Robert Trujillo believes Metallica’s new album, “72 Times,” is one of the “greatest” records the band has ever made. In an interview with Steffan Chirazi on the Metallica website, the bassist discussed the creative process behind the new album and why it feels different here compared to previous records he’s been involved with.
According to Trujillo, James Hetfield’s period of rehabilitation between the release of “Hardwired… to Self-Destruct” in 2016 and “72 Seasons” set the stage for “recalling” within the band, and that mindset inspired a creative approach. group
“I think everyone had a pretty good idea of what the story was, the energy,” Trujillo said of the album’s direction. “With all the ugly thoughts and things going on in his world, it would be almost impossible not to do that. This is also what makes this album great: what it has been through and how it should have grown. It’s almost like a rebirth in many ways because you have to reconnect with your inner spirit, who you are, and what you believe. And now you send it, bring it out and present it to us and finally to the world, so it is very important to him. At that point, I know it’s going to be a powerful album. This is one of the most important records, in my opinion, that Metallica has ever made.
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“It is also in the aries and where it is also from. The aries speak a certain language; they signify a certain force, whether in volume or in gravity, inhumanity. There is not much impact on the aries in my opinion. I always say, common people, that you can make up your mind, or from where I mean, some of the best bands have come out of challenging environments or situations, whether it’s Birmingham, England, or South Central Los Angeles, you know what I mean? It’s like, where did Slayer ‘reign in the blood’ from? Well, where they grew up, probably from the beat what they felt
“I always say about these guys like Tony Iommi or James Hetfield or Jeff Hanneman. You create what’s inside you, what you’ve experienced in life, and some things are more powerful than others. That’s it. He has a lot of that care in all of us. Every note that we play is a statement that appears in this title. It comes from the heart and soul, who we are individually and where we have been in this whole process, these songs are the growth of all of them. To me, all the notes we played on this album are relevant, and I feel people.”
Trujillo was later asked to explain why the record was heavily influenced by Hetfield’s lyrical perspective and the contribution of all four band members.
“I mean all of us, I know personally, every note I played on this record had a special moment and impact, and it was done from the heart,” added Trujillo. “More than any other record I’ve done with Metallica, this album really resonated with what was going on in life. I think, I mean, I don’t think… I know people feel that’s the magic of music. So if you listen to old classic songs, those guys are playing from the heart, experiences play, and every note played means something, whether it’s Black Saturday or even Santana. Carlos pulls it out of the place he’s in, that’s the passion he transmits through his instrument. That’s how I feel about this record. We all really think he’s playing from the heart, the spirit there is cooperation on that ground, and that is the magic ingredient in ’72 Seasons’.
