Artist: Metallica
Album: 72 Seasons
Year: 2023
Thanks again for checking in on the Coffee Stain Music blog. This month Metallica released their latest studio album titled "72 Seasons". Their previous album "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" (2016) was a massive favorite of mine. It was everything I wanted in a modern Metallica album. I'm not asking for them to turn back the clock to 1986. I'm just looking for good rockin' tunes that sound good and connect with me on a deeper level than just being excited that a legendary act has released new music only to be merely checked out as a curiosity piece. 2016's Hardwired checked all those boxes. It had it all. The album had thrashers, heavy rockers, an epic ballad and closed with one of their best and heaviest songs in decades all in a well-produced package. What more could I ask for? In my opinion that album delivered on every front. No, it wouldn't be my favorite Metallica album, but I really had nothing to complain about.
Last November 72 Seasons was announced. I woke up to the song "Lux Æterna" being dropped as the lead single and I had that same feeling I had when I heard the song Hardwired for the first time. It's definitely a throwback rocker. Like something you'd hear off of the band's debut album Kill 'em All, and it makes its point and is over in just under 3 and a half minutes. I really enjoyed the song, but to be honest, I was a bit concerned if this new album would live up to Hardwired. Even Lars himself once said they could not have possibly made a better album than what they did with Hardwired in 2016. Regardless, because I'm such a fan of this band, I preordered the album on day one and almost a week after it had already been released, it came in the mail.
Of course, like many of you I listened to the album on release day. I personally listened to it three times that day and have listened to it multiple times since. As I'm sure having a review up the day of the release after one single listen would have been better for my view count, I believe in a more educated approach that is more honest to my true opinions and one that is less reliant on web algorithms and clickbait. Luckily, this blog is just for fun so I have no monetary pressures to release an album review the morning it first drops on Spotify. Enough about all of that, here are my thoughts.
What I like about 72 Seasons right away is that Metallica didn't box themselves into the rigid set parameters of the past. The title track isn't the 2nd song on the album. The 4th song isn't a ballad. The last or penultimate song isn't an instrumental. Because of that, it makes 72 Seasons more uniquely itself. Like it or not, this album is going to have its own flow. Not Master of Puppets' flow. Not Load's flow. Not Hardwired's flow. Unlike 2008's Death Magnetic, you're not getting a modern take on a classic-style Metallica album. You are getting what Metallica is in 2023, which is the way it should be.
When reading the So What! interviews, Steffan Chirazi describe 72 Seasons as a "filly formed sibling of St. Anger, in a weird way" I found that quote to be interesting as no one usually describes an album they like by saying "it reminds me a bit of St. Anger". However, after reading the interviews with James Hetfield and Rob Trujillo I can see why Chirazi said that. Both spoke of this collective vibe in the studio. Everyone contributed and James was more open to others' ideas for lyrics and actively asked others for riffs. However, unlike St. Anger and Death Magnetic, every song isn't credited to all four members, which indicates to me that while there may have been more of an open door from James and Lars, there was still a filter to cut the fat, which is what both those albums needed.
Of the 12 songs, Hetfield and Ulrich are solely credited to 5 of the songs. Hetfield, Ulrich and Hammett are credited to four songs. Hetfield, Ulrich and Trujillo are credited to three songs. None of the songs are credited to all four members. Little has been made about Metallica song credits in the past until the Hardwired album where Kirk Hammett wasn't credited on any of the songs and a story got out there that he lost his phone that had a bunch of riff ideas on it. James himself seemed frustrated with that at the time. Its hard for me to feel bad for Kirk, though. Hardwired turned out great and if any of those riffs were truly great, they would have been worth remembering and laying down in the studio instead of just leaving them in a file pile on your phone. I don't make too much about writing credits. I don't feel like bands need to be "fair" and just hand out credit to everyone. I want Hetfield to write most of the riffs and lyrics. Songs are more focused when you have less cooks in the kitchen. Many of your favorite songs are credited to one or two writers. How many are credited to four?
Upon listening to the album, to me it seems like what St. Anger should have been if it was good. Now, don't get mad at me. I like St. Anger to a degree, but I can't tell you I think its a good album. I'm nostalgic for it, but nostalgia just fogs out better judgment of things. Back in 2003 I was a freshman in high school. St. Anger came out. I got it the weekend it was released. Me and my friends played it all summer long. Listening to it today evokes memories of my first band and hanging out as a carefree teenager. Yet, it is never an album that cracks my favorites list or one I suggest to new Metallica fans or metal fans in general. Its a "you had to be there" sort of album. If you were the right age like I was at the time, then you probably appreciate St. Anger more than most people. If you were 35 years old in 2003 you probably hate St. Anger and if you were born in 2003, you probably have never even listened to it.
72 Seasons is like St. Anger in the fact that the album has a message. One of struggle, but overcoming adversity. Its heavy, but not very dark. Metallica is who they are and are openly showing you like they did on St. Anger. They are all almost 60 years old. They are living legends in music and are multi-millionaires and no one wants to hear them singing about how much life sucks and how we need to eat the rich. One example is the song "Too Far Gone" The line "Am I too far gone? No." Straight and too the point. A rare positive message in metal music. I feel like most songwriters would have relied on the cheap depression angle that has been a good seller for rock music since the age of grunge 30 years ago. Most bands would write this song like "I'm too far gone. I'm hopless. I'm a lost cause. I really suck." instead James tells you no matter how bad you've messed up in life and how old you are you can always change and turn your life around.
The album is also very straightforward. No epic intros. No power ballad. No self-indulgent instrumentals. Every song just rocks. Again, like St. Anger if it were good. There is a good mix of classic thrashers and songs that have that four-on-the-floor Black Album vibe to them. James' voice sounds great and the riffs are good although some of them throughout the album sound almost a little too close to other classic Metallica riffs. If there is one glaring negative about this album, I will say that much. The more astute Metallica fans out there will recognize right away when they hear a riff. Some will be more forgiving than others. Admittedly, I'm such a fan of this band that I can excuse a little self-plagiarism here. If you want a bad example of a band ripping themselves off that even I couldn't forgive, there's "End of the Beginning" by Black Sabbath from the 13 album (now ten years old!). That song is pretty much a re-writing of the song Black Sabbath from their debut. Its the same exact song with different lyrics and slightly different riffs. Metallica never does anything that bad or obvious.
My favorite song on the album is the album's closer "Inamorata". During Trujillo's interview for So What! he said it was his favorite song on the album. Chirazi said it was an important song and featured Kirk's best solo in two decades, to which James himself nodded and agreed. Damn. Way to build up this song. There was so much hype that, I will admit, when I first played this album I skipped right to the closer before I would later go on to listen to the whole thing in order. I had to hear this song myself and... wow. It really doesn't disappoint. It's an epic track and rightly placed as the closer. James' vocal is great. The riffs are tasty. I see some people calling it a cousin of The Outlaw Torn and Fixxxer from Load and Reload and I don't really disagree. It feels heavier than those songs, but there is a definite Load-era vibe to this song. From the bluesy vocal to the bluesy verse riff, to Kirk's double-stop laden blues based soloing over a heavy guitar tone. There is such a cool vibe to this song I wouldn't be shocked if it takes off and becomes a legitimate hit for the band.
Inamorata is absolutely one of Metallica's best songs. I'm not sure where it would rank but if I made a top 25 list of Metallica's best songs, I'm sure it would end up on there.
Speaking of rankings, the clickbait sites seem to really be on Metallica for this album not debuting at #1. It is the first Metallica album since 1988's ...And Justice For All to not debut at #1 on the Billboard charts in the US. It is being painted as some sort of massive embarrassing failure for the band if you go by Facebook headlines. So what lowly place in this album rank?
Number 2.
Yeah. It's #2 on the charts, which is apparently awful now. Let's not even bring up that 72 Seasons was #1 in the UK. Nope. It was #2 in the US so, therefore, it must be selling like stale ass. It also reached #1 in almost every other country that the album charted in, so if you're worried about Metallica's status as a record sales mover in 2023 all because they "only" reached #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, then I assure you that everything is ok. Metallica is certainly not going to lose their shirts on this project and Walmart can stock this album with confidence knowing that it won't end up in a Funko Pop landfill in a few months.
Closing thoughts:
After many listening sessions over the past few weeks, I give 72 Seasons a solid 8/10 stars. Is it better than Hardwired? Ehh... I don't think so. It's close, though. The problem is I held Hardwired in such high regard. In fact, after not playing Hardwired for a couple of years I listened to it again after playing 72 Seasons and got reacquainted with some of the great songs on that record.
I can't hold that against 72 Seasons though. A great album is a great album even if I like the one that came before it a little more. As I have said, I like that Metallica did their own thing here. This album isn't Puppets 2 and its not even Hardwired 2. Its 72 Seasons and it stands on its own and speaks for itself and I very much recommend it.
Thank you once again for checking out the CSM blog. Is this Metallica's last album? I doubt it. They aren't getting younger, though. James and Lars will turn 60 the year. Metallica doesn't exactly churn out albums like Big Macs either. So, they would likely be at least 65 years old when their next album comes out and since the money to be made is all on doing live gigs they're going to have to tour it, too and how long will they still want to do that? James makes reference to the final 3rd of life and as morbid as it may be to address, these guys know they're old. They don't hide it and that's what I always liked about this band in their later years. You don't see Lars out there with a wig or James dying his hair and mustache jet black to give off some illusion of youth. They are old. That's not a bad thing, but it also means they aren't going to be around forever doing this.
If 72 Seasons turns out to be their last album, I'd say they absolutely ended on a good note. The album is rockin' and many of the songs have a positive message to them while still being heavy and relevant.
Take care and God bless.
-CSM
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