Metallica have made the music videos for their new album 72 Seasons accessible for the deaf with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations of all 12 clips.
The band teamed with the Deaf Professional Arts Network (DPAN) and Amber G Productions for the ASL versions. For each, the original video is shown split screen alongside an ASL interpreter, who translates the lyrics and rocks out in cadence to the song during instrumental sections.
“Metallica has shown the world what access and inclusiveness can look like,” said Amber Galloway of Amber G Productions via a press release. “Often times hearing individuals think that captioning a music video is sufficient. Sadly text does not show intonations, it doesn’t show the emotional connection that ASL does. These videos also capture the voices of the instruments.”
The ASL videos are the result of Metallica connecting with Galloway, whose team is known for signing at several music festivals the band has headlined, including Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. Meanwhile, the Deaf Professional Arts Network (DPAN) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 by deaf musician Sean Forbes and music producer Joel Martin to make music accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
“As a deaf musician, who has been a huge fan of Metallica my entire life, it is an absolute honor to work with the band and Amber G Productions to make an entire album of their songs accessible in American Sign Language,” said Forbes in the press release. “It is our hope that more bands, artists, performers, will follow the example set by Metallica and make their music accessible in American Sign Language. There is an entire community of deaf music fans that are ready to experience more music and Metallica doing this speaks volumes to the deaf and signing communities.”
Metallica will kick off their 2023-2024 “M72 World Tour” in support of 72 Seasons this Thursday (April 27th) in Amsterdam. Tickets for their upcoming shows, including their North American dates, are available here.
Below you can watch the full playlist of the ASL versions of all the music videos from Metallica’s 72 Seasons. Pick up a copy of the album here.