Initial Analysis: Metallica, "If Darkness Had a Son"
Metallica revisit Hardwired... and St. Anger?!
Watch the video for “If Darkness Had a Son” HERE
The third preview track from 72 Seasons (out April 14) pivots away from the NWOBHM homages of “Lux Æterna” and “Screaming Suicide” in favor of revisiting more familiar territory. “If Darkness Had a Son” instead plays like a logical extension of Hardwired… to Self-Destruct in its pacing, structure and casual confidence. There’s much more of a jamming quality here, especially during Kirk Hammett’s solo where everyone- even Lars- sounds comfortable stretching out and riding along.
At the same time, the “temptation” refrain resurrects memories of St. Anger… or more accurately, Some Kind of Monster: much of that film’s first quarter was devoted to Metallica working through a demo of something called “Temptation”. Most famously, Lars was positioning it as the next album’s first single while his own dad wanted to hit “delete”. And at first listen (and with vague recollection of recording sessions from 20 years prior), it would appear that James and Lars borrowed sections of that ultimately unused track for “If Darkness Had a Son”, which in itself isn’t a bad thing, just interesting that it would come out of the woodwork after so long.
Either way, the track gives a hint that 72 Seasons won’t be quite as straightforward as the previous two singles suggested. Of course, it remains to be seen how “If Darkness Had a Son” fits within the overall context of the album, but it breathes nicely. The chorus isn’t as sticky as either “Lux Æterna” or “Screaming Suicide”, but the middle section flows with a very specific majesty that could only come from these four individuals, and it’s not hard to imagine this going down as one of their “doodle” tracks in concert.