Metallica – 72 Seasons
8/10
I know that it is not 1984 and Metallica does not sound like that Metallica anymore. I can be a bit sad about that. But I have had a substantial amount of time to reset my mind to that and will not compare or hold that against the band and/or this release.
For me the Black Album was the album I discovered Metallica through. Even if I grew up in the eighties, Metallica for me was a band that was not for me. I decided that without even listening to them. People that sported Metallica t-shirts or patches were in my town/village young men, skinny, dirty and smelly. Judging, I know, but I was young and stupid.
Eventually even I discovered the early Metallica and just like many others I loved the material. After the Black Album my opinion is that most of what Metallica has released is pure filth. My opinion, my thoughts.
So, behold my surprise when this release came out. I hoped/suspected that the first singles set the tone for how the rest of the album would sound. And for me, I was right. As said, this is a different band now. It is more mature, more polished and not so aggressive. More anguish and more schwung in the songs.
I would go so far as to said that this is the best release since the Black Album. And “If Darkness Had a Son” is the best song since that album. It would probably have slotted in there effortlessly as well. The dynamics of that song resembles both “Of Wolf And Man” & “Sad But True” for me.
This is a long album 1 hour and 17 minutes. That is quite a long time. But it does not get dull, monotone or boring. We are talking good songs all the way. There is some re-hashing of previous songs in there. “Too far Gone” does resemble “The Memory Remains” a lot in my ears. Namedropping of your own songs in your own new songs is somewhat not charming as well. If it is on purpose or not, I could not tell you, and it is not that disturbing. Just a reflection.
Songs in general go in the mid-tempo compartment, but you have some faster excursions here and there. No “Nothing Else Matters” on this album either which I find nice.
Composition of riffs and groove is also to my liking. It feels more together and synchronized then it has done for a long time. Like the guys are having more fun this time around and not needing therapy together so much. The music does sound like that. I do feel that you can sometimes hear that there is more harmony in a group through the music.
So, please continue doing music this way going forward. There is not going to be a Metallica that sounds 1984, that time is gone. I do like the 2023 sounding Metallica.
Band: Metallica
Title: 72 Seasons
Label: Blackened Recordings
Date of release: 2023-04-14
Rate: 8/10
Stand Out Track: If Darkness Had a Son
Country of Origin: USA
Playing Time: 77 minutes
