Metallica’s 11th studio album, “72 Seasons” was released on April 14 — and is probably one of their best in a long time. After the release of “The Black Album” in 1991, fans of Metallica have argued that since then they’ve spent too much time trying to reinvent their sound, catering to newer fans or improving the production to the point where it no longer sounds authentic. However, in “72 Seasons,” Metallica has finally gone back to their roots and it’s refreshing.

One of the most interesting parts about “72 Seasons” is that it combines aspects of their older albums while also creating completely new, fresh tracks. Callbacks to other Metallica albums and other new wave heavy metal songs are present in songs like “Lux Æterna.” It seems like after so many years, Metallica is finally doing what they want to do instead of what they think is expected of them.

The first 72 seasons of someone’s life are directly equivalent to the first 18 years. After listening to the album, it’s clear why this was the name chosen. Hetfield’s experiences with divorce, rehab and drug abuse are extremely prevalent through his lyrics. The lyrics are bleak and agonizing, and paired with the music itself, they don’t leave much room for interpretation. It’s easy to tell that he wanted to portray the suffering that he thinks comes after the first 72 seasons of life, and particularly use the album as an outlet for his own pain during that time. 

One of my favorite songs from the album was the song itself, “72 seasons.” A perfect album starter — its intense vocals and complicated drumming set the tone for the rest of the album, and in my opinion, is a standard Metallica song that is hard to compare to.

Aside from the lyrics, the rest of the band also did a fantastic job. Hetfield’s singing sounds raspier and world-wearier than ever, and he proves to be an excellent frontman even 42 years later. Additionally, Ulrich’s drum solos are probably some of his best to date. They’re more complex than ever before, and definitely stood out to me on “72 Seasons.” Hammett and Trijillo also did amazing, and this album is proof that sometimes, musicians can only get better. 

However, at a runtime of 77 minutes, “72 Seasons” is not interesting or dynamic enough to be so long. Some songs like “Inamorta” or “You Must Burn!” drag on without much variation. Even coming from someone who usually loves long songs and albums, near the end I was getting bored. Aside from this, “72 Seasons” is a masterpiece. It’s a solid heavy metal album and I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in metal.

“72 Seasons:” ★★★★☆