After a 7-year break since their album "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct", American heavy metal band Metallica has returned to the rock scene with the announcement of their 12th studio album "72 seasons" to be released in 2023. Longtime fans weren't just excited about the album; the iconic group accompanied the announcement with their 2023 world tour dates and dropped the first music video filled with laser effects "Lux Æterna".
It's been quite a successful week for the band with their newest music video reaching Billboard's Top 10 Hot Trending Songs and reaching just under 10 million views on YouTube in only a few days.
Earlier this year, the band even saw a resurgence of one of their most popular tracks "Master of Puppets" with the release of Stranger Things season 4, sparking praise from a new, younger audience. After the resurgence of this classic Metallica track, it was the perfect time to drop this announcement, with even more excitement from longtime fans and their new audience.
According to Metallica's James Hetfield, 72 seasons will take us through the first 18 years of our lives, who are we told to be, and how this concept affects our perception of the world as we grow older.
In order to bring this concept to life for the newest music video along with the concept of "Lux Æternal" (meaning Light Eternal in Latin), Tim Saccenti was brought on to direct the music video and album photoshoot with the decision to use cutting-edge technology to stand out.
Laser Technology
LA-based laser effect company, Precision Lasers has been a go-to when it comes to laser designs for TV, film, and live events globally. The team has worked on shows for many artists in the entertainment industry, including Childish Gambino, Excision, and Jennifer Lopez. They've even done work for the iconic Windows 10 logo and even makeup brand Anastasia Beverly Hills for their Norvina campaign. With all of their incredible work, it was an easy decision to bring them onto the Metallica project.
With their variety of lasers, Laser Designer Adam Labay decided to implement the use of KVANT Lasers and Pangolin BEYOND laser design software. The laser was mounted above the artist and projected down on them to create stunning laser banding and beam effects. The laser effects also made the band seem like they were "trapped" behind the bars of light.
All in all, the talented team came together and created another impressive music video for Metallica that will continue to wow audiences, as much as their work has in the past. Huge props to the whole team and Metallica for their amazing cinematography, music, and lighting effects.
Set crew
- Artist: Metallica
- Director: Tim Saccenti
- Executive Producer: Jennifer Heath
- Producer: Danie Lachman
- Creative Direction: Setta Studios
- DOP: Joshua Zucker-Pluda
- Editor: Matt Posey
- Colorist: Tom Poole @ Co3
- VFX: Mark Szumski @ Hey Beautiful Jerk
- Visuals Curation: @changdina
- Visuals: @newnome_beauton @_manamisakamoto @daturahex @ibex @yoshiodeoka
- Lighting: @valentilighting
- Programmer: Ivan Jesus Herrera
- Laser Designer: Adam Labay
- Laser Provider: Precision Lasers
- Laser Team: @the _last_laser_bander @frank_stirr @bonthatb