Metallica 72 Seasons Review: A Track-by-Track Look

The Cinema Experience That Started It All

On the evening of April 13, 2023, I sat in a dark movie theater with the volume cranked up, waiting for Metallica's new album, 72 Seasons, to wash over me from a cinema sound system. The official release date was April 14, 2023, but the band had organized a global cinematic listening event in select theaters the night before. Clips played between tracks, band members offered commentary, and the whole thing felt less like an album premiere and more like a private screening with friends you had never met.

I had been living with the early singles since they dropped on Spotify. "Lux Æterna" arrived first on November 28, 2022, a fast, punchy shot of old-school thrash energy. "Screaming Suicide" followed on January 19, 2023, and "If Darkness Had a Son" landed on March 1, 2023. By the time the theater lights dimmed, those three tracks were practically worn out from repeat plays. Still, hearing them through a proper cinema setup, surrounded by other fans, hit differently.

My first full listen in that theater earned the album an 8/10 from me. After four or five more complete spins over the following days, that rating has held steady. This is a heavy record, dense and layered. The first pass does not give everything away. It rewards patience, revealing new corners with each rotation. Some songs grab you immediately; others sneak up on you by the third or fourth listen. That is the kind of album this is, one that asks for your time before it shows you what it is really doing.

Opening Shots: 72 Seasons and Shadows Follow

The title track hits like a door kicked open. "72 Seasons" opens the album with a main riff that feels alive, almost breathing, as it locks into place with a power that grabs you from the first second. Lars Ulrich himself reportedly said during the cinematic listening event that either this song or "Lux Æterna" would make a killer opener, and honestly, he was right on both counts.

There's something about that riff that feels organic, like it grew out of the studio floor rather than being constructed. It's the kind of sound that makes you understand why Metallica chose this as the album's namesake. My prediction? When they hit the road, this is how they'll open their shows. The bass intro will come through the tape, building anticipation, and then that crash will hit live and the whole room will shake.

"Shadows Follow" steps in as track two and takes a sharp turn into progressive territory. The riffs weave through odd rhythms that I couldn't even count while listening, which is saying something. That intro, though, it carries a distinct Overkill flavor that caught me off guard in the best way. But here's where the song stumbles a bit. The outro just doesn't know when to quit. There are moments at 5:10, again at 5:30, and once more at 5:55 where the song could have landed its final note perfectly. Instead, it keeps going, and that endless quality takes some of the edge off what is otherwise a seriously strong track.

Singles and Misses: From Moth Into Flame to Sleepwalk

"Screaming Suicide" arrived as the second single on January 19, 2023, and it earns its place in the album's upper tier. The track feels like the direct successor to "Moth Into Flame" from 2016's Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, carrying that same restless, charging energy. The "listen well" and "keep me inside" sections are the standout moments here, the kind of vocal hooks that burrow in and stay with you long after the song ends.

Not every track hits that mark, though. "Sleepwalk My Life Away" opens with an intro that genuinely excites, all tension and promise, but then the song settles into something far more tedious. It is the rare Metallica track that feels like a chore to sit through, and it will likely become the least-played song on the record. The band has always had filler across their catalog, but this one struggles to justify its runtime.

"You Must Burn!" sits in a similar boat, though for different reasons. The riff carries a distinct "Sad But True" flavor, a 2023 model of that classic chug, but the song never quite reaches the heights of its predecessor. I would rate it below average for this album. That said, James Hetfield's vocal performance deserves praise, particularly the groovy ending section that finally gives the track some life. It is a mixed bag, and the weaker moments here show that even Metallica cannot nail every single experiment.

Lux Æterna and the Load/Reload Echoes

When "Lux Æterna" dropped as the first single on November 28, 2022, it felt like a promise of something lean and hungry. The track rips along at a pace that recalls the band's early eighties fury, all speed and adrenaline. But here's the thing: it's the only short, fast song on the whole record. Everything else on 72 Seasons moves slower, heavier, more deliberate. That contrast makes the single stand out, almost like a bright flash before the long dusk that follows.

There's an unverified rumor floating around that James Hetfield wanted the entire album to carry the name "Lux Æterna." As the original account goes, he pushed for it, but this has not been confirmed by any reliable source. As the story goes, the band ultimately went with 72 Seasons instead. Honestly, that might have been the right call. Making the title track the signature song would have set expectations for a record that deliberately refuses to stay in that gear. The album is not Kill 'Em All revisited. It's something else entirely, something that owes more to the mid-nineties than the early eighties.

That debt becomes obvious on "Crown of Barbed Wire," which opens the album's second half. The chorus practically drips with Reload energy. You can hear it in the swagger, the way the vocal melody sits back against the groove. And the background chords? They reportedly mirror "Dragon" from Lulu, that strange 2011 collaboration with Lou Reed that still confuses people to this day. Whatever you think of that album's legacy, those chord changes found a better home here.

Not every track lands with the same force. "Chasing Light" is one of the weaker moments on the record, a song that never quite reaches its potential. The riff is good. The tempo is right. But something's missing in the execution, like a dish with all the right ingredients that somehow comes out bland. It could have competed with the album's strongest songs if it had been shaped differently. As it stands, it's a missed opportunity, especially coming after the groove-heavy "Crown of Barbed Wire."

The Load and Reload fingerprints show up throughout the whole project, not just on those two tracks. In this reviewer's opinion, the band has been circling this sound for years, and on 72 Seasons they finally commit to it fully. The result is an album that rewards patience, one that reveals its layers with each listen. The first single might have promised speed, but the record itself is about something deeper, something that takes its time.

The Final Stretch: Inamorata and the Verdict

The closing run delivers its most memorable moments in the album's final three tracks, with the 11-minute, 10-second epic "Inamorata" standing as the undeniable centerpiece. This is where the band's Load and Reload influences shine brightest, and where the listener finally understands what this record has been building toward all along.

Before that grand finale, "If Darkness Had a Son" (the third single, released March 1, 2023) earns its place as a guaranteed concert crowd-pleaser. Robert Trujillo himself has pointed to this one as a live highlight, and it's easy to hear why. The groove hits hard, the chorus sticks, and it carries that anthemic quality that translates effortlessly to arena singalongs.

"Too Far Gone?" suffers from unfortunate placement. Its chorus genuinely takes you somewhere, lifting the spirit with strong harmonies, but sandwiched between "If Darkness Had a Son" and the powerful "Room of Mirrors," it risks getting lost in the shuffle. Both "Room of Mirrors" and "Too Far Gone?" clock in at a solid 4 to 5 minutes, proving the band can still tell a complete story in a compact frame. "Room of Mirrors" particularly impresses with its harmonies and outro, even if the solo section slows the momentum slightly.

Then comes "Inamorata." The album's emotional peak, this closing track draws inevitable comparisons to "Fixxer" and "Outlaw Torn" from the Load/Reload era. In this writer's estimation, it falls short of "Outlaw Torn" but surpasses "Fixxer." James Hetfield's delivery of the word "misery" and several riffs nod directly to "My Friend of Misery," creating a thread back to the Black Album. The slow middle section works beautifully, though one wishes Lars Ulrich's hi-hat were quieter in the mix; that constant ticking sound occasionally masks the other instruments.

Stepping back, the reviewer believes the album blends the Hardwired...To Self-Destruct sound with Load and Reload material, though this is a subjective musical assessment rather than a settled fact. The reviewer's claim that the record contains no ballads is debatable; tracks like "Sleepwalk My Life Away" and "Inamorata" itself carry ballad-like qualities that give the album emotional breathing room. The writer rates this effort slightly above Hardwired, noting that while its strongest moments are very strong indeed, Metallica should consider working with a better producer next time around. This doesn't feel like a final statement from the band, just a snapshot of where they stood in 2023.