Heard the record today, here are my thoughts on first listen. The four singles I've obviously had some time to process it.
72 Seasons - Still a big fan of this. Grand entrance, quick pace, great chorus. Definitely up there as one of the highlights of the Trujillo trio of albums still. 9/10
Shadows Follow - Eh. It just feels like a track that's there on the record. The intro starts pretty neat and I would've preferred if it kept more with that start-stop feel through the song. The pre-chorus (or is it actually the chorus? The 'seething, breathing' bit) feels like it's about to build into something big, but it kind of deflates at the end of it. I'm a big fan of the bridge/harmonized guitars leading into the pre-solo riff. Some of the riffs leading into the verse feel a little fluffy as in it takes a bit too long to get into the track, but nothing feels wasted or shoehorned in post-solo though. Could've cut the last 40 seconds though. 6.5/10
Screaming Suicide - Within the context of a full record, it fits better than just on its own as a single. With that, it bumps it up to a 6 rather than a 5 for me. 6/10
Sleepwalk My Life Away - Bit of a funk-infused intro with a good amount of groove in it through the song. It had my head unconsciously bobbing along through it. Solid song. "That was good, right?" Lars asks at the end of the track. Affirmative, Lars. 7/10
You Must Burn! - Heard a lot of good things about this song in reviews leading up to release, so I was hoping to not build expectations too high so I don't let myself down. Lord, it's heavy and groovy. It's very Sad But True-ish without the late-20s attitude from the band and without Bob Rock's production. Second album in a row where Track #5 is a slower lumbering beast of a song, I prefer this one over Dream No More. The harmonized layered vocals (think Alice in Chains) in the bridge sets you up perfectly for a great melodic run by Kirk - it's very Maiden-y in that regard. Seriously, I had to go back and listen to that part again it was that damn cool. 8/10
Lux Aeterna - Where Screaming Suicide sounds better in the context of an album, Lux sounds out of place sandwiched in the middle of the album. If I were producing/deciding the tracklist, I would've had Lux open and had 72 Seasons come in second. Still great and better than Hardwired in terms of the short three-minute punchy songs. Chorus is going to sound like a monster live. 8.5/10
Crown of Barbed Wire - A lot of reviews I'd heard of the album going into this is it's got some qualities with Load/ReLoad where it's very groovy - minus the bluesiness. I suppose it's good to play to their own strengths like that now that they're entering their 60s. You can't go out there and do an album of 12 Batterys/Damage Incs at that age. This one - similar to most of the other tracks on the record - has that groove to it. A mostly forgettable track though, would've fit on the second disc on Hardwired. The final riff of the song had some potential to make a full song around it. I would've preferred to hear something based around that. 5/10
Chasing Light - Probably one of the most vicious starts to any Met song I've heard before - just POW right out of the gate. The verses and riffs under them are similar to basically most of everything else you'd heard on this album so far, but finally a non-single that has a pre-chorus/chorus that just EXPLODES. I really hope they play this one live, but good luck getting James to not shred his voice doing it if it's a set staple. 9.5/10
If Darkness Had a Son - What was my third favorite of the singles gets downgraded to one of the worst songs on the record here. Probably should have just been left it off the record altogether. 5/10
Too Far Gone? - Think a thrashier Breadfan. Obviously not a cover, but it fits with a lot of Garage Inc. stuff vibe-wise. For those tired of the bloated arrangements, you'll probably like this one. Short and sweet, it's only four minutes and change and it serves as a nice break after several longer songs in a row. Solid song. 7/10
Room of Mirrors - It gives off a bit of a false sense of security in a sense where you think you're just getting another mid-tempo groover, but then it launches into a fast-paced verse. The last two minutes of the song are absolutely unrelenting with a quicker-paced version of the chorus, double bass galore, and a monstrous harmonized guitar melody. Great stuff. 9/10
Inamorata - I've always felt the problem with throwing a 10+ minute song on a record is that if it's anything less than 'great', it's going to just end up being a skippable/forgettable tune - see Lost in a Lost World (yeah, 9:31, I know) or Death of the Celts on Senjutsu. Luckily, this song is better than great. Not a monster of a thrasher like Spit Out the Bone on the last album, but very reminiscent of the Loads' 'epics' like Bleeding Me, Outlaw Torn and Fixxxer - just a tad quicker. Given that, it sounds rather uncharacteristic for modern Metallica and it's a refreshing way to end the record. One of the major problems Metallica has with their longer songs as of late has been the arrangements sometimes have sections in them that don't particularly add anything to the song. In Inamorata, every section belongs and doesn't sound out of place. That's a feat for an 11-minute song. This album thus far has been chocked full of guitar harmony runs and the one in Inamorata is perhaps one of the best that the band has ever put to record. What a way to cap the record. 10/10
====================
Final Rating = 7.54
Much more consistent record than Hardwired to Self Destruct and probably - based on songwriting alone - the best of the three Trujillo albums. Big problem with Hardwired is it started strong and started to weaken as it went on until you reached Spit Out the Bone. 72 Seasons is much better-paced and a better listen when you intend on sitting through and listening to it in one go. Besides being their third with Robert, it's also basically their third record with Greg Fidelman as producer (because, face it, Rick Rubin did fuck all on Death Magnetic.) Similar to how the sound on Senjutsu was tweaked a bit from previous records with Kevin Shirley, this one has some extra production (particularly the vocals, like Senjutsu) that sound better. Bass has volume to it and perhaps Lars's snare is a bit too prominent, but, it's Lars.
Bring on the tour. I don't know if any of these songs have 'live staple' written all over them beyond the M72 Tour, but, on record, they're overall quite enjoyable.