Metallica released their new album “72 Seasons” on April 14. The entirety of the album includes twelve tracks and is a total of 77 minutes long. 

Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in 1981. Metallica’s current band lineup is made up of founders James Hetfield, on the guitar, and Lars Ulrich, on the drums, as well as lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo. They have released a total of eleven studio albums and played over 1,600 live shows. The band is most recognized for their song “Enter Sandman,” which was released in 1991. 

The album includes four singles “Lux Æterna,” which was released on Nov. 28, 2022 along with the albums title and release date, tracklist and a promotional tour, “Screaming Suicide,” released on Jan. 19, “If Darkness Had a Son,” released on March 1, and “72 Seasons,” released on March 30. 

Some of the tracks on the album are being received as better than others by fans. 

“There are most definitely highs such as the lead single Lux Æterna and the title track 72 seasons but it falls short and reaches its lows during songs like Chasing Light and If Darkness Had a Son,” said Logan Melia, senior.

And most Metallica listeners noticed the extreme similarity in most of the songs on “72 Seasons.” 

“I liked the songs ‘Shadows Follow,’ ‘Lux Æterna’ and ‘Too Far Gone?’” said Elizabeth Zock, junior. “But honestly, most of the songs on the album lack originality.” 

The repetitive sounds and lyrics made the album’s longer songs difficult to listen to. 

“Metallica’s signature repeating guitar riffs are punchy but lose some of its lust in its longer songs like ‘If Darkness Had a Son’ and Metallica’s longest track yet ‘Inamorata’,” Melia said. 

But, there is something to be said for the instrumentals that Metallica is able to curate. 

“Metallica goes crazy on the instruments but in an absolutely awesome way,” Zock said. “It’s perfectly chaotic.”

James Hetfield is even known to be one of the best guitarists of all time. 

“The guitar sound that Metallica is able to create is genuinely impressive even though it feels reused,” said Phoebe Paarlberg, senior. 

Overall, fans were expecting more from Metallica’s most recent album. 

“This record, although packed full of screeching guitars and a heavy presence instrumentally, Hetfield’s shallow lyrics on songs like ‘you must burn’ leaves more to be desired,” Melia said. To listen to Metallica’s “72 Seasons” on Spotify, click here.