Album
72 Seasons
72 Seasons is Metallica's eleventh studio album, released on 14 April 2023 through their own label, Blackened Recordings. It follows Hardwired… to Self-Destruct from 2016, and Greg Fidelman again sits in the producer's chair, making this the second Metallica record he produced and the second to come out on Blackened. It is a heavy metal and thrash metal record, and it closes with "Inamorata", the longest original song the band have written at 11 minutes and 10 seconds.
Reviews were generally positive. Critics singled out James Hetfield's lyrics and vocal performance for praise, though some felt the album ran too long. The title track won Best Metal Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where the album collected three nominations in all, and the record also took Rock Album of the Year at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards. It is worth hearing for Hetfield's writing and for that sprawling closing epic.
72 Seasons: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 1:17:15Tracklist
- 172 SeasonsHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich7:39
- 2Shadows FollowJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich6:12
- 3Screaming SuicideHetfield, Trujillo, Ulrich5:30
- 4Sleepwalk My Life AwayHetfield, Trujillo, Ulrich6:56
- 5You Must Burn!Hetfield, Trujillo, Ulrich7:03
- 6Lux ÆternaJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich3:26
- 7Crown of Barbed WireHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich5:49
- 8Chasing LightHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich6:45
- 9If Darkness Had a SonHammett, Hetfield, Ulrich6:36
- 10Too Far Gone?James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich4:34
- 11Room of MirrorsJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich5:34
- 12InamorataJames Hetfield and Lars Ulrich11:10
- Produced by
- Greg Fidelman, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
- Recorded at
- Metallica's HQ (San Rafael, California)
- Recorded
- March 2021 – November 2022
- Mixed by
- Greg Fidelman
- Engineered by
- Sara Lyn Killion, Jim Monti
- Label
- Blackened
- Length
- 1:17:15
Line-up
- Kirk Hammett · guitar, electric guitar
- James Hetfield · guitar, lead vocals, electric guitar
- Robert Trujillo · bass guitar, electric bass guitar
- Lars Ulrich · drums (drum set)
Singles
- “Lux Æterna” · 28 November 2022
- “Screaming Suicide” · 19 January 2023
- “If Darkness Had a Son” · 1 March 2023
- “72 Seasons” · 30 March 2023
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · Combined | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · Combined | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2023 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 2023 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2023 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2023 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2023 | 1 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2023 | 1 |
| Danish Albums · 2023 | 1 |
| Danish Vinyl Albums (Hitlisten) · 2023 | 1 |
All 41 charts
| Dutch Albums · 2023 | 1 |
| Finnish Albums · 2023 | 1 |
| French Albums · 2023 | 1 |
| French Physical Albums (SNEP) · 2023 | 1 |
| German Albums · 2023 | 1 |
| Hungarian Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Ireland 3 · Combined | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Poland 2 · Combined | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan) · Combined | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Romandie) · Combined | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · Combined | 1 |
| US Album Sales · Combined | 1 |
| US Hard Rock · Combined | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums · Combined | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · Combined | 2 |
| Spanish Albums · Combined | 2 |
| Czech Albums · 2023 | 3 |
| Italian Albums · Combined | 3 |
| Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) · Combined | 3 |
| Taiwanese Albums (Five Music) · Combined | 3 |
| Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn) · Combined | 4 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · Combined | 4 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) · Combined | 4 |
| Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI) · Combined | 5 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) · Combined | 25 |
| South Korean Albums (Circle) · Combined | 97 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| France · 2023 | Gold |
| Germany · 2023 | Gold |
| Poland · 2023 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2023 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
82.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
231k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
46k
Deezer fans (all editions)
More from Metallica
Full discography →
Kill ’Em All
1983
Ride the Lightning
1984
Master of Puppets
1986
The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re‐Revisited
1987
Creeping Death / Jump in the Fire
1987
…And Justice for All
1988
1985-03-15: Kabuki Theater, San Francisco, CA, USA
1990
Metallica The Good the Bad & the Live: The 6½ Year Anniversary 12″ Collection 1990
The Good the Bad & the Live: The 6½ Year Anniversary 12″ Collection
1990
Metallica
1991
Live Shit: Binge & Purge
1993
Load
1996
Hero of the Day EP
1996
Reload
1997
Garage Inc.
1998
Cunning Stunts
1998
S&M
1999
St. Anger
2003
The Unnamed Feeling E.P.
2004
Some Kind of Monster
2004
Limited‐Edition Vinyl Box Set
2004
The Videos: 1989–2004
2006
Death Magnetic
2008
Orgullo, pasión, y gloria: Tres noches en La Ciudad de México
2009
Six Feet Down Under, Part II
2010
Melbourne Magnetic - November 18 2010
2010
Live at Grimey's
2010
Lulu
2011
Beyond Magnetic
2011
2011-12-07: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA
2011
Through the Never (Music From the Motion Picture)
2013
Hardwired… to Self‐Destruct
2016
S&M2
2020
Leftovers From the Black Album Box Set
2023
The best of 2023
All of 2023 →
More on Blackened
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 April 2023 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 April 2023 | |
| Wikidata | 14 April 2023 | |
| Deezer | 14 April 2023 | |
| Apple Music | 30 March 2023 | |
| US release | 14 April 2023 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 April 2023 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2023 | XE | Blackened | 602455430113 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | XW | Blackened | original | |
| 14 April 2023 | XW | Blackened | 810083961095 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | US | Blackened | 810083961101 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | AL | EMI | 00602455682529 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | FR | — | 0602455012463 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | US | Blackened | 602455012456 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | DZ | EMI | 602455000682 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | AF | EMI | 602455000675 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | CA | Blackened | 810083961095 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | FR | Blackened | 602455012494 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | CA | Blackened | 810083961163 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | AT | Blackened | 602455012487 | original |
| 14 April 2023 | JP | Universal Music | 4988031553473 | original |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |