Metallica - 72 Seasons (2023)
Metallica continues their 7-8 year cadence between albums, releasing their first set of new material since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct!
- 72 Seasons - Simple trilling with some punchy chords breaks into a driving riff with some feel changes. A new riff propels a great verse into a solid pre-chorus and OK chorus. Hammett’s solo is a typical wah-laden echo of the riff melody. The chorus is already feeling a bit repetitive by the second time around. A key shift and reprise of the intro leads into a good vocal bridge reminiscent of “Spit Out The Bone”. A multi-part solo follows with a somewhat weak beginning, but it turns things around quickly. By the time the final chorus rolls around I really don’t want to hear the phrase “wrath of man” anymore. This one’s a mixed bag, with some great parts and a lot of good ones, but it runs on too long and repeats the chorus lyrics too much. Let’s say 7/10 overall.
- Shadows Follow - A staccato opening riff changes feel a bit, then rolls into a more driving midtempo riff. The verse is strong, with a brief breakdown flowing into a very good pre-chorus and a very brief but effective chorus. A strong slower-feel bridge yields a nice harmonized interlude and another Hammett wah-fest. There’s a little guitar run that sounds like the old 1960s Batman theme song that pops up from time to time. I like the breakdown-driven ending. This one’s consistently strong and sticks in my head, and despite reminding me of “Moth Into Flame” a little too much, I think it does enough to round it up to an 8/10.
- Screaming Suicide - A punchy ascending riff with wah accents goes through some permutations before settling into a solid driving riff. Hetfield sounds a little tired and rough on an otherwise strong verse. Pre-chorus 1 is pretty good, but pre-chorus 2 is kinda meh, and the chorus is very brief and just OK. The first solo section has its moments, and the bridge is strong, but the second solo section just treads water. The spoken word part is pretty good, though. This song is a mixed bag that probably needed some more time in the oven, but it has its appealing parts. Let’s say 6/10.
- Sleepwalk My Life Away - A bass-driven groove gains some sinister guitar accompaniment before settling into a stompy midtempo riff. The verse is strong, the pre-chorus is OK, and the chorus is catchy and appealing. A bouncy interlude leads into a serviceable extended solo, then a less appealing instrumental before rolling back through the pre-chorus and chorus and a breakdown outro. A little uneven, but mostly good and enjoyable. 7/10.
- You Must Burn! - A melodic riff like rolling waves settles into a slower marching riff. The verse and pre-chorus are OK, but the chorus is pleasantly melodic and memorable. A breakdown leads into a less interesting interlude with a weird, sickly bridge with the vocals shoved into the background. The interlude that follows is much better, and the solo is pretty good. A reprise of the opening riff with the title lyric being belted out over it works well to close out the song. Though this one has some bright spots, especially the chorus, the majority of the song is merely OK. 6/10.
- Lux Æterna - A punchy descending riff soon kicks into a driving rhythm that propels a great verse and chorus. The solo goes to some interesting places, and there’s some nice rhythmic punctuation throughout the song. Short and to the point, this one’s a great little blast of energy from start to finish. 8/10.
- Crown Of Barbed Wire - An odd start shifts into a repetitive driving rhythm, then a less appealing descending march. The verse is so-so, the pre-chorus is pretty good, and the chorus is simple but OK. The percussive interlude is OK and the solo is pretty good for the most part. The breakdown outro is pretty good too. Another one that’s a mixed bag – it’s got some good parts, but it plods and has some obvious weaknesses too, so let’s say 6/10.
- Chasing Light - A quick vocal intro breaks into a descending marching riff with some wah accents, soon shifting into a riff that borrows a bit from Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”. The verse is strong, but the pre-chorus feels a bit awkward. The chorus is almost good, but doesn’t quite get there. The bridge is OK, but the solo feels kind of aimless and repetitive. As with most Metallica songs there are some nice riffs here, but aside from the verse this song feels half-baked and runs way longer than it needs to, so I’m going to have to round it down to a 5/10.
- If Darkness Had A Son - A percussive intro with some “outside” lead work leads into a couple of permutations of a melodic riff, then a driving pre-verse with a simple repeated lyric. This leads into a queasy, awkward verse and eventually a pretty good chorus. A busy interlude gives way to another pretty aimless solo. I like how the chorus shifts into a variant near the end, and the outro breakdown is pretty cool. The verse and the solo drag this one down a bit, but I think it still merits a 6/10.
- Too Far Gone? - An appealing descending riff shifts to a more driving riff for a somewhat disconnected verse that blossoms into a good pre-chorus and a short but strong chorus. The first solo’s OK. The harmonized interlude later on is a nice touch, and it flows well into a pretty good bridge. The second solo works much better. The verse is the main issue with this song, but the rest of it is strong enough that I think it manages to cling onto a 7/10.
- Room Of Mirrors - Ringing chords over a somewhat mechanical riff give way to some rhythmic play before settling into a more driving riff and good verse that both remind a bit of “Spit Out The Bone”. The pre-chorus is also good, but the chorus is a bit of a dud. The solos are OK but kind of uneven. The harmonized interlude also calls back to “Spit Out The Bone”. This song is mostly good overall, though it heavily recycles a track from the previous album, which is a bummer. Still good enough to hold onto a 7/10, though.
- Inamorata - An odd riff with some queasy harmonization changes form before settling into a Load-style riff for a solid verse. The pre-chorus is pretty flat, but the chorus is good. The first solo is pretty good, especially the melodic section at the beginning. The atmospheric drum- and bass-driven interlude is nice, supporting a pleasant gentle bridge that builds up nicely in heaviness before breaking into a strong harmonized instrumental. The variant chorus that appears around the 9-minute mark is pretty cool. Surprisingly, this 11+ minute epic doesn’t feel bloated and is good stuff overall. 7/10.
Average: 6.7/10
Weighted: 6.6/10
72 Seasons is an album that I liked a lot more at first, but cooled to over time as it’s overly long and all sounds a bit similar to itself, and also borrows a bit too much from the best songs on the previous album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct!
That said, Hetfield’s voice and riffage are still like musical comfort food to me, and over half the album is still good to great, with only one track dipping all the way into mediocrity. It would have benefited from having some tracks trimmed and others worked on a little more, but the final product is still (barely) a good album overall.
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