Metallica, the 72 Hours album, the ambitious tour, and the movie

[Another piece by correspondent Elisa FG. – AC]

Sometimes you just have to say the word “Metallica” and four or five fans appear to tell you what show’s they saw, where, when and how it was “the best f’n concert ever man!” Worship them or not, they are metal royalty, with an eminence that continues to blare and blast through speakers and earbuds all over the globe. With the April 14th release of the bands brand new album 72 Seasons, things may get a little louder as devoted fans make their way through 12 heavy tracks, over 77 minutes of new tunes and “some of the deepest, hardest-hitting music of their career” (Rolling Stone)

Fresh off the record presses of their own label Blackened Recordings, Metallica returns from their hiatus with 72 Seasons, their first full-length collection of new music since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.

On the eve of the new album’s April 14th release date, tickets were made available exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide. The one-night-only listening party offered ticket holders an unforgettable and unbelievable way to experience their first go at the record. Thunderous surround sound pummeled 77 minutes worth of brand-thrashing new music, exclusive commentary, videos, and one colossal reveal – Metallica is doing a world tour…sort of.

Ranking high on a headbangers summer 2023 bucket list, might be the Metallica: M72 World Tour Live from Arlington, Texas – A two night event broadcasting live to cinemas worldwide. Leave it to the metal gods to find a way around the world in only two nights.

August 18th and 20th, 2 nights, 2 completely different set lists with 2 ways to be there, be it in theatres or in person. Metallica and Trafalgar Releasing promise a bold new in-the-round stage design, with a complete 360-degree view from every seat in the stadium. The famed Metallica Snake Pit has been relocated to centre stage, with a state-of-the-art multi-camera set up circulating around, giving everyone in cinemas and in the nosebleeds an up-close live action experience.

“Since Metallica is touring in very limited markets this year, we are so happy that we can extend that tour into cinemas across the globe. The cinemas create a virtual tour stop for fans in thousands of locations where Metallica isn’t touring this year. What better way to create a VIP experience with every seat in the cinema feeling as if you are in the front row of the concert” says Kymberli Frueh, SVP Programming and Content Acquisitions, Trafalgar Releasing.

Melodic interludes, grain and gritty vocals, thunder-like drumming, the new album is a chock-full of that classic Metallica sound, fused with some new material and arrangements. Produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hatfield and Lars Ulrich, 72 Seasons proudly makes its way into Metallica’s discography, a multi-platinum catalogue spanning over 4 decades, earning 40 plus years of accolades, awards, an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and probably multiple inductions into your own band shirt collection.

“The band won’t play a single song twice, making for a total of more than 30 songs across both nights” reads the press release for one of the most highly anticipated events of the summer. August 18th and 20th the Metallica: M72 World Tour Live From Arlington, TX Global Premiere, will breathe life back into the concert experience you thought you’d lost to the “good ‘ol days.” You may have lost your cell, keys, kids, cash, or entire car at a Metallica show, but never the memory of “the best f’n concert ever man!” For more information, visit metallica.film