Having lived with Metallica's 72 Seasons for well over a year, and having ranked it in the mid tier of their albums recently, it' surely time to go through the album track by track, and give my thoughts.
Now if anyone was actually reading this, I would guarantee they'd be saying "No, please don't do that". But there isn't, so I will.
72 Seasons
I wasn't sure what to make of this at first listen. The guitar tone sounded more like AC/DC than Metallica. As the intro progressed into the up-tempo beat (around 50 seconds in), I was non-plussed. That felt a bit forced. Once it gets back down to mid tempo at around 01:05, the riffs take hold, and it turns out to be a solid track. The main riff at 01:25 is great. The "Staring into black light, dominating birthright" bit is not great, and the up-tempo chorus section doesn't do it for me either. This shines during the mid paced sections. Solid, if too long. 7/10
Shadows Follow
A cool, twisty main riff, a well crafted chorus, and an enjoyable segue into the solo, and back out. The "Batman" riff is also a nice little treat - I spotted that straight away at the cinema "listening event". Another 7/10 for me.
Screaming Suicide
This is a difficult one for me. While I applaud James for tackling the subject matter, this song doesn't do it for me at all. I like the segment around 02:40 heading into the solo, and then the tom-tom pounding segment immediately after it, but generally, this is one that gets skipped. I really don't like the "listen well, you better listen well" bit at all. 5/10
Sleepwalk My Life Away
Another "skipper". The main riff sounds like another twist on Enter Sandman (joining King Nothing and Now That We're Dead, but without the redeeming features of either). You know how a lot of old time Metallica fans, and the band themselves hate Escape? Well Escape is miles better than this. I can't find anything positive about this, sorry. It's just... there, plodding along, not doing much. 4/10
You Must Burn!
Imagine Thor carrying an anvil on the back of an elephant. That's still not as heavy as this riff. Sad But True got an update. Stank faces everywhere in the cinema when this behemoth crashed in. Get's a bit Black Sabbath towards the end, but, they did start it all, so you can't complain too much. One of Kirk's better solos. A weighty 8/10
Lux Aeterna
Watching Thomas Lang playing along to this drum track, sweating like a very sweaty thing, brought home how much energy Lars is burning through every night (sadly that video no longer appears on YouTube). As a surprise, from out of nowhere single, this was glorious. In the context of the full album, it's not outstanding, but it's not bad either. At just over 3 minutes, it's as close as they'll get to a throwaway pop song. Highlights include the relentless double bass, (which for some reason people don't think is real) and the various lyrical throwbacks to Kill 'Em All. Good fun. But it's not what I'm living for. 6/10
Crown of Barbed Wire
I love this song. Very much in the mould of "Load" and "Reload". A grooving main riff, held down by a thumping, simple single bass drum /snare beat. James twists the "Wire" in the chorus and it sounds great. As per a lot of tracks, things slow down before we get to the guitar solo. This is the standout solo for me. (Full disclosure, I'm not that into guitar solos, they are when I metaphorically "go and put the kettle on", but this is a great one). The only thing wrong with this track is the horrendous video that accompanies it. I never watch it though. 9/10. No ragrets.
Chasing Light
Lean on ME!! Could have been mid, but rescued by the chorus. I imagine fans have a great time joining in. 6/10
If Darkness Had a Son
The best of the singles? A hugely long intro, finally kicks in leaving them sounding very briefly like Slayer (around 01:00). The "Temptation" chants kick in, with a menacing groovy riff, and away we go. In all, it's a bit long, and repetitive, but I can't get the "Seasons in the Abyss" era Slayer comparison out of my head. I do like it overall, but it could have been shorter. 7/10
Too Far Gone?
Another song with a catchy riff, a catchy chorus, but doesn't seem to go anywhere. Until around 02:30 where they hit a glorious riff / guitar harmony, which following the Kirk-by-numbers solo, they return to. 7/10
Room of Mirrors
A song of 2 halves. It's OK, without being anything too memorable for the first bit. Then around 02:45, as James shouts "or you might set me FREE" , it could well be the song itself shouting that as Kirk rips off a solo and the rest of the band take off with him. Just as it seems to be ending at around 03.30, they go off on another tangent, James and Kirk in harmony and Lars throws some double bass into the mix. Finally, around 04:45, the song does indeed get set free. More double bass and harmonised guitars take us out. 7/10
Inamorata
Lars. We know you have hi-hats. We didn't need them turned up to 11 during the quiet bit (05:20 onwards). They are literally all I can think about during this section - I can barely hear Rob's bass.
Each time I listen, I hope, somehow, that they will be quieter in the mix, but no, there they are, sloshing around. Someone, somewhere, should have put their foot (and the sound desk faders) down.
It's shocking how much they dominate that section. Thankfully, as we come out of it into what I assume is one of James solos (he does this sort of stuff so well) we can almost forget them (they are still in there but not as dominant)
A set of really groovy hard rock riffs, fantastic vocals from James. "Misery, she needs me.." You can't help but sing along to the chorus. An emotional outro.
The thought occurred to me, as I listened in the cinema, that this could be the last ever closing track on a Metallica album.
I hope not, but if it is, what a way to go out. Kirk delivers, Lars is double bassing, James and Rob are throwing down the riffs...fantastic. Easily one of the best things they've ever done. 9/10
So there you go, an unplanned post really, written off the cuff as I listen to it with a more critical ear than usual. With some editing, it could have been outstanding. As it is, it's a treat to have new Metallica music, and they still hit way more often than they miss.