Metallica... New album '72 Seasons'

[Pagan Saviour]

And that's the other thing, St Anger was the last risk they took with something that sounded different (Not defending the content). The last three albums have sounded the exact same, this is Metallica to the end,no more surprises. As you say they have the blueprints just mix and match til you hit something between 7 and 11 minutes

[Bürggermeister]

They are in the position they can put out shite and it gets lapped up. They have never been more popular after at least 25 years of total mediocrity. Why would they think they are a spent force when every shit thing they release makes them even more popular?

[Eoin McLove]

Maybe they are actually getting better and we are all stuck in the past 

[Bürggermeister]

Exactly 

[Mooncat]

Stuck it on and made it about halfway. Not much to add to what's already been said about the odd decent moment but mostly just one mediocre riff churning into the next.

To me they sound really uninspired. I've made the point before about how it sounds like none of them listen to or enjoy metal anymore as fans, so there's no fresh well of inspiration to draw upon, just churning out lesser and lesser versions of what they used to do. I put on RtL afterwards for the first time in a while and holy crap, the difference was stark in terms of the songcraft and ambition. Totally agree about the Pro Tools approach being a huge reason for how mundane the songwriting is.

There's something odd about the drums, they sound either programmed or triggered. No way is that Lars. Every hit on each drum/cymbal sounds exactly the same.

Also the lead guitar, jesus christ, it is terrible. All the reviews talking about how it's a return to form, where actually Hammett sounds like someone who has just learned the blues scale for the first time and is just kind of muddling through it. It's honestly so bad it makes me wonder if he's had a stroke or something and his brain can't just quite compute how to solo anymore.

[The Heretic]

Any takers on all bands just having a finite amount of really good songs in them before the well runs dry forever?

[Mooncat]

Any takers on all bands just having a finite amount of really good songs in them before the well runs dry forever?

No way, the trick is to remain inspired. Plenty of bands and artists that released great music throughout their entire career. Remaining inspired requires work because it takes effort to continually find new great music. You have to dig for it because it's not all as readily available to you as it was when you were a teenager and hadn't heard anything and 100s of classic albums were just low-hanging fruit. Some musicians remain huge fans and students of music their whole lives, some do not.


Quick edit to add: certain bands are also a little hamstrung by their genre. How far can Metallica really move outside of metal/hard rock? Compared to say Bowie who could have taken on any genre that he felt like.

[The Great Cull]

https://blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-to-become-first-major-rock-band-to-release-all-music-videos-from-one-album-in-american-sign-language

This is possibly a good target market for them to focus on based on recent output 

[The Heretic]

https://blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-to-become-first-major-rock-band-to-release-all-music-videos-from-one-album-in-american-sign-language

This is possibly a good target market for them to focus on based on recent output 

Free speech for the deaf and dumb..

[Ducky]

Any takers on all bands just having a finite amount of really good songs in them before the well runs dry forever?

Rush were pretty consistent in their output from 1974 to 2012.

[Bürggermeister]

Any takers on all bands just having a finite amount of really good songs in them before the well runs dry forever?

Of the bands from that era, Voivod, Sepultura and Anthrax have been consistently interesting and whose recent material has genuine merit to it. The one thing they have in common is a real passion for the music, have continually improved as musicians, and every album is a progression from the one before it as a result. You know they would be playing music all the time at home even without their bands. Does anyone believe Hetfield, Ulrich and Hammett have a real passion for metal or improving as musicians? Or Mustaine or Kerry King for that matter?

[astfgyl]

Voivod won that particular duel in the end.

Right, a question for those who are going to cling on to the bitter end:

Is there a single song that one might hold up against Hero of the Day for example and try convince me it's better?

In thinking that no-one will be willing to give that a go.

Well there's your answer

[Circlepit]

It's currently winging its way towards me.
I've only heard the first 4 singles so I'm going to give it a full listen when it arrives.
I know it's online on all the services but I'm going to wait. Why I keep asking myself.

[Don Gately]

Listened to it in its entirety over weekend. A bit mind numbing at times, I think the drums are a bit too much at times. Some decent songs in there. I like the first 3 and the last song has some interesting parts. Lux Aeterna is entertaining too. I'm going with a 2.5/5 so pleasantly surprised.

[Necro Red]

I gave it a listen. It's easy to just say the whole thing is rubbish. It has its moments as is mentioned above. The first few tracks are decent (not amazing) and that's the thing. These guys should be belting out brilliantly written music, but sadly are not. I will listen again, but it seems like a repeat of the last album which I didn't really like.