Metallica Announce New Album, ’72 Seasons,’ and Worldwide Tour
Metallica – Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Tim Saccenti
Listen to a new song from Metallica, the thrash-heavy “Lux Æterna”
For years, Metallica have been toiling away on a new album, which will mark their follow-up to 2016’s Grammy Award-winning “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.” Now, the longstanding thrash metal band has confirmed that their upcoming 12th studio album, “72 Seasons,” will arrive April 14, 2023, via the band’s own Blackened Recordings.
“72 Seasons” boasts 12 new songs, packing more than 77 minutes of metal fury, produced by Greg Fidelman with Metallica band members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The album will be released in a variety of formats, including 2LP 140g black vinyl and limited edition variants, CD and digital. Pre-orders are available now via Metallica’s official website.
In addition to the new album news, Metallica have released the first single off the new set, the thrash-heavy “Lux Æterna,” a fiery, riff-heavy nugget. “Lux Æterna” is available now to stream and download, and the track is also available as an instant gratification download for anyone who pre-orders of “72 Seasons.”
Hetfield describes the title of the new album in a statement, explaining, “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are.” He adds, “I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”
As if the new single and album announcement weren’t enough excitement, Metallica have also announced a massive, worldwide tour for 2023 and 2024. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, Metallica’s M72 world tour will have the band playing two nights in every city it hits, with each show featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The different opening acts include Pantera, Mammoth WVH, Greta Van Fleet, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, and Ice Nine Kills.
A release also boasts that, “The M72 tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to center stage.” Two-day tickets will be on sale Friday (Dec. 2) via Ticketmaster and include the option of pre-ordering 72 Seasons vinyl and/or CD. Single day tickets will be available starting Jan, 20. For more information, head to Metallica.com/m72-info. A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to the band’s All Within My Hands foundation.
View the full track listing for “72 Seasons,” watch the music video for “Lux Æterna” video and view Metallica’s current roster of newly announced tour dates below.
Metallica, ’72 Seasons,’ Track Listing:
72 Seasons
Shadows Follow
Screaming Suicide
Sleepwalk My Life Away
You Must Burn!
Lux Æterna
Crown of Barbed Wire
Chasing Light
If Darkness Had a Son
Too Far Gone?
Room of Mirrors
Inamorata
Metallica 2023 Tour Dates:
04/27 – Amsterdam, NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena *^ (Tix)
04/29 – Amsterdam, NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena +/ (Tix)
05/17 – Paris, FR @ Stade de France +/ (Tix)
05/19 – Paris, FR @ Stade de France *^ (Tix)
05/26 – Hamburg, DE @ Volksparkstadion *^ (Tix)
05/28 – Hamburg, DE @ Volksparkstadion +/ (Tix)
06/16 – Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium !^ (Tix)
06/18 – Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium +/ (Tix)
08/04 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium $^ (Tix)
08/06 – E. Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium +/ (Tix)
08/11 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique $^ (Tix)
08/13 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique +/ (Tix)
08/18 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium $^ (Tix)
08/20 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium +/ (Tix)
08/25 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium $^ (Tix)
08/27 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium +/ (Tix)
09/01 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium $^ (Tix)
09/03 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium +/ (Tix)
11/03 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center $^ (Tix)
11/05 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center +/ (Tix)
11/10 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field $^ (Tix)
11/12 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field +/ (Tix)
Metallica 2024 Tour Dates:
05/24 – Munich, DE @ Olympiastadion *^ (Tix)
05/26 – Munich, DE @ Olympiastadion +/ (Tix)
06/07 – Helsinki, FI @ Olympic Stadium *^ (Tix)
06/09 – Helsinki, FI @ Olympic Stadium +/ (Tix)
06/14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Parken Stadium *^ (Tix)
06/16 – Copenhagen, DK @ Parken Stadium +/ (Tix)
07/05 – Warsaw, PL @ PGE Narodowy *^ (Tix)
07/07 – Warsaw, PL @ PGE Narodowy +/ (Tix)
07/12 – Madrid, ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano *^ (Tix)
07/14 – Madrid, ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano +/ (Tix)
08/02 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium $^ (Tix)
08/04 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium +/ (Tix)
08/09 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field $^ (Tix)
08/11 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field +/ (Tix)
08/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium $^ (Tix)
08/18 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium +/ (Tix)
08/23 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium $^ (Tix)
08/25 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium +/ (Tix)
08/30 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field $^ (Tix)
09/01 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field +/ (Tix)
09/20 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol &^ (Tix)
09/22 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol +/ (Tix)
09/27 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol &^ (Tix)
09/29 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol +/ (Tix)
* = w/ Architechts
^ = w/ Mammoth WVH
+ = w/ Five Finger Death Punch
/ = w/ Ice Nine Kills
! = w/ Volbeat
$ = w/ Pantera
& = w/ Greta Van Fleet
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