The latest episode of "The Metallica Report" is available for streaming below.

Description: We speak with James Hetfield about his perennial and peerless lyrics. Our songwriter shares what he loves about the architecture of words, whether he sees himself as a storyteller, and his appreciation of Tom Waits. Then, we take a trip back through the So What! archives to revisit his approach to songs such as “Harvester Of Sorrow,” “Moth Into Flame,” and “ManUNkind.” Finally, he discusses the soul searching behind 72 Seasons and explains—what he has determined to be—the three phases of “Fuck it!”

Asked if over time he's become "less intimidated by words" and "more comfortable" writing lyrics, James responds, "I think so, yeah. I was discouraged when we did Load and Reload, with the amount of songs. You know, there were 45 songs I had to write lyrics for and I felt like, 'Wait a minute. I've gotta write 45 songs' worth of lyrics. It's insane.' All that 45 songs would not be as potent as one really well-written lyric, you know what I mean, to me. And being more comfortable with stuff that I think brings the point across, yeah, we have a... you know, Lars and I co-producers, Greg Fidelman co-producer. I come in with the lyrics. They'll read through 'em, and they'll just, you know, 'Oh, yeah, that word. Mmm, I'm not sure.' It's, like, 'Well, just let me sing it. Let me get it out there.' Even something like 'Inamorata' - 'Resentment like a cancer grows.' He's, like, 'Ah, the word 'cancer'. Nah, you can't sing that. It's too...' Like, dude, come on. I mean, I'm not trying to win any P.C. awards for anything. Cancer is a fucking powerful word, it's hated. And to apply it to something, you know, gives it that power, you know. I'm gonna write what I need to write. I will listen to you and your opinion on it. If it doesn't sing well, I get it, but I'm not gonna put in some fluff word just so it rhymes or whatever. And sometimes that is needed. Rhyming can be more important than the context, in certain places, but I want the words to just be as powerful as possible."

Single-day tickets for Metallica's No Repeat Weekends go on sale on Friday, January 17, at 10 AM local time (the timezone in which the show occurs). Fan Club pre-sales begin Monday, January 13, at 9 AM, local time. Select single-day Enhanced Experience tickets - previously only offered as 2-day tickets for No Repeat Weekends - will also be available; inventory varies from show to show.

Tickets for One Night Only shows and 2-day tickets for No Repeat Weekends are on sale now. And for those of you looking to enjoy multiple shows, the “I Disappear Ticket” is still available at wearesuper.co/metallica, as are select travel packages at metallicatravel.com.

Presented by inKind in North America and promoted by Live Nation, Metallica’s record-breaking M72 World Tour’s 2025 itinerary will continue the hallowed No Repeat Weekend tradition, with each night of the two-show stands featuring entirely different setlists and support lineups. These will include the band’s first Nashville shows in five years on May 1 and 3 at Nissan Stadium, as well as Metallica’s return to Tampa after 15 years on June 6 and 8 at Raymond James Stadium. M72 has also confirmed its much anticipated Bay Area hometown play, to take place June 20 and 22 with the band’s debut performances at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

In a new twist, M72 2025 will feature several single shows bringing the tour’s full production, with its massive in-the-round stage, to venues including two college football stadiums: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York on April 19, and Metallica's first ever visit to Blacksburg, Virginia, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies. The May 7 show at Lane Stadium will mark the culmination of 20+ years of “Enter Sandman” playing as the Hokies take the field.

The M72 tour’s bold in-the-round stage design relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to center stage for a complete 360 view of the show, as well as the I Disappear full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age. Each weekend offers a variety of Enhanced Experiences, ranging from access to a meet and greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the “Black Box” lounge to early entry into the venue and the aforementioned Snake Pit.

As always, a portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to local charities via the band’s All Within My Hands foundation. Established in 2017 as a way to give back to communities that have supported Metallica over the years, All Within My Hands has raised over $15 million – providing $8.2 million in grants to career and technical education programs including the ground-breaking Metallica Scholars Initiative, now in its sixth year, over $3.6 million to combat food insecurity, more than $3.5 million to disaster relief efforts.

Tour dates:

April
19 - Syracuse, NY - JMA Wireless Dome *
24 - Toronto, ON - Rogers Centre *
26 - Toronto, ON - Rogers Centre +

May
1 - Nashville, TN - Nissan Stadium *
3 - Nashville, TN - Nissan Stadium +
7 - Blacksburg, VA - Lane Stadium *
9 - Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple @ Historic Crew Stadium
11 - Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple @ Historic Crew Stadium
23 - Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field +
25 - Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field *
28 - Landover, MD - Northwest Stadium *
31 - Charlotte, NC - Bank of America Stadium *

June
3 - Atlanta, GA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium *
6 - Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium +
8 - Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium *
14 - Houston, TX - NRG Stadium *
20 - Santa Clara, CA - Levi's Stadium +
22 - Santa Clara, CA - Levi's Stadium *
27 - Denver, CO - Empower Field at Mile High +
29 - Denver, CO - Empower Field at Mile High *

* Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies support
+ Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills support