STACK #223 May 2023

MUSIC FEATURE

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- and it does more than just live up to its promise. The phrase is intended to represent the first 18 years of an individual’s life, and herein lies the thematic fabric of the album. Armed with Robert Trujillo’s grinding bass and a barrage of buzzsaw guitar, the song tears and shreds like a beast possessed, reminiscent of the iconic '80s Bay Area thrash scene which

72 Seasons by Metallica is out now via Blackened Recordings/ Universal.

Metallica helped immortalise. The message delivered on Shadows Follow serves as a pertinent reminder that we can never truly escape from the darkness within ourselves. All the while, the band dishes up a hardcore slice of stabby, punk-branded heavy metal to go along with it. You "better listen well" because we're then taken on a dynamic detour into the melodically oriented Screaming Suicide , a track that conjures up the primal and raw power characteristic of the larger-than-life NWOBHM anthems of old. Metallica dig even deeper on Sleepwalk My Life Away to summon a primitive and bestial soundscape, calling to mind the gritty desert rock melodies of Alice in Chains, laced with a healthy dose of Black Sabbath-inspired doom. Perhaps the chunkiest riffage of the album's entire tracklist appears next: the punishing You Must Burn ! Immense and overpowering (almost suffocating), this track is also Kirk Hammett’s finest moment on the record as he seamlessly transitions from blues-infused solo passages to tearing his guitar neck to shreds, with dense chugging and intricate fingerwork...

in motion a hypersonic blast that has rapidly penetrated airwaves and audio systems across the globe. The album opens with its title track, introducing us to the musical universe Metallica have conceived for this latest studio album METALLICA DELIVER THEIR PRIMO THRASH ODYSSEY O n brand new, 77-minute thrash odyssey 72 Seasons , Metallica have unleashed the supernova energy that has been simmering amongst their devoted fanbase since the release of Hardwired…To Self-Destruct six years ago, and with it set The undisputed overlords of all things heavy once again return to fortify their dominion over the world of hard rock/metal. Words Alex Burgess

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Mixing traditional southern American flashpoints with dinky-di Aussie touchstones has seen Brad Cox carve a niche of his own in the world of country music. Head online to read our Q&A with the Jindabyne talent, whose third album Acres drops this month. BRAD'S BACK!

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Vance Joy performing Riptide at the 2013 ARIA Awards. Source: YouTube

Three jaunty chords on a ukelele was all it took for Australia to be swept completely off its feet in 2013, by a young Melbournian calling himself Vance Joy. That was a full decade ago this month, and now James Keogh's Riptide – the man and song in question – still holds the record for the most consecutive weeks in the top 100 ARIA Singles Chart, at 120.

Acres by Brad Cox is

out May 5 via Sony.

46 MAY 2023

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