In just 15 days, new vinyl plant owners Metallica will return with 72 Seasons, their first new album since 2016’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct. They’ve shared early singles “Lux Æterna,” “Screaming Suicide,” and “If Darkness Had A Son.” And today, they’ve released the new LP’s title track and opener.

I am generally skeptical of new Metallica, even (especially?) when they try to tap back into the sounds that made them legends. But friends, “72 Seasons” sounds fucking sick. It’s taking me straight back to seventh grade, hacking away with tablature books in the basement. The riffs are abundant. The composition is dynamic. Basically it sounds like a really good Metallica song from some nether region between …And Justice For All and the Black Album.

Below, watch Tim Saccenti’s video for “72 Seasons,” filmed Feb. 12 in Los Angeles.

72 Seasons is out 4/14 via Blackened Recordings.