Metallica is a band that you can listen to anywhere. But their sound and lyrics will take you from wherever you are to another reality. 

I was introduced to their music by my dad who has been a fan for much longer than I have been alive. One of the most well-known and established metal bands of all time, Metallica’s popularity has no borders or limits as their music has reached every corner of the globe (including when they performed a live show in Antarctica). 

This year on April 14, we were once again graced with a masterful album consisting of 12 songs. The album cover features an aesthetic yellow and black style with multiple images of destroyed and decayed children’s toys as well as a broken baby crib. 

The new album has the classic Metallica sound with James Hetfield’s perfect rhythm guitar and forever young voice joined by Kirk Hammett’s insanely technically challenging guitar solos, Robert Trujillo’s perfect basslines, and Lars Ulrich’s energetic drum fills. 

Also in classic Metallica fashion, most of the songs feature a longer play time with the average song lasting six minutes and 25 seconds! The entire album is a 79 minute listen. 

My personal favorite of the album is the shortest and most explosive, “Lux Æterna.” This song features high speed everything with every lyric being shouted as loud as possible. It is impossible to listen to the song without feeling energized. Others agree with me on the ranking of this song as it boasts nearly 60,000,000 plays on Spotify at the start of November, which is more than double the second most popular track and headliner, “72 Seasons.”

Another favorite of mine is “Screaming Suicide,” which I think best represents the Metallica style. The lyrics and sound are classic and well-rounded. It boasts the signature outlandish and somewhat terrifying premise, which in this case is suicide. 

Similar to other topics in the past like the “Sandman” or “Master of Puppets,” the song may come off as a hard rock song about scary monsters or things that could haunt you when in reality, the lyrics have deeper meanings that sometimes relate to the experiences of the band members. Overall, the album is a must-listen for all. Whether you have been a Metallica fan for a long time or you want an introduction to the hard-rock band, the 72 Seasons album is a good place to be.