Robert Trujillo has confirmed that, for the first time, he will be contributing vocals to Metallica’s upcoming album, ‘72 Seasons’.
The legendary bassist was speaking as part of a new interview, when he confirmed that he will be making his Metallica vocal debut on the band’s forthcoming LP – namely, on a track called ‘You Must Burn!”
“When I joined Metallica, I’d never sung in my whole life. So the fact that I can now support a backup vocal is pretty cool,” he said to So What!.
“For the first time in my life, I get to sing on a Metallica record and support James. I’m very proud of that. It’s the first time that James and [co-producer] Greg [Fidelman] had probably ever really trusted me with that position on a recording of this stature.”
He continued, explaining how the opportunity arose: “I was coming up to play a little bass, but then [Fidelman] said, ‘I’m going to have you sing on a couple things, too.’ And I was, like, ‘Really?’ I got a little nervous.
“Fortunately for me, the part really does suit my comfort zone, so to speak… The part lends itself to my personality, to my voice, and it sits and slots in really well with the moment and bass breakdown. So it’s cool that it’s this breakdown that James and I were able to jam on and create, and then I get to sing on it too.”
According to Trujillo, ‘You Must Burn!’ began as a jam between him and the other members, and has the same atmosphere as would be expected from a Tim Burton Movie. It will be released as part of the band’s forthcoming 11th studio album, due on April 14.
‘72 Seasons’ marks the thrash icons’ first full collection of new material since their 2016 album, ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’. The LP was produced by Greg Fidelman, as well as founding members, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.
Clocking in at over 77 minutes long, the album features twelve tracks – including the three singles that have already been released.
Back in November, the band released the lead single ‘Lux Æterna’. This was then followed by ‘Screaming Suicide’ in January and, most recently, ‘If Darkness Had A Son’, which debuted earlier this month. Prior to the release of the latter, Metallica teased the track on TikTok, sharing an 80-second instrumental rendition in which each member joined in the performance one by one.
Earlier this month, it was also announced that the thrash pioneers had purchased their own vinyl pressing plant. This happened after the four-piece purchased a majority stake in Furnace Record Pressing in Virginia. Previously, the company had pressed a host of reissues for Metallica, including their fan-favourites ‘Kill ’Em All’, ‘Ride The Lightning’ and ‘Master Of Puppets’.
“72 Seasons” will be released on April 14 via the band’s Blackened Recordings, pre-order the release here.
Metallica will also be joining forces with Trafalgar Releasing to host a worldwide listening party for the release. This will take place in cinemas and feature the album being played in full, as well as exclusive commentary from the band – tickets are available here.
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