Metallica frontman James Hetfield has said their 11th studio album is rooted in the past, its title a reference to “the first 18 years of our lives, that form our true or false selves … Much of our adult experience is re-enactment or reaction to those childhood experiences”. You could take this as the talk of a man who has spent a lot of time in therapy. In 2019 Hetfield entered rehab again, an experience that clearly informs a chunk of 72 Seasons’ lyrics. “Temptation, temptation,” he keeps repeating as If Darkness Had a Son kicks in. Too Far Gone? draws on the Alcoholics Anonymous principle of approaching recovery one day at a time. Chasing Light has him “down and out”, shaking with “deep withdrawals”. “Come on, give the boy a break,” he pleads, “or he will break.”
