If Darkness Had a Son

"If Darkness Had a Son" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, released as the third single in promotion of their eleventh studio album 72 Seasons. It was released on March 1, 2023, along with a music video directed by Tim Saccenti.

Background
The song was teased on February 28, 2023, on Metallica's TikTok as a duet with an instrument added each day.

Reception
The song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Trending Songs chart dated and saw 1.1 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads upon the release of the song. The song also was named the Heavy Metal song of the week by Consequence.

Personnel

 * James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
 * Lars Ulrich – drums
 * Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
 * Robert Trujillo – bass