Watch METALLICA Performs ‘Lux Æterna’ Live For First Time

Metallica Lux Aeterna Live

METALLICA played its new song “Lux Aeterna” for the first time last night at the “Helping Hands Concert & Auction.” The event took place Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. This was the third edition of said concert and opened with a special musical set from GRETA VAN FLEET followed by an unique set led by METALLICA themselves. Fan-filmed video footage of their performance of “Lux Aeterna” can be seen below.

“Lux Aeterna” reached the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart earlier this month, marking the band’s 25th top 10 on the tally. The group’s first hit, “Enter Sandman,” arrived in 1991. “Lux Aeterna” also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and at No. 2 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.

METALLICA has finally announced their 12th studio album titled, 72 Seasons which will be available next year on April 14, 2023. The 77-minute long project was produced by Greg Fidelman with METALLICA‘s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

In a recent behind-the-scenes video, Hetfield stated his thoughts on the LP’s first single, “Lux Aeterna.”

‘Lux Æterna’ is an upbeat, kind of fast and joyous song, I would say — really indicative of New Wave Of British [Heavy] Metal stuff, so kind of a harkening-back-to-’80s kind of riff,” James said. “It’s just fun and makes me move. It was fun making the video, fun recording a song that comes out really easy, that was a real easy song to write and to perform, like I said, very much like the early ’80s for us.”

Hetfield also revealed from where he drew inspiration for the album title 72 Seasons. “’72 Seasons’ came out of a book I was reading about childhood, basically, and sorting out childhood as an adult,” he said. “And 72 seasons is basically the first 18 years of your life. How do you evolve and grow and mature and develop your own ideas and identity of self after those first 72 seasons?

“Some things are more difficult than others — you know, some things you can’t unsee and they’re with you for the rest of your life, and other things you’re able to rewind the tape and make a new tape in your life. So that’s the real interesting part for me, is how you’re able to address those situations as an adult and mature.”

“There’s been a lot of darkness in my life and in our career and things that have happened with us, but always having a sense of hope, always having the light that is in that darkness… Without darkness, there is no light, and being able to focus a little more on the light in life instead of all of the… how it used to be and how horrible it is… There’s a lot of good things going on in life — focusing on that instead, and it helps to balance out my life. And there’s no one meaning to it — everyone has some sense of hope or light in their life, and, obviously, music is mine. And the song specifically talks about gathering of people at a concert and [being] able to see the joy and the life and the love that comes out of music and the family and the kinship in that, and just a sense of uplifting.”