"Screaming Suicide" is a song by American heavy metal band

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, released as the second single in promotion of their eleventh studio album ''

72 Seasons ''72 Seasons'' is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on April 14, 2023, by their own record label Blackened Recordings. ''72 Seasons'' was produced by Greg Fidelman, who produced the band's previous st ...

''. It was released on January 19, 2023, along with a music video directed by Tim Saccenti.

Background

According to Hetfield, the song is about the "

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

word of suicide" and to communicate the "darkness we feel inside of us", further adding how people cannot deny that they have had dark thoughts at one point in their lives. In the same statement he continues:

"To face it is to speak the unspoken. If it's a human experience, we should be able to talk about it. You are not alone."

The track's lyrics have also been interpreted as telling the story of a person who is born craving

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It is an amine synthesized ...

, only to be lured by their darkest fears and insecurities thinking themself as "living a mistake".

Reception

Drew Review's overall enjoyed the song, noting how it is less fast-paced than " Lux Æterna" and that it felt more like a modern rock song than what you would typically expect from the band. Writing for Metal Planet Music, Paddy Gallagher also liked the track, noting how it sounds like the refreshed 2020s version of ''

Kill 'Em All ''Kill 'Em All'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los A ...

''. They also believed that it felt like the band was moving towards a less complex, more basic sound.

Personnel

Metallica *

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...

– vocals, rhythm guitar, production *

Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician who is the drummer and a founding member of American heavy metal band Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, Ulrich has songwriting credits on almost all of the band's songs, and the ...

– drums, production *

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2023, Hammett, along ...

– lead guitar *

Robert Trujillo Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician who has been the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of crossover thrash band ...

– bass Production *

Greg Fidelman Greg Fidelman (born September 4, 1965) is an American record mixer, engineer and record producer. He is a frequent collaborator of producer Rick Rubin, and has worked with many bands in various genres, including Metallica, Black Sabbath, Slipkno ...

– production, mixing, recording * Sara Lyn Killion – engineering * Jim Monti – engineering * Jason Gossman – additional engineering, digital editing * Kent Matcke – assistant engineering *

Dan Monti Dan Monti, also known by his stage name Del Rey Brewer or simply Brewer, is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer who has worked with such bands as Metallica, Slayer and Guns N' Roses. The bulk of his work, however, has been i ...

– digital editing *

Bob Ludwig Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...

– mastering * David Turner – cover art * Lee Jeffries – band portrait photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Metallica songs 2023 singles 2023 songs Metallica songs Songs about suicide Songs written by James Hetfield Songs written by Lars Ulrich Songs written by Robert Trujillo Groove metal songs