Metallica have delivered a ripping rendition of Master of Puppets on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
As part of their week-long residency on the program, the appearance also saw them attempt to master the art of actual puppetry. That's right, the good people at Jimmy Kimmel Live! hooked Metallica up with the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre who helped school the Metallica guys in the art of marionette puppeteering. It would be a stretch to say they emerged from this skit as 'puppet masters' but they definitely had a lot of fun trying, which has to be a win.
Part of the promotional campaign for their eleventh studio album 72 Seasons, which was released today, the four-night residency on the program has seen Metallica tear through live readings of the likes of Holier Than Thou and Lux Aeterna, as well as sit down for a unique interview with host, Jimmy Kimmel.
The highly anticipated 72 Seasons release is the Bay Area thrash icons' first full-length offering since 2016's Hardwired... To Self Destruct. Produced by Greg Fidelman, the 12-track, 77-minute album is a concept record based on the impact of the first 18 years of life on the foundation of identity.
Frontman James Hetfield explains "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."
The band has been hosting listening parties at cinemas across the globe in the last 24 hours, giving fans the opportunity to experience the record in full surround sound while viewing videos for every track.
The listening parties follow the release of four singles, Lux Aeterna, Screaming Suicide, If Darkness Had A Son and 72 Seasons in previewing the album, with each providing a glimpse at the explorative nature of 72 Seasons which sees the band embrace elements of their legendary '80s heyday filtered through the prism of their more modern offerings.
72 Seasons is out now.
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