It's worth taking a moment to compose yourself before listening to 72 Seasons, the new album from the biggest metal band of all time, so you won’t fall prey to a knee-jerk reaction. Hardcore Metallica fans have long wanted to hear a return to the fire of those hallowed first four records, and to shout their excitement from the rooftops. Instead, their disappointment has led to some unfair criticisms of the band, especially about their post-St. Anger material.
Yes, Metallica have had serious wobbles, such as the critical mauling of 2011’s Lulu. They’ve also given us moments of pure class, like Moth Into Flame from 2016’s Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, which is now worthy of classic 'Tallica status. But for most of this millennium, they’ve simply been an agreeably solid metal band – which is broadly how they come across on 72 Seasons. Even having to listen from the comfort of a record company office, it’s clear that it would be far more unsatisfactory were it not for James Hetfield, the undoubted man of the match here. He’s always provided the emotional pull for Metallica, but rarely, if ever, has he laid himself as bare as he does here.
