Metallica reflects on their difficult childhood

Idols of heavy metal fell into the hands of psychoanalysts

With a high degree of peremptoryness, we can say that the main global musical event in April was the new album by Metallica. Perhaps they can compete in prolific longevity in the field of the “heavy” genre in its broad interpretation only with the Scorpions, who do their best to maintain the spirit in the ancient horse of rock and roll, and only the lazy did not declare it dead. However, Metallica’s album 72 Seasons proves that the patient is rather alive, and an enthusiastic fan choir in the spirit of “Rock Lives!” once again confirms this. “ZD” not without sacred awe touches the next “horcrux” created by wizards from a parallel reality – the universe of heavy metal.

It’s no joke, the band has been on stage for 42 years! People are born, grow up, multiply, go to another world, and American “metalheads” are still tearing the strings of their precious and already antique guitars. And in recent years, they are increasingly recognized: maintaining the health of the body is becoming increasingly difficult. On the eve of the release of the new album, one of the founders of Metallica, 59-year-old drummer Lars Ulrich, revealed that they have to diet and train hard every day in order to be able to physically perform their heavy hits. According to his estimates, their group may well exist in this mode for another 10 years. And then already – tremble, the Rolling Stones themselves …

But “metalheads” are still subject to some laws of aging, for example, they begin to remember the years of their youth with special tenderness and reflect on events that took place in the distant past. Moreover, it is now so fashionable with the help of psychologists to dig up the roots of their problems in childhood and shift the responsibility for failures to parents. The Metallica group dug their creative attention into the period of a person’s life from zero to 18 years.

According to the band’s lead singer James Hetfield, the concept for the record came from a book he read about childhood: “Mostly about making sense of childhood into adulthood. And 72 seasons are basically the first 18 years of your life. As you develop, grow, mature and develop your own ideas and personality. Some experiences are harder to analyze than others. Some things you cannot simply consider and they stay with you for the rest of your life. Other moments you can rewind like a movie and remake it in a new way. It’s a really interesting topic for me to find out how you can deal with these situations as an adult.” Judging by the superficial description of the technique of “rewinding” the past, James not only read the book, but also practiced new NLP techniques for reprogramming the personality, which psychologists are now actively offering.

James also recalls 2020, when he, like many people, feared for his life due to the pandemic, and that period made him reconsider some of the events of his life. The musician told in an interview how, during the pandemic, the Metallica musicians, each sitting in their own home, contacted each other via video link and jointly created material for the record using acoustic instruments.

Two weeks before the release of the album, a video for the title track of 72 seasons was released. Almost plotless video in which the band plays their song, as if burning in a fire. Moreover, this burning comes from a crib with wooden railings. A burnt crib with burnt musical instruments scattered around and adorns the album cover. The video was directed by the famous New York photo artist Timati Sacenti, who is active in the world of high fashion and advertising of premium goods. By the way, the first single from the Lux Aeterna album was released back in November 2022, and the video for it, performed in exactly the same style, also belongs to Tim Sacenti.

Metallica’s special signature aesthetic of using harmonious melodic patterns and a devastating flow of thrash metal can be seen simultaneously in each of the 12 tracks, forcing you to shake your head while listening (for example, the track Too Far Gone?) to the rhythm of the involuntarily guaranteed rhythmic high from the “good old “Brooms”. The record is devoid of lyrical ballads, which, despite all the trash, are always expected from the band, but ends with the 11-minute Inamorata track about love in a medium tempo, which is quite drawn to this role. The Crown of Barbed Wire song does sound courtly and even overly mannered, which is curious in itself.

In general, the band’s 11th album turned out to be such that it is not a pity to spend time on it, and it does not matter if you are a fan or just walked by. Here is something to think about and something to remember …

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29019 dated April 26, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Metallica reflects on their difficult childhood