“We hope that our fans in the deaf and hard of hearing community enjoy experiencing the album through these videos”
Metallica announced Saturday, National American Sign Language Day, that they will release ASL videos for every track on their just-released LP 72 Seasons.
The heavy metal legends first shared their ASL-accompanied video the album’s title track, with the remainder of 72 Seasons’ songs to be released with an ASL visual on April 25.
For the project, Metallica teamed with the nonprofit organization Deaf Professional Arts Network (DPAN) and Amber G Productions; the latter’s Amber Galloway — who signs in the “72 Seasons” video — is well-known on the live circuit, as she and her company have served as signers at concerts and music festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.
As the 72 Seasons ASL announcement video reveals, Metallica is the first-ever rock band to create ASL visuals for an entire album.
“It’s been an honor to work with Amber and DPAN teams, and we hope that our fans in the deaf and hard of hearing community enjoy experiencing the album through these videos,” Metallica said in a statement.
72 Seasons, Metallica’s 11th studio album, arrived on Friday. “Metallica have always been masters of corpulent, groove-heavy riffs and labyrinthine song structures, but now, with more than 40 years of experience, they play with more purpose than in their speed-demon days,” Rolling Stone wrote in our review of the LP.
“Making it through those first 72 seasons may have been torture for Metallica, but now they’re just realizing they survived the apocalypse to share their wisdom.”
