Metallica fans have been eagerly awaiting a fourth song in the band’s ‘Unforgiven’ series for years. Lead vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield recently commented on the possibility of it happening and the meaning behind the previous three tracks. “I’m not dead! I’m not dead yet, so it’s not finished…I don’t know if we’re going to have ‘Unforgiven XII’ or not. I don’t know. If I say I know then it’ll be different”, he said on a recent episode of The Metallica Report podcast.
The first ‘Unforgiven’ song was released in 1991 alongside Metallica’s self-titled album, and the second was part of the ‘Reload’ album six years later. The last song in the series was ‘The Unforgiven III’, from the album ‘Death Magnetic’, released in 2008. Hetfield explained the third song was about self-forgiveness, “How can I forgive you if I can’t forgive myself?”. He added that it was kind of a wrap-up to the trilogy but also admitted there could be more.
Last year, NME interviewed drummer Lars Ulrich, where he spoke about the impact of Stranger Things on the band’s fanbase. He said that the show used ‘Master of Puppets’ during a key scene in the final episode of season 4. It introduced Metallica to a whole new set of younger people, which is always good news within the music industry. Ulrich also mentioned that they still see many 13 to 14-year-olds attending their concerts for the first time, which suggests that the band has become a hit with younger audiences after not being very relevant to them for a long time.
Metallica released their latest album, ’72 Seasons’, around the same time as the NME interview. The album has been given four stars by NME, saying that “for young fans just now learning the joys of heavy rock – perhaps lured in by the appearance of this band’s 1986 classic ‘Master of Puppets’ on Netflix megahit Stranger Things last year – this new record will be a fitting gateway drug”. They go on to say that “for everyone else there’s simply the reassuring thrill that, after so many decades on stage, Metallica are still capable of delivering sharp, spiky metal – and sticking it where the sun doesn’t shine
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