sorry, if an apology is bewilderingly required, for not giving this one of them variations of "day of release" titles. if it is of consequence or note, this did all arrive on the day of release, via the post. yes, a preference was and always shall be to go to HMV for new releases, look you see, but that's not always possible.
anyway, here is where we are now. where we are now is the new album off of Metallica, called 72 Seasons, presumably for some altruistic artistic reason instead of calling it, say 18 Years. or 216 Months or even 936 Weeks, to save you some calculator issues. the thing of it being "seasons" does sound quite cool, mind, so no really complaints or issues with the name. even if i did have complaints, presumably the answer to them would be so what?
for those in a rush, yes, this album is particularly good. great, even. excellent. exactly which you would say is rather (somewhat) dependent on if you are a fan of, or are down with, the Metallica sound. no, i am most certainly not saying "all Metallica songs sound the same", but they do have a defining style of music, and if you're not taken by it by this point i would consider it unlikely it shall win you over. that said, and i really don't know where "the kids" hear new music these days, any new fans this album attracts are sure in for some fun when they explore their other records.
in what way is it good? well, you've got four (4) men braying the absolute f*** out of instruments, very loudly and with remarkable skill, whilst one of them sings in a style which very much remains one of shouting "oh yes you are f*****g going to listen to me, for i shall drown out all else". it continues on rather nicely indeed from the previous album, Hardwired, and the one before that, Death Magnetic. as in we are so far removed from St Anger we really can pretend it never happened.
bit of a mixed bag feel with the lavish packaging for the disc variation of 72 Seasons. it all folds out, as you can see in the above, and yes you do find the disc to play inside. eventually. i am sure they arty, monochrome, chiselled, grizzled look of the band in the images makes sense to them. not certain but i am assuming they are in their 60s now, or really very close. James Hetfield is looking (quite) disturbingly like that old bloke on that show about bikes (American Chopper, i think) what did loads and loads of pointing and shouting. from what i can remember, didn't watch much of it, for i found it frightful and rather dreadful. also featured across the artwork are images of childhood (and growing up) things all burned and destroyed. this, again. is presumably some artistic comment too clever for me.
music quality? the seven (or so) years since the last album appear to have been spent wisely. no dud tracks here at all, with each of them (12, i think) offering something of interest. so far, after a couple or a few plays, nothing has really grabbed me like Moth Into Flame or Hardwired did, but no track has suggested it will get skipped on any or all future plays. exactly how many future plays this shall get remains to be seen. i just don't have the time available, or years ahead, to play is as often as i shall have played my favourite, And Justice For All, or Metallica (Black Album) or Master Of Puppets.
indeed i did buy the tape (disc) and the tape (actual tape). both together off of their website was, with postage (reasonable but) excluded, £20. they are decent to the fans, and/or wish to sell lots. indeed the latter was achieved with it going to the top of the UK album chart, outselling the rest of the top five combined. healthy, compared in particular to other, ludicrous pricing exercises. no, i haven't played the tape (which is a tape), but i was pleased to see them do it "proper" and not a cheap thing in a cardboard sleeve. the tape is now owned by William, who has a "thing" for tapes. and why not.
every now and then some degree of familiarity creeps in. like on the first track. when James is singing wrath of man on this, the titular tune of 72 Seasons, it's quite easy to find yourself singing along, except you are singing exit light. oh. there's a fair few other moments where musically you get the feeling you have heard it before, but at least they appear to borrow only off of themselves. well, one track sounds a bit like the middle of It's So Easy off of Guns N Roses but i assume by accident.
perhaps the biggest fright i got on this, or any Metallica album, was (is) the first ten or so seconds of track nine, If Darkness Had A Son. it starts of sounding suspiciously like a quasi synth pop new wave song with Lars' drums. however, that soon gives way to the classic sound, and to be fair some of their bestest guitar hammering. no synthesizers involved, then.
my favourite tune off of the album? i don't really have one. none of them are bad, none of them stand out and say "this is the best thing here". which i sincerely mean as a compliment. i think it's quite safe to state that their view is if it isn't perfect it isn't on the album since day one. sure, certainly every now and then what they believe is perfect differs from the audience, but not all that much.
where next for Metallica? enjoying success with this one, i would expect. the standard has become for them to promote and tour a record for two to three years, and i dare say this shall be no different. unless it is so they feel the need to take collective feet from the pedal. so far as i am aware they have some headline festival shows coming up, and will probably have some gigs in their own right. going on their current rate (or ratio) the next album (if there is one) is likely not due until 2030, which is a scary number to write down. undoubtedly they shall not be too old to rock at that point, but if i am here then it may well be that i am too old to roll with it. so, let me just dig this one.
should for some reason you really, really like Metallica but haven't as yet picked up this new album, well, off you go with confidence and do precisely that.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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