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METALLICA
72 Seasons

Blackened Recordings (2023)
Rating: 8/10

The U2 of the heavy metal world returns after a century of silence with an over-long, compressed and yet impressively vigorous opus that may prompt some of the more naive fans to exclaim that this is Metallica returning to its thrash roots. Unfortunately, Metallica hasn’t been a thrash act since the echoes of 1988 before eventually succumbing to the world of plod then hipster rock. Even so, there is enough snap and snarl here to possibly excite the original fans whose arthritic ridden neck bones might give in to just one last headbang.

I guess since their 90s blips, James Hetfield and co. have half-hinted returns to thrashier climes, but the issue with such sentiments has been age and wealth because no matter how much bands attempt to return to their roots the youthful, no fucks given punk attitude just no longer exists. That’s why the last few Metallica albums have been initially ravenously lapped up by over-excited fans who soon realise that the days of the first three albums are long gone.

But concentrating on the now we still get treated to a sprightly platter littered with catchy, sharp and well oiled riffs, cleverly constructed emotive passages, New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-influenced sneers and the more familiar strikes of the majestic and epic which nod towards the deep and melancholic side of Hetfield’s psyche. Sure, there is more apparent purpose on this record, as was also hinted on the band’s previous outing – Hardwired… To Self-Destruct (2016) – but this time round the tone feels bleaker even with the snaps of aggressive and at times misleading speed flurries which almost, for some anyway, may be a reflection on the 1983 Kill ’Em All debut.

As the lead single, ‘Lux Æterna’ was our introduction to the opus; a literal speed demon of a track with Lars Ulrich’s percussion slapping on point to the wiry drive of Robert Trujillo’s seething bass. Even with that decidedly hasty approach it still feels mechanical and new and a world away from the actual rawness of thrash metal, and that’s where recent Metallica stands with me and as evidenced throughout this album.

The opening title track offers abrasive, scathing guitars provided by Kirk Hammett who duels with the Hetfield crunch. There is certainly a channelling of feisty, traditional metal such as Judas Priest and Diamond Head throughout this outing which excels itself mostly via Hetfield’s deep lyrical content based around alcoholism and other dark matters.

Considering some of the turkeys the band has put out this return to brashness was never going to harm them, and to an extent this opus feels somewhat poignant and with the feel of a swansong. The title track plus ‘Shadows Follow’, ‘Room Of Mirrors’ and ‘Lux Æterna’ all boast that crisp, driving aesthetic, but for the most part, and possibly due to production, there is too much emphasis on restraint which results in this work being at times forced and even formulaic in spite of some of its twists. There are no bad tracks to speak of, it’s just that the album marches with a NWOBHM familiarity and suggesting a band that has been playing within its limits for decades so as to adhere to market and trend. After all, there’s not a lot here that you wouldn’t have heard on countless other trad metal outings and so I sense an element of comfort within the camp that they exist on a tight leash.

‘Screaming Suicide’ begins like a groove-laden Corrosion Of Conformity track and then ambles with intent, as do the chugging, bass led ‘Sleepwalk My Life Away’, the rattling ‘Crown Of Barbed Wire’ and the almost militant stomp of ‘If Darkness Had A Son’. It’s brooding heavy metal that will stir the stadium cauldrons while the fanatics wait for ‘Seek And Destroy’, ‘Master Of Puppets’ etc., but it is my intention so as to not compare such halcyon delights to what is obviously a different band in a different era.

There is still enough thrash metal around to appease the more reckless and rowdy within our metal fold, but just don’t expect such devilish dynamism here even if you’re lured in by a myriad of tasty riffs (‘Too Far Gone?’), chugging menace (‘Chasing Light’) and doomy majesty (‘Inamorata’). Metallica’s 11th full-length studio composition remains a sturdy yet fraught and tense opus but, most importantly, it is their best for some time.

Neil Arnold

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