as to say that the track is just an “orgy of heavy riffs”. It truly is the epitome of a Metallica song— all of the ascensions are so classic and it’s everything you’re wanting to hear from the group. The track is a giant question of if you’ve done too much to ever be helped. The lyric change at the end is empowering, saying, “I’m never too far gone to save/I can make it through the day”.

“Room of Mirrors” is another song that became an instantaneous favorite. Hetfield sings, “Strip away the phantom fame/Exposing all sides to see”, explaining how fame can change you. At the end of the day, the people who know and care about you are mirrors back into yourself, helping you stay grounded. There’s such a liberation in the lyric, “You might judge, you might just bury me/Or you might set me free”, as it helps elaborate that love doesn’t cast dark judgment.

The closing track to 72 Seasons, “Inamorata” is the first Metallica song that exceeds ten minutes. Inamorata is an Italian rooted word meaning a person's feminine lover. Classically on par to Metallica, the lover is misery, singing, “Misery, she loves me/But I love her more”. As the song begins, it gives more of a dark and heavy tone, but the vocals throughout the intro are stunning, contradicting this energy we hear from the instrumentals. The guitar flare up nearing the latter half of the song is mind blowing and Trujillo’s bass break was entrancing. Hetfield’s vocals were soft during what could be classified as the bridge, only to be built back up into the unstoppable powerhouse that we know and love. “Inamorata” doesn’t feel like an 11 minute track at all, and it really does leave the album with a bang.

It always makes me nervous to hear new music from legacy bands like Metallica, because you know that nothing will top Ride The Lightning or Master of Puppets and how iconic those were. However, metal isn’t dead. One of my favorite things is hearing heavy fucking music, only to see that the guys playing it are 60 years old. With only two songs under the five and a half minute mark, I truly believe that 72 Seasons may be Metallica’s best album in nearly 30 years.