Metallica is one of my favorite bands. They not only provided a solid gateway into the genre of rock and metal but their music holds up over time. Across their eleven albums, you will find some of the best guitar licks ever accompanied by the fantastic vocals from James Hetfield, which have remained consistently good from their debut album.

Despite being a great band overall, Metallica certainly has had various dips in quality over its lifecycle. 2016 saw the release of their last album Hardwired to Self Destruct, a piece that I was ambivalent about, to say the least. While it wasn’t their worst record it never succeeded in delivering a lasting impression especially when compared to the band’s previous work.

72 Seasons is the newest album from the legendary thrash metal group. Published by Blackened Records, the album totals 12 songs and runs for an hour and 17 minutes. Unfortunately, I can’t say this album starts out on a positive note. The first two songs (the title track and “Shadows Follow”) are some of the blandest I’ve heard. They are easily listenable but they are lacking in a new sound.

Each one ticks all your usual boxes for thrash and delivers the same sound that the band has curated better in previous work. For example “Screaming Suicide” sounds to me like a slightly worse version of “Sad but True” with more generic grooves. If you are a new fan these are some good sample songs but for veterans, you’ll find yourself quickly bored.

This is the trend that the rest of the album follows. Like Hardwired before it, the whole project feels very safe and delivers some decently composed tracks with clear messages and ideas. The instrumental performances are solid, with some nice guitar and bass work from Kirk Hammett and Rob Trujillo respectively.

“Sleepwalk My Life Away” is one of the better songs for this reason and I feel it deserves more attention for the bass section alone. You could also make the argument this is a retread of “Enter Sandman” which I could understand. Nonetheless, it’s one of the few songs I enjoyed from beginning to end.

The follow-up song “You Must Burn” presents some interesting ideas with a slower tempo than most of the songs thus far. However, it overstays its welcome by the end. I wish the song had evolved into more of a ballad considering the lyrics are ripe for storytelling. Speaking of ballads this album is sorely missing one which is a shame.

It means there is the absence of another essential aspect of the band’s style. Songs like this one, “Crown of Barbed Wire,” and “Room of Mirrors” have potential but fall somewhat short. Given the exceedingly dark subject matter of some of the themes here it would be nice to take a few moments to build upon them rather than being forced into them from the start.

Moving onward is the lead single “Lux AEterna.” It deserves that title, delivering a quick pace and solid groove that never lets up from beginning to end. Overall, it is a fun song that hits just the right edges to be broadly appealing to many fans. However, we then trend back towards mediocrity with  “Chasing Light” a song so forgettable I don’t have anything more to say about it whatsoever.

On the other hand, “If Darkness Had a Son” is much more interesting with vivid imagery conveyed well through James’ vocals and delivery. Though the actual lyrics themselves are slightly goofy for my personal taste, it at least sticks out amongst the other songs. Next is “Too Far Gone?” which is another highlight. The main riff and vocal hooks are quite punchy and satisfying. Once again, James gives another fantastic vocal performance that helps unify everything and leaves you bobbing your head along with the tune.

The final song “Inamorata” is eleven minutes in length and is perfect for background music but not much else. It’s a closer that only solidified my feelings of disinterest toward this album. I don’t hate the songs here but I also don’t imagine that I’ll return to this album again. Even the most memorable songs here lack that earworm potential. The main riffs and melodies feel unexciting and generic. I suppose it makes sense at this point in a band’s lifecycle, but I feel they still have the potential to churn out something truly memorable.

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72 Seasons

13.99

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Decent song writing
• Solid instrumentals
• James' vocals still sound great

Cons

• Many bland tracks
• Unexciting overall