Metallica premiere video for epic seven-minute song 'If Darkness Had a Son'

The latest taster of '72 Seasons'

Metallica's Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 1st Mar 2023

Metallica have premiered the video for their epic new track ‘If Darkness Had a Son.’

Clocking in at seven minutes, ‘If Darkness Had a Son’ is a typically towering anthem from the San Francisco metal legends and it’s packed with weighty lyrics about temptation.

James Hetfield spits in one verse: “Return again to where it’s darkest / Dragging home this heathen harvest / And all the children subjugated / Manipulated, propagated / If darkness had a son, here I am / Temptation is his father.”

Metallica in 2023

Another hard-hitting verse goes: “So paint your eyes as black as sorrow / Hide yourself behind tomorrow / The nightmares search for infiltration / In domination, captivation.”

Heavy stuff.

The accompanying ‘If Darkness Had a Son’ video was filmed in Los Angeles and directed by Tim Saccenti, who also helmed the promo videos for previous singles ‘Screaming Suicide’ and ‘Lux Æterna'.

Watch Metallica’s ‘If Darkness Had a Son’ video:

‘If Darkness Had a Son’ is the third taster of Metallica’s new studio album ’72 Seasons’ that lands on Friday 14th April 2023 via the band’s Blackened Recordings imprint.

Metallica will premiere ‘72 Seasons’ at cinemas in the UK on Thursday 13th April.

Commenting on the concept for ’72 Seasons’, Papa Het says: “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are.

“I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is re-enactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”

Metallica in 2023

Supporting the album’s release, Metallica are embarking on their M72 world tour across Europe and North America this year and into 2024.

Including two headline sets at Download Festival, Metallica play two nights at every location with each No Repeat Weekend featuring two completely different setlists and support line-ups.

The tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to centre stage.

Also featuring performances from Alter Bridge, Halestorm, Clutch, The HU, Ghost, Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, Within Temptation, Placebo, Disturbed, Evanescence and many more, tickets to Download Festival are on sale from Planet Rock Tickets now.

News: Youngest snowboarding world champion Mia Brookes, 16, says Metallica helped her to victory

Snowboarding world champion and Metallica fan Mia Brookes

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