There are only a few days left (one day less for those who choose the “cinematic hearing” of the album on Holy Thursday, April 13th) for the full listening and evaluation of the 12th album of the biggest (The “Forefathers” always out of competition!) band that emerged from the “hard sound”. It is not only the greatness of their music legacy, where (to satisfy the haters, limited to the first 5 albums) rarely (if not very rarely) four tens and a nine (gratuitously due to the lack of bass) have been achieved, in an equal number of creations.
However, as my friend Nikos Koretsis stated (to the point) in a conversation, it is also the uniqueness in terms of the anticipation of an inconceivable number of people, who look forward to (regardless of what many haters say) each next step. Is it those 3 million viewers in one week (indicatively, “Hell on Earth” has something more than double in a year) or the thousands, in a few revolutions of the minute marker, who are still anxious for the next note that “comes out” of the “tall man’s” guitar, even when it does not even come close to the “greatness” of the past.
I will not hide, due to circumstances (?), “tender” childhood, luck or something else, when I was introduced to this music in the 1980s, I do not know and cannot exactly say what it was, but it remains as powerful, intimate and almost “unshakeable” about 40 years later.
James Hetfield, to clarify feelings and thoughts from the beginning, was and remains a childhood, musical hero, a musical genius, who although is not the best (not even in the top 5 probably) singer, similarly as a guitarist (he recently stated it himself), he is that unique (and one of the best) riff master, that excellent frontman, the one who has always had a mysterious, “magical” way of finding ways to the innermost, and touching, with big or small, great or insignificant, with just two or three words. So the love for this band is hardly or impossibly “hurt”, whoever the drummer or anyone else in the band was.
Therefore, such a musical personality, that I am psyched he “pulls the strings” of the creative part, no matter what is written in the credits of each piece, after the passage of four decades and multiple “wounds” mentally and “physically”, does not seek, maybe moreover, as selfishly as it sounds, is not interested, after the “crossing” of countless “shady waters”, to do favors or satisfy all the “repressed” feelings of fellow travelers in concert or radio venues. That’s what he did in the “bombed” “St. Anger” or even in “Metallica”, “Load” and “Reload”, this is what I feel he has done in the upcoming work, at least as a conclusion of what has been made public.
The “dance” opened with “Lux Æterna”, a rare short composition, with controversies everywhere, about whether it is a “clone” of a “child” of “Kill’em All” or another one of Diamond Head, or about Hammett’s “low contribution” to the solo. Certainly, it must be rooted in Hetfield’s most positive moments, with symbolisms like “eternal light” and lyrics like “Full speed or nothing” and “Cast out the demons that strangle your life”. Besides, you can’t help but give him credit, for always writing “strong, powerful lyrics” and creating “powerful images”.
That is essentially true for the second single as well, “Screaming Suicide”, where they choose to tackle an important and taboo subject, and contribute with the power of their influence, in a positive direction. What if the usual practice, wherever one refers, whether in comments or album reviews, is to ignore the lyrics, which are equally riveting when well-done, the conversation will always be consumed after the key “Black Album”, whether the first single looks or reminds of the debut and the second the most contemporary, “despicable”, to many people, creations. This one, however, ends with a positive life message, possibly also taken from that of its creator, in moments when he threw away or defeated potential thoughts….
“Now that I’m exposed inside
Shined a light on cyanide
I’m no longer needed here
Now you’ve faced your biggest fear”
“If Darkness had a Son”….. he could possibly be called James. With experiences and self-destructiveness, often and fatally a “veil” in the lives of extremely talented personalities, historically it seems to be repeated here, as if the “Furies” while long defeated, find a redemptive way out in yet another creation. In the “darkest” of the shared creations (even from the “weighty predecessor”), where once again he makes you refer to a dictionary for his lyrics.
“Dragging home this heathen harvest
And all the children subjugated
Manipulated, propagated”
“The beast still shouts for what it’s yearning
He stokes the fire, desire burning
The never-ending quenchless craving
The unforgiving misbehaving
If darkness had a son, here I am
Temptation is his father
If darkness had a son, here I am
I bathe in holy water
Temptation, leave me be”
Most probably, our last “recommendation”, before the release of the new album, the self-titled “72 Seasons”, summarizes the idea that has already been communicated for the title and perspective of the album. The 72 seasons, the first decisive years of life, taken into account together with statements and even photographs contained in the artwork of the album, have their significance in the overall concept, perhaps in connection with the recent statement of the “perpetual rescuer” of this band, Ulrich. The, possibly, ten years ahead of them, seem to be driven by these 72 seasons, passing through their upcoming “imprint” and leading inevitably to the finale of a brilliant course, through one or at most two more, last “interpretations”.
Musically, this, like the others as well, cannot be perceived by well-intentioned people as indifferent or fillers or whatever a hater would say. As a style, it obviously won’t be anything like the “seven-year-old” “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct”. It remains to be seen if somewhere, they have retained the elements of that, as somehow has been done in “Lux Æterna”. Otherwise, they continue to be …. “Feeding on the wrath of man“, doing what they like and having won that (at least) with the first five masterpieces.
P.S.: Some years ago, on the night of a brilliant and unforgettable performance by Eric Adams at Athens, facing Manowar’s merchandise and some outrageous prices (along with some unbelievable “meet & greet” packages that had been announced beforehand), I almost folded with laughter, instinctively, taking into account some grandiose values propagated by the band, such as honour, faith, pride, true metal etc., (Hold tight huge Blaze, with your free “meet & greet” hours!). Recently, without hoping for my way of thinking to seem reasonable, I felt the same for Metallica, while what I described in the beginning, made me feel “rigid” in whatever they have been accused of, for so many years. It may even be one of the few times, if not the only one, that have alienated me. A band which with its merchandise and strategic exploitation of it, together with the concert revenue, has already secured even the grandchildren of the last arriving Robert Trujillo, cannot ask for tickets in the specially designed venue, of the order of 7. 000 dollars, even if it is for 7 people, even if their charity work and quick (as recently) respective reflexes are worthy of mention. Further grumbling would come out about the upcoming tour, also unique, but of small size and destinations.
I hope “72 Seasons” will be a compensation, as has always been their music…..
