Metallica Announce New Album & 2023-2024 World Tour

Just as 2022 was coming to a close Metallica has taken the internet by storm with the surprise announcement of their next studio album, a 2023 + 2024 world tour, and most notably a new single. 72 Seasons marks the band’s 11th studio album which is slated to arrive April 14th, 2023, almost 7 years after the release of 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct. The album announcement is lead by the new single “Lux Aeterna,” which showcases Metallica with a very vibrant aesthetic both sonically and visually.

Similar to how Hardwired… to Self-Destruct recalled elements of the band’s early thrash days, “Lux Aeterna” has Metallica revitalizing their old school sound but to an even further extent. Straight out of the gate, the production quality and performances by each the members is surprisingly good. Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield seem like the clear standouts on “Lux Aeterna,” with Hetfield’s vocal melodies and rhythm playing being as tight as ever and Ulrich’s pummeling drum patterns putting the band’s youthful energy on full display.

In proper ‘album announcement etiquette,’ Metallica has also revealed a massive world tour for 2023 and 2024 in support of the new record. The band has already gone ahead with the pre-orders for 72 Seasons as well as providing the record’s length and track listing details:

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

12 new tracks clocking in at 77 minutes is certainly a bulky amount of new Metallica, and it also happens to be the exact same length and number of tracks as their previous LP, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, which the band initially released as a double album. Call it cliche, but it would have been neat if they decided to keep 72 Seasons at 72 minutes in keeping with the title. Speaking of, in a new press release James Hetfield has revealed where the concept behind the album’s title came from:

“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.”

Overall, this is a very powerful and promising start for Metallica and their next album cycle. The band is obviously getting older as the years go on but it’s hard see through that aspect given the sheer energy and charisma on display in “Lux Aeterna.” Metallica is clearly still capable of churning old school metal anthems and they seem to be having a good time all the while doing it.