2024 Archive
2023 Archive
So I've been wanting to do this for some time now, and as you can see, it's taken me almost a year since the original release. Time really does fly. Feels like it came out a few months ago. Well, to start off...geez. The album hype began with an incredibly surprising single in Lux Æterna - it came out of nowhere, entirely unannounced, and had everyone talking instantly. The song is like a hard-hitting, greasy-slick reincarnation of Hit the Lights that nobody knew they needed. It performs its role admirably - short, to the point, and tasty. The video alone made my head explode with ideas of where the album was headed; even with heavily reined expectations for my own sanity, I couldn't help but wonder. They left a HUGE first impression, and it's not risky to say that Lux Æterna is quite a bit more fun than the first single off the last album. Not to mention, it's rather uniquely (for Metallica) in the key of A! It wouldn't stop there, either. Fans got hold of the song titles, and fuck - there's some serious-sounding, dark shit in there. As with Hardwired...to Self Destruct, they were a bit unusual, but on 72s they seemed to have leaned into that even more. I loved that. Still hard for me to pick a favorite in that regard. Words can carve up so many great images all on their own, and song titles are no exception. As the later singles rolled out, I quickly realized the songs were getting simpler. A lot simpler. To be fair, Metallica songs are usually more exhausting than complex, which is the only reason I am any good at them. But there is a balance to be struck, and there are more than a few monotonous moments this time around, which I will discuss in detail. This record could pass for their "album we can still play when we're 70", and it's a smart move if so - Judas Priest did one of those with Redeemer of Souls. But I don't honestly know if Metallica have a Firepower or Invincible Shield left in them afterward, down the road. Before we go further, it should be noted that for two albums now, there has been a distinct need for another consultant regarding the arrangement and repetition of their new songs. Like on Hardwired, a riff is repeated until you don't want to hear it anymore. You should always leave the audience wanting more, not less. If I am grateful that a riff is over, something is wrong.
72 Seasons is our opening title track. Following Rob's single-note spam in the intro and a very Metallica buildup, we quickly dive headfirst into an alright main riff. I don't really feel the payoff we were set up for, but it is fun to play. The verse riff is where the arrangement problems first appear. It begins several bars before James starts singing, and there is no need. We should have dropped straight into the vocal, because by the time you get to the singing you have tuned out the riff completely. The chorus at large is also extremely repetitive - we hear "Wrath of man" so many times - twelve per listen. It grates on the mind after just one spin. Not a good start. In general, get ready for a lot of the same tempo on this record. This mid-paced song teases you with some early sixteenths, but cuts things in half alarmingly quickly. You get barely any of the feel you're expecting with a lot of plodding in between. My favorite section is the lead break. It feels good, and the harmony is very earworm-y. Of course, it repeats itself one too many times beyond what is intuitive to millions of other musicians, and so it loses a bit of magic. A quick snip in Audacity makes this section sweeter at no cost. Ka-ching! From here on I'll try not to fall victim to the same thing they did, and keep my arrangement critiques brief. But pound for pound, this is the weakest Metallica opener ever.
Shadows Follow is next. Boy, the snap and bite of that intro. The pounding snare mixed with heavy guitar. While the second half of its chug drags a little, this is the prelude to some pure, distilled Metallica. They knew it too, because this song closes out every single YouTube video they release. Right from the first fucking note, you know the band, the kind of song, and that it's gonna be good. And it certainly is. You feel at home instantly. The main riff is the best main riff on the album. It has a trippy-sounding bend on the tail which makes it what it is. I can't get enough of that. The verse riff is okay; a little meh despite its constant movement, but luckily the vocals support it with more than enough vitriol, and as James has said himself, percussiveness. Following is a short chorus harmony they've never quite done before, and I welcome this new feel. Lars will absolutely never play this section live at-tempo since it involves hitting the snare in time with both hands (he hasn't done that in over a decade). I've gotta say - the layered chugging at about the halfway mark (and the so-called Batman riff!) is ridiculous and awesome. It's shocking how simple these passages are, serving as a reminder that execution is key. But what's even more interesting to me is the way the riff is slightly slower on odd repetitions, and faster on evens. I don't believe they've ever done something like this either - it's really cool and sneaky! I also really enjoy the riff salad toward the end. It harkens back to Death Magnetic's "recap mazes" and shows us why these parts all sound good together, like they were made to be something more. This track is also the first to have some nice lyrics - indeed, we can never outrun our demons, our past, or even our shadows. You can tell how much they were feeling this one. Overall, the elements really come together for Shadows Follow, and make you think, "Fuck, that was awesome."
Screaming Suicide - a title parents are sure to love! Oddly, it's not nearly as dark as one would expect. It's very derived from their roots, and feels like this album's version of Atlas, Rise! off the previous record. Everybody hated this single, but I quite liked it, and it helped me cling to existence during a time I was slipping. The opening melody (which also closes out the song) is very catchy, and serves its purpose well. Things get going smoothly without a hitch. It's not a mindblowing song, but its subject material is indefinitely vital for the upcoming generation. My only real knock against this one is that, per usual since ~2016, Kirk is still phoning in a sad majority of his lead work, looping the same licks until you're sick of them and branding it all as "lively" to (unsuccessfully) obscure the lack of effort. The rhythms are pretty fast here, and you get some of that "Through The Never elbow" going on by trying to match them. Something odd that I noticed is that this track is slightly quieter than the others. James is buried further in the mix too, especially noticeable when not wearing headphones. (I know, who uses speakers anymore?) Overall, this song has a great driving feel, and I'd recommend a listen while doing so. It's only mildly repetitive in the mid-section.
Sleepwalk My Life Away - Rob intros for another song, yay! The intro is good, but it's too long. Brevity will never, ever go out of style. Once things do get going, we get a sludgy fuck-you of a main riff that I could jam on forever. The lyrics are great, some of their best in fact. By now though, I really should emphasize that 72s does not feature the same vocal clarity as their effort from 2016. This is unfortunate, especially because James has clearly found new passion for his tracks this time. Hell, the vocals are often so strongly felt on 72s that many have said it feels like he might be over-compensating a bit for the other guys. The verse riff is a bit repetitive, even though I kinda like it anyway, sorta? It's fun-ish for about half as long as you hear it. Go figure. I like the uniqueness of the pre-chorus vocal here, and the juicy bend that James puts on the final notes of that riff are killer. The chorus at large is very heavy, has a nice tempo change and includes some great melodies. This might be my favorite chorus from the album. Post-chorus #2, the rest of the new stuff is just plain boring - the solo riff, the solo itself, and the closing riff will all quickly fatigue any fan of the genre. But it gets worse - the rhythm leading into the solo is almost exactly a mirror of the one used in ManUNkind - it even belongs to the same song part! While I've seen many comment that this record is back-loaded, I'm not convinced. This is mainly because it's difficult to love a song all the way through. This one should have been a real killer, but it's stuck with some unfortunate bloat in the second half which prevents it from being fantastic.
You Must Burn! is an interesting one for me. I didn't like it at all to start, but it grew on me a fair bit. The intro riff is very gripping - it sounds like great modern Metallica. But what follows is a lackluster, slothy main riff that also somehow wastes no time trying to hook you...?! I find myself trying to resist this; I like the groove, but I don't really care much for the uncreative notation. It's a weird experience that is exacerbated by the riff's regrettable persistence into the verse. Generally, whenever a group lacks a keyboardist I do not like when they duplicate the main riff for use in a verse. Especially when all you're sporting is guitar/bass/drum/vocals, you really need a few more moving parts than that. Build on what you've got, and give each section a unique flair and purpose. It just isn't enough to hold my attention when other bands employ loads of tactics to skillfully avoid this pitfall. Lyrically, this is an obvious commentary on the nightmarish social conditions we find ourselves in on the western side of the world. James makes sure to detail the consequences of cancel culture at large, and I am sure these words are felt by each member of the band. The vocal performance is one of my favorites - it's so twisty and bendy. He particularly bites down on the second chorus. Love that shit. "The perfect don't want you around" is such a kickass line! I should mention too, the post-chorus jam is anchored beautifully by Rob's massive bass slides. They're impossible to ignore, and he adds so much to this part in a live setting! The "impending doom" riff that leads into Kirk's solo is my least favorite part for the same reason I didn't like its sibling from Sleepwalk - it just doesn't provide anything useful. I know James loves this riff, and admittedly the chugging tail is good. Eh. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I expect more from pioneers. This song also showcases the first real vocal appearance from Rob (in the breakdown!) and if you aren't paying attention, you might miss it since it's mixed in with James. This section has a really cool Reload vibe that I would have liked more of; they do it well, and no one does it like them. Burn! is a bit lengthy, but mostly only because of how much fucking space that verse riff takes up. It could have smashed a bit harder if not for that.
Lux Æterna. As I discussed already, it suffers none of the arrangement problems of the rest. It almost doesn't belong on the album as a result. After hearing this, I had hopes for a much leaner Metallica record than the one we got. I've seen it said James likes leaner songs while Lars likes longer ones. While I love tracks of any length, I do generally wish for the parts to be worth hearing. Very strange circumstances surrounding this one. Why not take this approach more often? That said, Lux is probably the only number from 72s most people will hear, so maybe they're actually a bunch of fucking geniuses. Huh.
Crown of Barbed Wire is one I recall many being excited to hear, myself included. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of Load. I love that. This is more or less a sequel to King Nothing, right down to the surprisingly fun guitar solo! This tempo just feels fucking good, and it's one of few moments you'll hear some actual swing on 72s. What doesn't work for me is similar to the title track - the lyrics seem to say a whole lot of vague stuff. Not very illuminating. They feel played out even though they aren't bad. The song is pretty simplistic, but I don't knock it for that in this case. The main riff is a bit uneasy-sounding, and there is a mildly fun game of ping pong with the injection of hammer-ons in between repetitions. Conceptually, I like what they're doing here. It just falls a little flat for some reason. Neither chorus riff is very good. The latter is a weak variation of the former, which only makes it more boring. This is sad - James is utilizing some great melody here. The way he hangs on 'wire' is infectious! Dripping with character. I feel the song could have used a bit more of this attitude and charisma. As is common on the record already, the riff transitioning us toward the solo is repeated too many times, vastly overstaying its welcome. That said, I like this solo considerably more than most of the others. It feels right in Kirk's pocket, as though he never left the mid-late 90's. The way this section converges at the end for a bluesy callback to older days is fucking awesome. There's no way you can't hum along to that. Oh, and the closing riff is heavy as shit. Holy mother of God. One of my favorite 72s moments. In particular, there is something painfully missing from Crown that I cannot pinpoint. Perhaps it's merely the echo of its predecessor, but I can't help feeling this should have been an absolute giant! In light of what might-could-have been, this one's a bit bitter a listen.
Chasing Light...Okay, here we go. This is one of my least favorites because while admittedly it grew on me, there are some aspects which are lazy and unacceptable. First, an initially heavy, but ultimately tedious intro accomplishes absolutely nothing. Its vibe is instantly reset by the following main riff, thereby pointlessly killing a serviceable but "easy" Metallica moment. Is this now a new song, or the same one?? Combine this with Kirk's worthless octave-ing, and I am already annoyed. The main riff is odd, but pretty fun to play once you digest it. The verse vocals are strange too - something about this whole song lacks a cohesive "nucleus" if that makes any sense. The subject matter seems kinda similar to the Unforgiven, though it's thankfully not called Un4gIVen (it's a thing from the fan forum board) and thankfully the delivery doesn't at all feel like a retread. Very suddenly we break into a pre-chorus of sorts, wherein my favorite lyric is surely "Oh, he will break". Chasing Light has got a more storytelling feel, like Here Comes Revenge from HTSD. I generally like this in music. The chorus is very repetitive though, and while the riff is super chunky sounding (and a bitch to play, I might add) hearing James shout "Lean on me" every other line is...not good. It's not. I doubt we'll ever hear this live because of how high that note is for him, so my guess is they never intended to play it live to begin with. I don't understand why a band would do this, nor why Metallica does it so often. I would want to play everythin live, if I could. I dunno. ANYWAY. After lots of doomy vibes, about halfway through we suddenly give another middle finger to the establishment, and go full fucking Sabbath for some reason. Why?! This unexpected change to a bluesy riff ruins the feel. It would seem they are really losing what it means to piece together something consistent. After looping the riff too many times, we add in the lyrics. They repeat "One step down" every other line again, just to make sure the goldfish brains of today's generation heard it, I guess...but all this I could forget in light of what comes next - the laziest rhythm guitar section I can think of. Even before Kirk weedles on stage, the guitars have turned into the kind of mindless loop that would have any hater of St. Anger in a frenzy. When the key drops to E, there is one brief guitar moment in there which I very much like, but of course it is buried beneath Kirk's generica, and has to be dug out with tools in order to get the full oomph, much less decipher the notation. Closing out, the start-stop into the final chorus is simply irritating. It could not sound more randomly-generated, directionless or filler if someone tried, and I'm not fucking joking. This song also has what is likely the worst ending to any Metallica song - that is, a variation on a theme which began with the lazy solo rhythm guitar, only here it is faster, somehow even less impactful, and harsh on the ears to boot. This is a waste of an evocative title.
If Darkness Had a Son. Jesus, I don't even want to talk about this next one. It has an extremely black album atmosphere, and that alone is enough to make you book a tour with your agent. But you get inside, and there's this mind-numbing chug that seems to go on for infinity, only ever supplementing with a tiny, equally repetitive diddly on top. You aren't thankful for this either, because you've already grown fatigued by the FUCKING INTRO of a six-and-a-half minuter. With how incompetent the opening was managed, it's likely not a stretch to assume this is how the whole song is going to be. Spoiler alert. After the squandering of nearly a whole god damned 1:30, you suddenly hear the first real change. Immediately, you realize that this riff sounds way fucking better an octave down. That might your hopes back up, but this rollercoaster has more than one ace up its sleeve. Some might say this song owes to a bit of repetition in order to underscore the cyclical nature of its subject matter. Perhaps. But I'll just say that this isn't how I'd do it. The verse features the biggest drumming moment on the album. There is a fun octave duo between lower James and higher James here, and it's pretty sinister-sounding. He's definitely speaking from experience, and the intensity with which each verse concludes is easily enough to confirm this theory. The chorus is alright, but it doesn't progress enough toward the end. A bit flat, dynamically. The worst part though - we get dumped straight into more repetitive "non-riffing" every time it ends. Ugh. The riff leading us into the solo is a bit bonkers, and sounds like the narrator has finally lost his or her mind. I like this part a lot, but what follows is by far the most infuriating Kirk solo on 72 Seasons. He manages to drown out the fun, swinging rhythm and drum parts underneath, rehash passages from his previous guitar solos, and of course, it wouldn't be a modern Metallica song if it didn't repeat itself until I'm ready to say, "Just shut the fuck up already!" I will note, however - things become quite humorous when Lars just drops him off a cliff after all that shit. There is zero ceremony upon his exit to the third verse, as if his existence is merely being tolerated by the other bandmates. It truly sounds like they had no idea what else to do after such a monumental slog of "lead guitar". I have no clue either. But then, I wouldn't have let him put that solo on tape. Never before have I wished a Metallica song could have its solo removed, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Fuck. By the way, there are some awesome lyrics here, like "Dragging home this heathen harvest". I relate to his pain here more than I wish I did. The low register guitars create an exciting brick wall that feels ooey-gooey and saturated in the best way possible, but overall, 'Darkness' showcases near-all of 72s's weaknesses in one. This is by FAR far the weakest single. I could hardly believe they chose to play "duet" on social media with this, and that's not hyperbole. It's just so BASIC.
Too Far Gone is a desperately-needed return to something more succinct. Even if you don't like the song, you'd probably still acknowledge that it doesn't get in the way for too long. It doesn't really have the ability to hurt anyone for having been made. What a lovely selling point... Hetfield has some great barking presence here, and seems to be speaking from the heart once again. There is definitely some exorcism going on in their 2023 release, and I'm sure we could all stand to partake in it with him a little. "Am I too far gone to save? Help me make it through the day - just for today" - that is a great ending to the song, actually. You feel every note of the vocals here, for sure. While the pace of the chorus riff gets a bit zoomy, none of the riffing in this song has a spot reserved in my brain's long term memory. None of it is terrible, either, but I don't need to hear any of it again. This song is carried entirely by James, along with a pretty good setup for Kirk. I like whenever his leads begin with a heavily muted scale. That's such a classic sound. These said elements feel natural and good. The punk rock verse and sing-along-ready chorus stand out just a tad.
Room of Mirrors. I do quite like it. I'm so happy one of the more mysterious titles panned out for me. The song structure is mostly well-groomed outside the intro riff, and the pacing and variety are great. The verses feverishly begin laying the writer's insecurities on the table. We could have used something like this on Hardwired, but I'm glad we've gotten it here. The riffs do their jobs well, and I have no complaints. The vibe created during the chorus is just iconic. The lyrics are again on point here - "So I stand here, before you - you might judge, you might just bury me" is a lovely casting out of one's arms to the wind, standing fearlessly before a flurry of arrows. There is a particularly compelling itch to process the message on this song, owed part to James's conviction, and part to the tight arrangement's insistence that things get donebefore bedtime. I would be remiss without mentioning the guitar harmonies. Fans love them, and yeah, they're pretty great. They only get better each time they're introduced, and the progressively thickening layers are simply candy for the soul. The double bass moments are short but sweet, and I really like the snare rolls during the solo. My favorite moment is the transition back into the third chorus; it's heavy and very cleverly sewn together. Lars packs a super heavy hit or two in there as well. Love it. Overall, this song gets shit done, and comes fully cloaked in "beautiful metal" attire. Dammit, I wish this one was longer! Oh, no, no. Please not longer.
Inamorata is the fascinating title of our closing track. Everyone was chomping at the bit to dig into this one, and I think that's because we all kinda knew what it was going to be - an epic Metallica closer. We are first introduced to a pendulum-swing of barraging chords which then take us into a sludgy minor riff tail. People seem to really like that aspect of this song. It feels like it's burdened by something, if I were to personify it a little. I hate to say it though, the repetition is back. My god, just stop playing the same damn thing over and over. This isn't a jam session where we are feeling a vibe out for the first time. It's a professionally-recorded track that's supposed to cover some ground, preferably fucking today! There is a shit ton of overused C sharp in this track, and that is a plague I've personally found to be common among songs written in this key - monotony. It's why I scrapped the only track I ever attempted in C# many years ago. If you can get past that, you'll notice the verse riff tail has just a tad of Metallica chug to it, and that James's lyrics have taken the helm once more. The verse lyrics are quite good in my opinion, and I'm a little sad this is the only place on 72s where this sort of stuff can be found. But hey, glad to have it here, at least. The rhythm guitars are a bit...shall we say, unhelpful at times. They could have had more presence, more workload. Instead, they carry on as if only by obligation. In general, Inamorata feels a bit empty and in need of some extra instrumentation. They did this skillfully on the black album, and it is utterly beyond me that they never returned to this idea meaningfully in more than thirty years. And no, S&M doesn't fucking count. I know that for the most part, yes - Metallica likes bare-bones, but people are getting bored by that, and last time I checked, Metallica is a business now. LOL. Look, all I'm saying is that a new band could never get away with such a drag of an intro - not in 2024, and not in 1981, either. As such it's plain to see - they are the ones who've changed. Well then, let me just say - this trend needs to stop here and now, before people start falling asleep to their tracks instead of headbanging. The chorus is an incredible letdown due to the repetition and lack of pitch dynamics, and follows this album's trend of droning phrases four times in a row ("Wrath of man" 4x, "Lean on me" 4x, "One step down" 4x, "Temptation" 4x, and now finally "Misery" 4x). It's a very pop tactic to repeat shit that often, and that's not to say pop is without merits! It just isn't done well. It's barely even done...at all. The first half of this track is copy-paste at its worst. An absolute chore to persevere through. I am sorry if you blindly accepted this song because of what you wished it to be, but I'm a jaded idealist. Fortunately for you, the second half posits a bit more of what you were hoping for. The song's key works out much better for Kirk here than typically. Here he reminds me of the Load era again, and I disagree with people who say this solo is lazy. I think it's by far the most felt of the bunch, and above all, it undoubtedly flows better. The wah feels good here, and the breakdown sendoff is stellar. Aside from an obnoxiously narcissistic and overbearing hi hat loop from Lars, who has hardly contributed memorabilia to this record, there is a haunting, tender moment between the clean guitar and bass. It's kinda been a decade since that happened last. Here, James builds from a soft and vulnerable retracing of the chorus, up to a soul-igniting eruption that segues perfectly into the best melody of the album. My Friend of Misery is now the final track referenced by 72 Seasons, and I should add that the callbacks found throughout this record are a nice touch. Incredibly, the dual guitar harmonies make the riffs we've heard up 'til now suddenly seem worth it, as if it was all about this culminating moment from the very beginning. It's beautiful, and the way the instruments bounce off each other in an almost classical style is very noteworthy. This section is breathtaking, and it charges the final chorus with something much sweeter than the first two. But it's gone before you know it. You feel almost like something has passed you by, and it isn't coming back. Those final chords ring out, and it's hard not to feel sad. Is this the last Metallica studio note we'll ever hear? Inamorata could be a hell of a swan song. Part of me fears it will be. I know I will eventually live in a world where Metallica no longer exists, and that honestly bothers me.
Outside of Shadows Follow or Lux Æterna, 72 Seasons lacks a veritably "instant" song which makes any fan go, "Oh hell yeah." It is an album full of growers - for those in this world still willing to give it that kind of time. There's also a lot of by-the-numbers, spotty to no creativity from Lars/Kirk, and a noticeable compensation by James. ...And if you ask me, Kirk's got more going on than a lost phone. He had "so many ideas" for this next record. Then where are they? They certainly weren't recorded. You could probably invent an AI "Kirk-like" and bring more to the table. Hell, someone probably already has. Rob's got more input here, and it's about time, isn't it? Days seem to be mere seconds in Metallica's world. While it may not seem he has contributed much at first, it shows in lots of little ways, and I'm glad he's been given that chance. He's been the quiet sensei of Metallica for a while now - totally comfortable, yet capable of far more. And he still sounds exactly like a tractor which has parked outside your window. Regarding percussion, there is sparse variety to chew on outside base-level intuition and pure necessity. This area lacks breathing room, and unlike all previous albums, it seems Lars now absolutely needs a drum hit to be happening at all times - no matter how the dynamics suffer as a result. Any fan knows this is only going to get worse as time marches on. The repetition is the greatest weakness of 72s, and can hinder your ability to enjoy what would otherwise be an alright effort. If you have the Audacity program, I highly recommend you do what I did, and try your hand at some rearrangement. Trust me, you'll get way more out of it if you do. If you don't feel like doing that, I made my own and put it on YouTube. I guarantee you won't be able to go back to the originals. Overall, 72 Seasons is a ride. Though you may not love all that you hear, I suggest you go fishing anyway. It might be your last chance.
