Metallica... New album '72 Seasons'

[Pagan Saviour]

Though it's never embarrassing, the record doesn't come close to justifying its length and limited palette. By the time we arrive at the 11-minute closer, "Inamorata," we're already well over an hour in, and are numb from the repetition.

[Eoin McLove]

Though it's never embarrassing, the record doesn't come close to justifying its length and limited palette. By the time we arrive at the 11-minute closer, "Inamorata," we're already well over an hour in, and are numb from the repetition.

How many people wrote that review? Or is it the royal we? Maybe it was written by Prince William...

[Necro Red]

I had Load on the other day, some decent stuff there and a 3/5 album for me. Reload not as good but everything after that was downhill most definitely.

I used to despise Load when I was younger. I actually think it's a solid album these days. Just a good hard rock album is all. I think the style on Load/Reload would suit the band more to play than trying too hard to be "Thrash" I'll give the new one a listen, but won't be going out of my way to buy it anytime soon. It's like the band are surrounded by yes men. Where is the producer that says " maybe shorten this song" etc? At least Bob Rock made the band practice very hard and really work. Listen to solos on black compared to the last 3 albums for example. Am I wrong?

[The Butcher]

Album has leaked and pretty much confirms what people have been talking about - Metallica being a spent force and quality control has been out the window for 2 decades at least. The strength of the first 4 albums has given them long lasting clout and sure, 1 good album in the Black album and 1 decent rock album across the next 2. I for one, love to beat this dead horse    like every metalhead has at some stage 

[astfgyl]

Is there anything to be said for another mass?

[Circlepit]

I'm going to buy it and put it on the shelf after 1 go. Why I don't know.

[The Heretic]

Is there anything to be said for another mass?

      

[The Butcher]

The main guitar riff from that Lenny Kravitz song 'Are You Gonna Go My Way' is meshed into that last song 'Inamorata' for the verses and I can't unhear it. The dual lead section towards the end is good though, probably because Hetfield wrote it.

[Trev]

Well, bit the bullet and stuck it on yesterday. I was working so wasn't really paying full attention but it still felt like a lot of songs melded into each other.

There was definitely some cool riffs and nice moments, Hetfield is on good form, and the bass is a lot more prominent although the production still isn't the best. It probably is the best thing they've done in 20 years, but still very much a 6/10 album

Can't understand why they didn't trim it down to 72 minutes long though

[astfgyl]

They have a real thing about using up all the minutes on the CDs

[Born of Fire]

Had a listen of it there. Waaaaayyy too long altogether. Hetfields vocals sound good and some of the songs start strongly but ultimately they all go nowhere. It's like they had a handful of solid riff ideas but no idea of how to make a good song from those. I really can't fathom why they insist on such long track lengths when they haven't been able to craft music that can carry the length in decades. Not an awful album but also not one that's really worth revisiting either.

[Eoin McLove]

For a band that has the luxury to spend endless time in a studio, spend weeks and months crafting and honing ideas without the day to day distractions of work, to not be able to develop a single idea into a complete, sensible song is baffling. Any half decent musicians with a fraction of that time could at least muster up some music that begins somewhere and evolves into something new along the way. The very basics of song craft seem to be lost on them. Maiden are guilty of that too but at least know how to make a Maidenesque verse chorus combo, however predictable. They just don't know what to do next other than drag the tortured ring out of every idea until after 8 or 9 minutes you pray to God the cunting thing will come to an end so you can get back to watching paint dry.

[The Heretic]

For a band that has the luxury to spend endless time in a studio, spend weeks and months crafting and honing ideas without the day to day distractions of work, to not be able to develop a single idea into a complete, sensible song is baffling. Any half decent musicians with a fraction of that time could at least muster up some music that begins somewhere and evolves into something new along the way. The very basics of song craft seem to be lost on them. Maiden are guilty of that too but at least know how to make a Maidenesque verse chorus combo, however predictable. They just don't know what to do next other than drag the tortured ring out of every idea until after 8 or 9 minutes you pray to God the cunting thing will come to an end so you can get back to watching paint dry.

Spot on

[Pagan Saviour]

For a band that has the luxury to spend endless time in a studio, spend weeks and months crafting and honing ideas without the day to day distractions of work, to not be able to develop a single idea into a complete, sensible song is baffling

Therein lies the problem, all the time and money in the world but no passion for their craft. There needs to be an element of life disruption for the creative process to truly take place, worry about a pay check, life issues and so forth, even a recording budget for a smaller band might pile the creative pressures on, the necessity to get the job done -all these lads have to worry about is what swathe of land in San Francisco or record plant they'll buy next

If you take a smaller act, they might have to work a job between album cycles meaning if they're devoting spare time to music you can be sure it's because it's what they love.

So it's baffling and it's not in a sense. The thing that blows me away is the approach they've taken since St Anger of recording snippets and stapling them together through the wizardry of pro-tools.

[Eoin McLove]

Yep. Zero craft, passion or even at this point understanding of what it is they are even doing. I've said it before, it's as if they have had their metal brains surgically removed and then handed back all their gear and told to go make a metal album. Durrrrrr....