Metallica: 72 Seasons - Official Video - 8 goddamn minutes and 38 seconds

[JimAnsell]

that guitar tone is supposedly a Jose Marshall too. i'll give it a listen eventually. idk why but i can't bring myself to spend much time with any metallica release in the last 20 years. Its odd If you guys only knew how metallica obsessed i was between about 94 and 2001. i had a collection of imports/rarities, about 300 bootlegs between audio and video tapes, around 40 t-shirts. in fact, if you give me a date between the years of 1982 and 2000, i can tell you if they played a gig that day, and what part of the world they were in, if not the exact city. Total nerd about it. Now i'm totally indifferent to what they do.

 

[angelspade]

Good song, but the production and the guitars tone are still bad.

Surprisingly, the actual record is getting fairly favorable reviews from the publications that were granted advanced access. But yes, guitar tones average at best and not suitable for Metallica.

 

[thegame]

Surprisingly, the actual record is getting fairly favorable reviews from the publications that were granted advanced access. But yes, guitar tones average at best and not suitable for Metallica.

I’m not sure that tone is even suitable for bands like Breaking Benjamin or Sum 41

 

[DanTravis62]

Hetfields voice sounds better than it has in a very long time.

Their songwriting is slowly improving, but this is still like a b side from the Load era, in an alternate universe where they never sold out. Still not great.

The production is anemic. Especially in the guitars - they have no balls. Yes, I listened on headphones and monitors.

it sounds boring and too mid heavy.

With each new release, Metallica is slowly improving.

At this rate they will be making decent music again by 2034.

 

[RaceU4her]

Surprisingly, the actual record is getting fairly favorable reviews from the publications that were granted advanced access. But yes, guitar tones average at best and not suitable for Metallica.

I’ve read a few glowing reviews of this “highly anticipated” album as well, always good to see the higher ups really in touch with things

 

[311splawndude]

Regarding the Jose I just saw this posted on the Metallica Gear History FB page:


"Metallica Gear History
Jack Beard ·

Here’s an early look at the gear used on “72 Seasons” per Greg Fidelman. The Marshall vibe you hear makes sense when you see what was used below.
James Hetfield:
Used multiple amps, but the core of his sound always involved the Mesa Mark IIC++ and his newly repaired late ‘60/early ‘70s Jose Marshall. From there, the old Wizard Modern Classic makes an appearance, often boosted by a Klon Centaur. The VH4 was brought in for slower songs and ones needing “more bottom.” Surprisingly, it sounds like the VH4 was pushed back as a blender in favor of the other amps. The Mesa and Marshall went into Marshall cabs, and the VH4 went into Mesa cabs.

Kirk Hammett:
Some surprises here. For rhythm, Kirk used a combination of a Friedman BE Deluxe and an older BE head that Dave (Friedman) had modded (likely updating to current spec). He also had a ‘70s Marshall JMP 2204.
For leads, Kirk had his modded ‘70s Marshall JMP 2203 combined with a Mesa Dual Rectifier. His signature Randall head was also added in. Kirk also mentioned that he used the Solo Dallas Schaffer Replica EX Tower as a boost on his lead sound as a “secret sauce,” but also cited the tried and true Ibanez Tube Screamer. For cabs, Kirk was using old Marshall cabs with 25W/30W Celestions (presumably G12M and G12H), whereas solos usually added in a cab with G12T-75s. The old Mesa C90 cab also makes an appearance."

 

[GJgo]

Regarding the Jose I just saw this posted on the Metallica Gear History FB page:


"Metallica Gear History
Jack Beard ·

Here’s an early look at the gear used on “72 Seasons” per Greg Fidelman. The Marshall vibe you hear makes sense when you see what was used below.
James Hetfield:
Used multiple amps, but the core of his sound always involved the Mesa Mark IIC++ and his newly repaired late ‘60/early ‘70s Jose Marshall. From there, the old Wizard Modern Classic makes an appearance, often boosted by a Klon Centaur. The VH4 was brought in for slower songs and ones needing “more bottom.” Surprisingly, it sounds like the VH4 was pushed back as a blender in favor of the other amps. The Mesa and Marshall went into Marshall cabs, and the VH4 went into Mesa cabs.

Kirk Hammett:
Some surprises here. For rhythm, Kirk used a combination of a Friedman BE Deluxe and an older BE head that Dave (Friedman) had modded (likely updating to current spec). He also had a ‘70s Marshall JMP 2204.
For leads, Kirk had his modded ‘70s Marshall JMP 2203 combined with a Mesa Dual Rectifier. His signature Randall head was also added in. Kirk also mentioned that he used the Solo Dallas Schaffer Replica EX Tower as a boost on his lead sound as a “secret sauce,” but also cited the tried and true Ibanez Tube Screamer. For cabs, Kirk was using old Marshall cabs with 25W/30W Celestions (presumably G12M and G12H), whereas solos usually added in a cab with G12T-75s. The old Mesa C90 cab also makes an appearance."

TLDR- "The more rig-geekey you get with blending all kinds of high-end gear, the worse it actually sounds when you're done." I could have told you that. Blending a bunch of gear doesn't make it sound better because it has the best of all the things IMO. Quite the opposite, it makes it sound worse because it hides what makes each piece of gear special & just leaves you with average.

Keep your signal chains clean & pure, my friends...

 

[Jon BCN]

Regarding the Jose I just saw this posted on the Metallica Gear History FB page:


"Metallica Gear History
Jack Beard ·

Here’s an early look at the gear used on “72 Seasons” per Greg Fidelman. The Marshall vibe you hear makes sense when you see what was used below.
James Hetfield:
Used multiple amps, but the core of his sound always involved the Mesa Mark IIC++ and his newly repaired late ‘60/early ‘70s Jose Marshall. From there, the old Wizard Modern Classic makes an appearance, often boosted by a Klon Centaur. The VH4 was brought in for slower songs and ones needing “more bottom.” Surprisingly, it sounds like the VH4 was pushed back as a blender in favor of the other amps. The Mesa and Marshall went into Marshall cabs, and the VH4 went into Mesa cabs.

Kirk Hammett:
Some surprises here. For rhythm, Kirk used a combination of a Friedman BE Deluxe and an older BE head that Dave (Friedman) had modded (likely updating to current spec). He also had a ‘70s Marshall JMP 2204.
For leads, Kirk had his modded ‘70s Marshall JMP 2203 combined with a Mesa Dual Rectifier. His signature Randall head was also added in. Kirk also mentioned that he used the Solo Dallas Schaffer Replica EX Tower as a boost on his lead sound as a “secret sauce,” but also cited the tried and true Ibanez Tube Screamer. For cabs, Kirk was using old Marshall cabs with 25W/30W Celestions (presumably G12M and G12H), whereas solos usually added in a cab with G12T-75s. The old Mesa C90 cab also makes an appearance."

Imagine if Kirk gets a signature Friedman amp.

 

[skoora]

TLDR- "The more rig-geekey you get with blending all kinds of high-end gear, the worse it actually sounds when you're done." I could have told you that. Blending a bunch of gear doesn't make it sound better because it has the best of all the things IMO. Quite the opposite, it makes it sound worse because it hides what makes each piece of gear special & just leaves you with average.

Keep your signal chains clean & pure, my friends...

I agree on the most part. I’d rather blend amps in separate performance tracks. That way you get the added bonus of the slight discrepancies of the performance and even better if using different guitars/ pickups and speakers as well. Can’t see much value in blending three amps simultaneously. But I prefer recordings that are a little wild or raw sounding. Not so much into the homogenized, big but kind of a wash high gain sound.

 

[DISTORT6]

Imagine if Kirk gets a signature Friedman amp.

Before CharvelDan?!?!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I think it's pretty good but let's be honest, i think we are just tired of them as a band. It happens. It's a wrap.

Tones are too mid forward and have this hollowness to them. Def need some scooping..

I'm impressed with Kirk. Solos are WAH free for the most part and he's trying to catch the vibe of the old stuff a bit. It is just that he is out of ideas. Retire.

 

[Philhouse]

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/metallica-kirk-hammett-bored-of-master-of-puppets-solo
"For new release 72 Seasons, Kirk says he took a seat-of-the-pants approach to every lead break – and he enjoyed it so much, he’s going to be doing the same thing live.

“With this album I went in intentionally to improvise 20, 30 solos, give them all to Lars and Greg [Fidelman, producer], and go, ‘You guys edit them!’” Kirk explains.

“I know I’m gonna play something completely different live. That’s my thing these days and if people don’t like it, that’s just tough. But I can offer something a lot different than what people hear on the album, and I can offer something different every time you see Metallica."

 

[skoora]

Notice how they never say, I get sick of playing that E chord….lol

 

[angelspade]

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/metallica-kirk-hammett-bored-of-master-of-puppets-solo
"For new release 72 Seasons, Kirk says he took a seat-of-the-pants approach to every lead break – and he enjoyed it so much, he’s going to be doing the same thing live.

“With this album I went in intentionally to improvise 20, 30 solos, give them all to Lars and Greg [Fidelman, producer], and go, ‘You guys edit them!’” Kirk explains.

“I know I’m gonna play something completely different live. That’s my thing these days and if people don’t like it, that’s just tough. But I can offer something a lot different than what people hear on the album, and I can offer something different every time you see Metallica."

Kirk is not a guy who should be composing leads "off the cuff".

 

[TheGreatGreen]

that guitar tone is supposedly a Jose Marshall too. i'll give it a listen eventually. idk why but i can't bring myself to spend much time with any metallica release in the last 20 years. Its odd If you guys only knew how metallica obsessed i was between about 94 and 2001. i had a collection of imports/rarities, about 300 bootlegs between audio and video tapes, around 40 t-shirts. in fact, if you give me a date between the years of 1982 and 2000, i can tell you if they played a gig that day, and what part of the world they were in, if not the exact city. Total nerd about it. Now i'm totally indifferent to what they do.

Amazing what 20 years of bafflingly weak and anemic guitar tone (after previously literally setting the benchmark tones of the entire genre with every album they put out), and a new found annoying obsession with banging on the snare as often as possible like a kid sitting at a kit for the first time, and a bass player who has easily the goofiest stage presence of any musician in a “world class household name” band I’ve ever seen, and a lead guitarist who stopped trying and developing as a musician and has been lazily phoning in everything he’s done for years now, and cheesy lyrics will do to a metal band, huh.

(I was also obsessed with the band around then too, but not anymore at all)

 

[thegame]

JFC, ever listen to 80’s MEtallica demos with Kirk improvising leads over their best material? He wasn’t very good at it then, even at peak playing form for crying out loud. Goddamn is this band ever pitiful now.

 

[DanTravis62]

TLDR- "The more rig-geekey you get with blending all kinds of high-end gear, the worse it actually sounds when you're done." I could have told you that. Blending a bunch of gear doesn't make it sound better because it has the best of all the things IMO. Quite the opposite, it makes it sound worse because it hides what makes each piece of gear special & just leaves you with average.

Keep your signal chains clean & pure, my friends...

I very much agree with this, and I do a shit ton of overdubs. It's generally much more identifiable when you go all in on one amp.