After a six-year hiatus on releasing new material, Metallica is back in a big way, announcing dates on Monday for a massive run of North American and European concerts in 2023-24 and dropping a scorching new video featuring a track from their upcoming album, “72 Seasons.”
If the new track, “Lux Æterna,” is any indication, Metallica is going back to its thrash metal roots on the new record, and singer/guitarist James Hetfield is even rocking a white Flying V-style guitar in the flashy video. The instrument may bring a smile and the urge for some age-appropriate moshing for diehard fans who will recognize the nod to the legendary Electra-built copy from the band’s “Kill ‘Em All” debut album and live shows back in the early ’80s.
When will the new Metallica album ‘72 Seasons’ be released?
The 12-track, 77-minute long “72 Seasons” was produced by Greg Fidelman, Hetfield and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and is scheduled for release on April 14, 2023. Fans can submit preorders now for the record in multiple formats including CD, a vinyl double-album (in two different vinyl color variations) or digital file.
So, what’s the meaning behind “72 Seasons”?
Hetfield offered this breakdown in a press statement:
“72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”
And, here’s the track list:
- “72 Seasons.”
- “Shadows Follow.”
- “Screaming Suicide.”
- “Sleepwalk My Life Away.”
- “You Must Burn!”
- “Lux Æterna.”
- “Crown of Barbed Wire.”
- “Chasing Light.”
- “If Darkness Had a Son.”
- “Too Far Gone?”
- “Room of Mirrors.”
- “Inamorata.”
When does Metallica’s M72 tour begin and how can I buy tickets?
On Monday, Metallica released dates for its 22-city “M72” international tour that kicks off less than two weeks after the new album drops next April. The band announced it will be playing two dates in each city (except Mexico City, which will see four dates) and the stops will feature a “No Repeat Weekend” format with “two totally different set lists with two different bands opening the show each night.” Opening acts for the tour, which runs through September 2024, include Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Pantera, Volbeat and Greta Van Fleet.
Two-day discounted tickets will be on sale Friday, Dec. 2, for all shows. Metallica Fan Club presales start early on Wednesday, Nov. 30, with various other presales beginning later that day and throughout the week, according to the band’s website. To request your Fan Club presale code, visit metallica.com/presale-code. Single-day tickets will also be available starting Jan. 20, 2023.
