Metallica have had a busy time recently; they have picked up a legion of younger Metallifans due to the TV show Stranger Things using the epic Master Of Puppets in a pivotal scene. This thrusted the metal titans into the consciousness of the masses and threw the spotlight onto what we longtime fans have known since the Eighties, that Metallica are the undisputed kings of heavy metal. They have also been busy recording a new opus that finally lands in our sweaty hands today.

A new Metallica album isn’t just a release, it’s an event. The juggernaut that is the Metallica marketing machine does a fantastic job of drip feeding just enough new material in advance of the album release to keep us rabid Metallifans happy until release day. The four tracks that we are now already more than familiar with; Lux Eterna, Screaming Suicide, If Darkness Had a Son, and the title track 72 Seasons are now ingrained into our brains.

The album’s title is explained by James Hetfield as; ‘The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are’. The album consists of twelve tracks and clocks in at 1 hr 17 min. It isn’t an easy listen by any means.  Hetfield’s demons have been well documented with his recent addiction relapse and divorce from his long-time wife feeding into the lyrical content of the album. Musically it’s everything you could possibly want from a Metallica album in 2023. Hetfield sounds amazing, he seems to get better with age. He spits out the lyrics with ferocity, and you know he means every word.

The whole band are pushing themselves here, Kirk Hammett brings back some Kill ‘Em All era soloing which put a smile on this scribe’s face. Lars Ulrich always has his critics, but he does a fine job here grooving, stabbing, and accenting Hetfield’s huge riffs as only he knows how. Forever the new boy, Robert Trujillo (he’s been in Metallica for twenty years) plays a blinder here. His solid groove holding everything together with Ulrich’s kick drum is highlighted beautifully on Sleepwalk My Life Away. You Must Burn chugs along nicely with another monstrous riff. Crown of Barbed Wire has a Sabbath fused riff that has you nodding along from the start. Another highlight is Chasing Light, Hammett using his trademark Wah – Wah to colour the intro before the band kicks in with a pummeling riff. Hetfield really has stretched himself vocally on this album, he sounds fantastic. The album closes with the epic eleven-minute Inamorata.

2023 Metallica is as relevant and important as ever. Thank you for continuing to inspire us, your ever-growing legion of Metallifans.

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Author: Kenny Kendrick