METALLICA's LARS ULRICH: 'We Love Each Other Endlessly, And We Enjoy Playing Music Together'

NPR's Ailsa Chang recently spoke to METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo about their latest album, "72 Seasons", and the band's four decades of music making. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked what parts of early METALLICA he and his bandmates have let go of as they have all evolved individually, Ulrich: "I guess the first things that come to mind is stuff around health. Just the late nights and the shenanigans, all that have pretty much all fallen to the wayside. The one thing that we also share is that, as we get older, we become very comfortable sharing who we are to the world. And I enjoy it because, when I am on stage or representing the band, you do feel good about what you're contributing, and you know you're not letting your brothers down."

Ulrich also talked about how the members of METALLICA sound compassionate when they talk about each other in interviews and how much they talk about loving each other and forgiving each other for mistakes now. Asked how he thinks that vulnerability fits into metal, Lars said: "Well, I don't look at it like vulnerability in metal. I look at it as four guys who are sharing an experience together and have been for the better part of 40 years. And we play music, first and foremost, that we really enjoy. We love each other endlessly, and we enjoy playing music together. And the vulnerability and that transparency that we're comfortable with, you know, is something that we're actually quite proud of."

METALLICA's eleventh studio album, "72 Seasons", was released on Friday (April 14) via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and Ulrich, it is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

In the seven years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".

METALLICA's "M72" world tour will feature two-night stops in nearly two dozen cities. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the 46-show trek will launch in Amsterdam on April 27 and will include shows all over Europe and North America through 2024. Each "No Repeat Weekend" on "M72" will feature two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age. Opening acts for the tour include PANTERA, MAMMOTH WVH, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, ARCHITECTS, VOLBEAT and GRETA VAN FLEET.