SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: METALLICA – 72 SEASONS

Metallica
72 Seasons
Blackened Recordings

After polarising their audience with what I considered to be the very strong, albeit unnecessarily excessive album, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, Metallica has returned with its first studio album since 2016 with 72 Seasons. Having spent the time since touring some of the biggest stadiums in the world, along with releasing a pair of live albums – 2019’s Helping Hands… Live & Acoustic and 2020’s S&M2 – along with a monstrous boxset reissue of their 1991 eponymous album, 72 Seasons follows the release of a string of four singles, culminating with a global listening party in cinemas around the world. With critics and fans alike already applauding this as their greatest work since ’91, does 72 Seasons live up to the hype?

Opening with potentially the strongest of the singles, “72 Seasons” is a relentless throwback to their roots. To a certain extent, the powerful title track feels as though the band remembered that it was a thrash metal band in their post-Black Album era. In short, “72 Seasons”, like most of the singles released ahead of the album, absolutely rips. Similarly, the only other true contender for best song on the record, the lead single, “Lux Æterna”, once again reaches back to the reckless abandon of early Metallica. As the shortest song on the album – by a longshot – “Lux Æterna” packs one hell of a punch and, without sacrificing its heavy tone, is incredibly catchy. Additionally, “Screaming Suicide” is another strong single that, while straying from the old school metal inspiration, feels distinctly that of what makes modern Metallica so exciting.

Unfortunately, 72 Seasons is far from ground-breaking. Without a weak song on the album, Metallica suffers from the inverse: besides the aforementioned three songs, there really isn’t anything remarkable on 72 Seasons.  With the band experimenting with ever increasing song lengths, most songs feel as though they would benefit from being shorter. While it is cool to hear the band experiment with song structures and employ a new lease on their creativity, many of the bridges and instrumental passages used throughout the album fail to justify their inclusion and a greater song length, often falling short of the highs of the chorus and initial riffs. There is a question of necessity that leaves 72 Seasons feel bloated rather than larger-than-life. Songs like “Sleepwalk My Life Away”, “You Must Burn”, “Crown Of Barbed Wire”, and “Too Far Gone?” all fall victim to this, making what otherwise should have been stellar tracks feel lesser. Funny enough, the one song that defies this is the album closer, “Inamorata”. Clocking in at over 11 minutes, it is the longest Metallica song to date and stands as a surprising highlight on the album. The song sees the band weave through shifting melodies organically as the track grows at a natural and gripping pace. With each moment feeling necessary, “Inamorata” leaves me wondering what 72 Seasons could have been if every song felt as full of intent as the album’s stunning closer.

Despite this, there is plenty that makes 72 Seasons a solid addition to Metallica’s discography. For starters, the mix, aside from Lars Ulrich’s obnoxiously loud and near constant hi-hat, is fantastic. This, coupled with the fact that there are no weak songs, despite their excessive lengths, makes for a good record. Most notably, however, are the vocals. Equally powerful as they are emotive, James Hetfield’s vocal delivery on 72 Seasons is the greatest of his career. In some respects, Hetfield’s voice is singlehandedly carrying the record, making for a thrilling listening experience despite other lack luster elements. Undeniably, Hetfield has never sounded better.

By all means, 72 Seasons is not a bad album, in fact, it really is some of Metallica’s best work since ’91. In this sense, the album should be considered a triumph, especially among the band’s output in the 2000’s. While not as dangerous sounding as Hardwired, Metallica has challenged themselves as songwriters, an impressive notion for any band over 40 years in the game. While they don’t always stick the landing with their more-is-more approach, 72 Seasons will likely be on repeat and could very well be among the strongest metal releases this year.

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