Metallica ’72 Seasons’ reviews: Is it one of the best albums of their career, or does it go on far too long?

It’s been almost seven years since the pioneering metal band Metallica released their last album, “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct,” in 2016. But they’re back with a new collection, “72 Seasons,” which dropped on Friday, April 14. Are they back in fine form, or does their new collection disappoint? Critics have been weighing in.

As of this writing “72 Seasons” has a MetaCritic score of 76 based on 10 reviews counted thus far: eight of them positive, two somewhat mixed, none outright negative. That’s a little higher than “Hardwired,” but the “Hardwired” score of 73 was based on almost triple the number of reviews, so the “72 Seasons” number may fluctuate as more journalists weigh in.

Kory Grow (Rolling Stone) writes that “72 Seasons” is “some of the deepest, hardest-hitting music of their career,” adding that they “have always been masters of corpulent, groove-heavy riffs and labyrinthine song structures, but now … they play with more purpose than in their speed-demon days.” Jon Hadusek (Consequence) says the album is “firmly in their thrash-metal wheelhouse,” and lead singer James Hetfield‘s “singing is as clean and confident as ever.” He also explains that it “steers the band back toward its roots.”

According to Andy Cush (Pitchfork), the album “delivers everything you could possibly want from a Metallica album in 2023,” though that’s both a blessing and a curse. “There is almost always some bridge, breakdown, or umpteenth repetition of the chorus that a given song would be leaner and meaner without.” Alexis Petridis (The Guardian) agrees that the band should have “been a little more judicious with the editing … ’72 Seasons’ feels every bit of its 77 minutes because of a lack of variety.” Sam Walker-Smart (Clash) gives them credit — “The outfit has made a fine album, and hell, it’s got more going for it than most groups’ latter-day albums” — but also wishes “for a more reflective set of songs next time.”

Where do you stand on “72 Seasons”? Have you made your way through the entire 77-minute epic yet?

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