Metallica’s 11th studio album (of original material, anyway) is a triumph this far into their career, albeit a somewhat qualified one. 72 Seasons is a really excellent thrash record that, of course, is much more than just a thrash record. A big helping of doomy chug metal is also in the mix, as is a dollop of classic rock (the bridge from ‘Screaming Suicide’ doesn’t just call to mind Deep Purple’s ‘Speed King’, it flat out steals from it). For Metallica fans who yearn for the band’s pre-MTV 80s era, this is the closest they’ve sounded to it since, and – given that fact – it’s to their massive credit that 72 Seasons is nonetheless a relevant metal record in 2023 and not just a nostalgia trip. This is the sound of the genre’s biggest of big daddies truly enjoying their work again. And when 72 Seasons pings, man it really pings. ‘Lux Æterna’, in particular, is my favourite Metallica track for almost 30 years, but it’s not the only track on this record that is up there with their best work. However, overall, 72 Seasons is still some way behind the band’s early masterpieces that it evokes. And because I’m one of the few people who adores Metallica’s 90s bluesy period (especially Load) and perhaps the only person (the band included) who loves their 2003’s groove metal oddity St Anger, I don’t like 72 Seasons as much as those records either. Ultimately, what has allowed Metallica to endure for so long is that they’ve continually evolved and had different eras and influences. They’re the metal Bowie, the heavy music Madonna. In that context, for all its (notable) qualities, 72 Seasons is still a little too… predictable. And that means I’ve ended up considering it to be mid-table Metallica. Of course, it underlines how important this band are to me that mid-table Metallica still equates to a record I’ve played a significant number of times this year and a top 10 finish.