Metallica launch a new contest with the following update:

"Calling all marching bands at a high school and collegiate level!! Add ‘Tallica songs to your performance this fall, and you could win thousands of dollars in equipment for your band by entering the first-ever Metallica Marching Band Competition.

In a national challenge to marching bands in the United States, we’re looking for the most exciting, unique, and impressive performances of some of our songs. High Schools and Divisions 1, 2, and 3 Colleges are invited to compete in the five categories listed below. Participants will be narrowed down to five finalists by professional judges, and we will select the final prize winners in each category. Fan Favorite winners will be chosen by popular vote.

- Collegiate: Division 1 - $75,000 in prizing
- Collegiate: Division 2, 3 - $40,000 in prizing
- High School - $15,000 in prizing
- Fan Favorite: Collegiate (across all divisions) - $10,000 in prizing
- Fan Favorite: High School - $10,000 in prizing

The victors in each category will win musical instruments and equipment for their school program thanks to our sponsors, TAMA, KHS America, Zildjian, D’Addario, and Gator, in partnership with Sweetwater and Hal Leonard.

Video submissions for the Metallica Marching Band Competition are due by November 16, 2023, with voting beginning November 17, 2023. Winners will be selected on December 1, 2023. To sign up and get more info, visit here.

Time marches on!"

A previous message from Metallica states: "We’re celebrating 72 Seasons release week by taking over late night! Catch us on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC Monday, April 10 - Thursday, April 13 for four live performances, one night of chatting on the couch, and whatever other fun Jimmy has in store for us."

Check local listings for air times.

Metallica’s 12th studio album, 72 Seasons, is out on April 14 via the band’s own Blackened Recordings. The band have issued the following message:

"You know we love our indie record stores… over 300 shops around the world are joining us in our 72 Seasons celebrations and hosting official listening parties! And over 100 of those parties are happening at midnight. We can't wait for you to hear the album and hope you can join in the shenanigans at your local record store!"

Find the participating record stores here.

Produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track 72 Seasons is the band’s first full-length collection of new material since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.

Speaking on the concept of the album title, James Hetfield said: “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 a reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”

Pre-order the new album in multiple configurations here.

72 Seasons tracklisting:

"72 Seasons"
"Shadows Follow"
"Screaming Suicide"
"Sleepwalk My Life Away"
"You Must Burn!"
"Lux Æterna"
"Crown Of Barbed Wire"
"Chasing Light"
"If Darkness Had A Son"
"Too Far Gone?"
"Room Of Mirrors"
"Inamorata"

"72 Seasons" video:

"If Darkness Had A Son" video:

"Screaming Suicide" video:

“Lux Æterna” video:

Tickets are on sale now for Metallica and Trafalgar Releasing's worldwide listening party for Metallica’s forthcoming 12th studio album, 72 Seasons.

For one night only on Thursday, April 13th, 72 Seasons will play exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide - with every one of the new songs featuring its own music video and exclusive commentary from the band. Fans can also experience Metallica like never before in Dolby Atmos®, an audio experience that will immerse listeners inside each song to reveal details with unparalleled clarity and depth.

Check metallica.film or contact your local movie theater for ticketing information on this one night only event (in Dolby Atmos where available).

Metallica: 72 Seasons Global Premiere will offer fans an unforgettable night as they see and hear 72 Seasons first and fully on the eve of its April 14th release. View a trailer below: