Mere months after the band’s “Master of Puppets” placed on the Billboard top 100 for the first time in 36 years, Metallica dropped a surprise new single on Nov. 28. The new “Lux Ӕterna” came seemingly out of nowhere with a full music video and album announcement, with “72 Seasons” set to release on April 14, 2023.
The track opens with a chromatic power chord descent with double downstrokes in-between that show off the band’s legendary downpicking ability. It then roars into a tease of the chorus riff which features a pounding sixteenth-note double bass drum pattern, something drummer Lars Ulrich has typically shied away from in recent years. Most notably, the opening and chorus riffs use an open A string rather than the lower open E, which is much more popular in thrash as a whole and used in nearly every single popular Metallica song.
The guitar solo is every bit Kirk Hammett: descending pentatonics, whammyblues-y bends, sliding all the way down the neck. Though its structure is interesting and varied, it’s hard to believe that it was written by the same Hammett that played the raw and aggressive “Blackened” or “Master of Puppets” solos. However, it fits the brightness of “Lux Ӕterna” rather well.
The production quality of the new single is crisp and clean. Its bright midrange-heavy guitar tones match the solid yellow artwork to go along with it. The evolution of Metallica from a muddy garage band has certainly changed along with the band’s skyrocketing net worth and fame after the 80s. James’ voice competently hits sustained higher notes during the song’s chorus while still retaining a little vocal fry to put some edge on it. And of course, the bass is drowned out by guitars in the mix.
The surprise nature of the release has created a great amount of buzz for the album and upcoming world tour. Releasing a single and music video with no prior announcement is something you can only get away with when you’re the most popular metal band in the world, and they are having fun with that prestige. Online reactions are generally positive, with Solar Guitars owner Ola Englund learning the song by ear one day after its release and producer extraordinaire Rick Beato giving insight on the theory and production of the song. Metallica will be playing the full album on a world tour throughout 2023. Each location will be played twice with no repeat setlists in the round, and feature opening acts including Greta Van Fleet and the new Pantera reunion.