“Seventy-two seasons make up the first 18 years of life, when our true or false identity is formed. At that time, our parents will tell us who we are. That time gives us the opportunity to pigeonhole ourselves. Many of our beliefs are then just reconstructions of experiences from our youth or reactions to them. We are either prisoners of our childhood, or we break free from the shackles,” said singer and guitarist James Hetfield about the new concept.
There will be twelve songs on the new album, which are more than seventy-seven minutes long. In addition to Hetfield and the band’s drummer Lars Ulrich, it was produced by Greg Fidelman, who worked with Metallica on their previous album Hardwired… to Self-Destruct in 2016.
As for the album’s surprise, fans won’t just hear James Hetfield singing. In an interview published on the band’s website, bassist Robert Trujillo revealed that he will be singing on one song.
“For the first time in my life, I get to sing on a Metallica album and support James. I am very proud of it. It’s the first time that James and Greg Fidelman really trusted me in this role on a recording of this scale,” said the man who sang the song Jožin z bažin in Czech at two concerts in Prague in the past.
Trujillo explained that he felt “a little nervous” when Greg Fidelman told him he could sing. But after thinking for a while, he came to the conclusion that the selected composition corresponds to his personality in terms of mood and lyrics, and actually even the bass line he plays in it.
Trujillo added that it is the song You Must Burn!, which starts with a jam of musicians. It is placed fifth on the album.
