S&M

Love

This was fun!

A fantastic double live album. As a Metallica fan, this was a special concert. My only grievance is how much the setlist relies on the 90s releases, although they were likely the easiest to adapt to a backing orchestra.

seeing Metallica live must be euphoric. their songs surround you - they take up physical space.

Michael Kamen and Metallica’s full-length collab results in some impressively ornate orchestral renditions of many classic tracks. While there’s some slight intrusion of popular songs with resulting orchestrations that feel less fleshed, most are deliberate and pumped up as a result. The two new originals, “- Human” and “No Leaf Clover” (one of the band’s best songs ever) are both amazing.

1. A 2+ hour live album does not belong on the list, especially when nearly half the tracks come from other albums on the list. 2. The concept is different, at least. It could work. 3. but it doesn't, at least completely. A few tracks were great, but for the most part the symphony didn't add much. A few tracks are worse. Enter Sandman, my favorite Metallica track, was just bad. 4. Overall, I was interested at the beginning, but it drag on too long, and the last few tracks, all ones that I love on the studio albums, were worse than on those albums. I guess it was ok.

I started really bad when I noticed that it was more than 2 hours long then there was this ridiculous introduction. I'm bored already. OK I get the appeal of mixing orchestral music and metal, but come on it does not have to be so long. Metal groups need to be kept on a tight leash or they are doing long songs for the sake of it ; this is an instance of it.

From the Vault #38 (May 29, 2026) The return of the pre-written review. I've been struggling to keep up with this list because I've been going on a few New Vegas benders lately, but we're back in the saddle with yet another pre-written review for a long-as-fuck album. I'm skeptical about this release being on the list, truth be told. Three studio albums seems like the right number for a band of Metallica's standing, but three studio albums and a live album definitely feels like the band are pushing their luck. Fortunately, I can believe that Metallica make for a good live act, so here's hoping that this album's place is warranted. Here goes. Well, this was about half of what I was expecting and twice as painful of a listen. For whatever reason, it took me over a month to finish this album. Case in point: I've gone to rehab and cured my New Vegas addiction, instead putting my time towards writing these pre-written reviews and neglecting my current 1001 album generator pulls in much same way. Anyways, the album. This is the last album I'll ever have to listen to which is over two hours in length (assuming the listmakers didn't sneak a cheeky two-hour album into later editions of the book - I only collected the track lengths from the original 1001 lineup). Honestly, it feels good to be whittling this list down to bite-sized chunks. Soon, I'll have cleared out all of the albums over an hour in length, then the albums over 50 minutes length and so on. I'll soon be completely panicked as I scramble to figure out what can possibly be said about the 20 minute albums of this list. On with my actual review. I admire the level of craft that went into this performance and I can confidently say this is the fourth live album I've listened to which has decisively earned its spot on the list (behind At Folsom Prison, At Budokan and Frampton Comes Alive. Live and Dangerous may also qualify since that album is just a bunch of dudes rocking out, though it's been an incredibly long time since I listened to it). Most of the live albums on this list fail to land with me due to my lack of familiarity with the band's material or there not being much of a dynamic between the audience and the performers. Fortunately, I am familiar with Metallica's music and this album makes up for its minimal audience interaction through pure spectacle. All that being said, this album is fucking long on both an individual song and total runtime level, which doesn't make me particularly fond of the full album. Still, I can't deny that it was fun hearing the iconic cuts of Metallica's discography with a new coat of paint - they're just fucking long iconic cuts. Book time. Metallica's rock/orchestral sound apparently began with two songs from their self-titled album. The maestro who conducted those songs eventually strong-armed the group into a full collaboration. The companion DVD for this album shows everyone having a blast while performing at this show. Wikipedia says that the critics weren't fond of this one - most of the ratings are skewed from mixed to negative. That's honestly a surprise. Anyways, the album sold 300,000 copies in its first week (that's globally, I assume) and topped the charts in five countries along with making the top ten in nine more. The album also made it onto quite a few year-end charts in 1999 and 2000, notably being the eighth best-selling album of 2000 in Germany, the 17th best-selling album of 2000 in Switzerland and the 18th best-selling album of 2000 in Austria. It was also apparently the 23rd best-selling album of 2000 in all of Europe and had a bit of a resurgence among the Poles, topping the Polish charts in 2020 and being the 27th/36th best-selling album of 2020/21 in the country. Honestly, I'm surprised the critics ignored this album, and I'm even more surprised that it was as much of a smash on the charts as it was. Even if the reasons for this album being in here weren't good I'd still vouch for this album because of how transformative the symphonic element is. I cosign this inclusion.

JUUUUST a bit outside! This was a missed opportunity. Feels like the symphony was pasted on. This idea just didn’t work.

As someone else said, like pickles and ice cream. I like metallica. When I was a wee lad it was one of those bands I really liked. But as time went on they became very stale. This is very pretentious and unnecessary. The strings do not compliment the songs AT ALL. At many points it seems like they are playing completely different songs. And 2 hours plus? That is just insane. and there is an S&M2!!! Whoaahh.

good moments not gonna lie, but so damn long, I needed 3 sessions which I don't like for albums, honestly I don't love the premise and am not a big enough Metallica fan to care, was happy when it was over.

I dislikes this album when I was 16 and I still dislike it now

Not something I would pick up if I wanted to listen to some Metallica, but over a good listen.

I don't think I've ever actually listened to this album before. An interesting idea, but I don't think that any of these songs are better than the original versions (perhaps Call of Ktulu being the exception)

Я не хейтер, але це просто сильно не моє. Мені здається, що оркестр робить тільки гірше + багато лоад/релоад, який я не люблю.

Важливий для мене альбом, який я знаю от і до. Чомусь так вийшло, що саме S&M я почув чи не першим у металіки, ще у далекому дитинстві, а також цей концертник чомусь любив мій Папа. І тому в мене був диск, який я слухав часто. Знаю, що чомусь цей запис хейтять, але я дуже люблю, особливо кайф що вони зіграли тут Outlaw Torn - дуже недооцінена пісня металіки. 4.5

I’ve made my feelings clear about live albums. Far too many of them on here. And this one is long! Having said that… one of the best live bands of all time so this one is probably fair to recognise on the list. And it’s an entire show rather than an edited version, hence the length - but if you’re gonna do a live album, do it properly. No idea how Metallica do it but they just sound so good live. Saw them at Reading when I wasn’t a fan of the band at all, but was captivated for the full two hours. Impressive

One of my favorite albums of all time

I love Metallica but I don’t like live albums. The orchestra works ok on the quieter moments of some songs but gets overwhelmed during the heavy parts. There are a couple of interesting tracks but you’re generally better off listening to the original album versions.

Pretty unnecessary for this to be an album, let alone one that must be experienced before the end. An interesting-ish idea that doesn't seem to be very successful. Also, waaaaaay too long.

Tolle Kombi

Metal and orchestra was new and exciting. Exceptionally well done album. 27 tracks is too long for a critical listen but the entire project was epic.

kicks the barely living shit out of the already ailing, crippled husk of Rock and Roll in 1999. a monstrous act and document. everyone involved should be sent to The Hague.

This is not needed, happy for the folks that got to go see this live but don’t pawn off this bootleg as a real listening experience

last time i listened to this i was 12 and it was on my discman. the whole "add and orchestra" concept i don't always love, and S&M is no exception. Master of Puppets through No Leaf Clover is a nice run and the orchestra adds a new ripple to these tracks and makes them cinematic....but christ, the sound quality on this recording is dogshit. I understand it's a live recording...but why work so hard to put a production of this scale together...just to have it live forever sounding like this. 2 hours record is unforgivably long for me. 2

This must have been so much fun for Metallica.

Starts strong. The Extacy of Gold to The Call of Ktulu to Master of Puppets is quite an epic run with the orchestral arangements and all. The whole thing gets a bit mushy down the line however, and the band and the orchestra don't necessarily compliment each other on all of the tracks. The band also struggles with some of the more technical passages wich is only highlighted by the orchestration. And what the hell is going on with James Hetfield and his adlibs? Turn down the rockabilly for fuck's sake. All in all just a rather exhausting listen.

Dang this one’s long. It’s interesting though, I do feel like the orchestra adds a new layer to the songs

What I like here: the symphony. I am such a fan of the symphony paired with an unexpected artist. I’ve seen the LA philharmonic perform with the dj Zed and I’ve seen the SF symphony with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Dramatic music of any kind with live strings backing is very cool. Cons: this is still a live album (not always my fave), it’s over two hours long (not the biggest fan of a bloated album), and it’s still metal. This may be as close to enjoying a metal album as I am gonna get. I did not hate this experience but I would not listen to this ever again cuz it’s so damn long

Too much Newsted and Ulrich and not enough SF Symphony. Plus it should be 1/2 as long.

For those who are Metallica fans, one would think this is a great album. Combining a symphony orchestra with a heavy metal band is a novel idea. About 75% through the concert I started to lose interest as it all blended together. Also there are only a few Metallica songs I know. I am impressed that Hetfield made it through the whole show without losing his voice.

Metallica are certainly big, so I can't be too mad at it. This album cover is also intriguing. Will there really be an orchestra? Apparently, yes, as "S&M" here stands for "Symphony and Metallica". (Somebody tell Rihanna!) The professional reviews for this album are weirdly low for the list (a lot of 5-6/10s)! And oh no... it's a double album. More like M&M. At least it's the weekend. Oh no oh no -- it's a live album!? If the crowd would shut up, I would like this album so much more, because I really like orchestras, even if I'm 50/50 on Metallica. Maybe one reason I like orchestras so much is that usually people aren't cheering in the middle of a song. A good long applauding at the end of a song, sure, but during?? Have some decency!! This isn't a comedy show!! This album also feels like cheating, because it's got songs from a bunch of their earlier albums. What sort of magic loophole allows for Metallica to get a best-of album on here? Live-ness? Boy howdy. OK, OK, down to business. Highlights: 'The Ecstasy of Gold' (minus the cheering), the orchestra, 'No Leaf Clover', 'Wherever I May Roam' Lowlights: The cheering, the crowd singing, the clapping Apropos of something: there was a time (mid-2000s?) when String Quartet Tribute to X albums were wildly popular. That was a good time. Feels like strings kinda fell off nowadays. If it weren't live, this album might actually get a 4 from me. Alas: 3.

7/10

A real must listen for teens

목소리 좋은 락

Uh, I guess. A live show of a lot songs I don’t like by them with a symphony. This band is huge, but I’m not really a fan after the Black Album. Maybe a handful of the new songs, but not really

I wanted to like this way more than I did :( it just sounded so…..discordant?

I only gave it this many because I love old metallica and i love orchestral music. But the addition of the orchestra was distracting and at times noisy to me. Didn't sound very well thought out to me, even though I'm sure it was.

Really like Metallica but there was just a bit too much sameness for a 2+ hour concert

nah

2+ hours of metalica im kms. literally something only a die hard metalica fan would enjoy why is this here this is so far from a must hear. i'd be lying if i said its bad music. this would be a badass movie soundtrack. but im not in an action movie, i just feel like a fat loser for listening to this. the incorporation of orchestration isn't even interesting either, it just feels like a wall strings just getting spammed to make the music sound huger. its just too much of a good thing feels like metal for pretentious music nerds too insecure to admit they enjoy metal. type bullshit the smelly kid in your music class plays for your music teacher to try to convince them to teach the class how to play. not a fan at all

It's like being back in the DQ kitchen in the early 2000s secretly listening to music and talking about how this album feels groundbreaking.

The addition of the orchestra doesn't real add to it in most songs. It's really just a live compilation album. But it was enjoyable in parts

I love bombastic orchestral music and I love Metallica. This is a chocolate and peanut butter situation. Two awesome things combined. Probably the greatest live album of all time.

As a HUGE fan of Metallica from their inception I always have thoroughly enjoyed this album. Any of the songs from their first 3 albums (Kill'em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets) done with an orchestra is cool with me......

A lot of thoughts here. 1) This is a really cool idea and I'm sure it was amazing to see in person. 2) These songs lend themselves to symphonic accompaniment very well. 3) I realized after a few songs that I prefer the studio versions to (relatively) latter-day live Metallica. James resorting to his speak-singing every now and then just reminds you how exhausting it must be to sing Metallica songs live. And I know it's part of the live experience, but I really don't need to hear the crowd singing parts of these songs. 4) Over two hours of music is a lot and I'm glad I got this on a Saturday. 5) It's a bit odd to me that live albums are included in this (this is my second live album in a row,) but soundtrack albums and compilations are not. But I guess it's his book, his rules. I enjoyed this and am a little surprised I've never listened to it before. But in 1999 I was a little Metallica'd out and hadn't liked their recent albums so I never checked it out. Glad to have finally done so, even if it was a bit much in one sitting. (Edit: I typed "a bit much" about halfway through, 45 minutes ago. I would like to revise that to "WAY TOO MUCH.")

As a huge Metallica fan from the 80s I’m over 500 albums into tho project and this is first Metallica album that I get. I got this album when it came out as a gift and never listened to it. I just didn’t care. A lot of bands were playing with a symphony, as was the fashion at the time. So this was a good time to listen and form an honest opinion. Starts off good, The Ecstasy of Gold is good. Ktulu is pretty great. After that, nothing else matters (pun intended). Oh well. It was better than Lulu

This would have been incredible to actually see live, but listening to a 2 hour and 15 minute live Metallica performance with an orchestra on my phone is a whole different story. I love Metallica and couldn’t make it. I just can’t do live albums

Wow, what a ride! Possibly the only thing stopping me from giving this the full 5 stars is regret that I wasn't there. The pairing of Metallica, metal's greatest balladeers, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra was genius, and for me the high point was "One," though the menacing accompaniment on Enter Sandman was a nice touch. I think I'll hold onto this one as workout music!

I could not have predicted S&M would be the first Metallica album sent my way, because I did not know it existed. The idea of Metallica performing with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra seemed intriguing. Powerhouse symphonies can have heavy metal’s thundering sound with killer riffs. The opener, “The Ecstasy of Gold”, does justice to this song from The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. The pump was primed for a megawatt experience. Instead, it turned into a roller coaster ride; a really long roller coaster ride. The up and down experience not only came from song to song, but within tunes. “Human” and “Wherever I May Roam” showcased a “Live and Let Die” volley from the orchestra, but enjoyment dropped as Metallica took over the song. Several tracks had exciting elements from Metallica or the orchestra, rarely both. The closer, “Battery”, had the two trading some sounds before Lars Ulrich hijacked the long middle section. When James Hetfield shouts and bellows in short segments, it contributes to the pulse of the music. Similarly, the short bursts of guitar and drums create a momentary thrill. Hetfield’s full emoting in several songs, and the crown sing-alongs limited my enjoyment. The two hour running time led to only one listen of the record, which is unfair. That length, and my mixed feelings, means I likely will not return to this record.

Epic

I was quite excited to listen to this because Metallica are good and I thought Metallica with an orchestra would also be good. Boy was I wrong this does not work at all hahahahah

Neat concept - metal and symphony. But I don't think this album needed to as long as it was nor does every song have to be over 7 minutes. I got the point.

2 hours of metallica is too much metallica

mejor de lo que esperaba

It’s such a cool concept, didn’t know that strings and metal would be such a potent combination but it creates such an intensified feeling to an already, objectively, pretty intense genre. It’s almost cinematic. That being said, could have done with a little less of it. Especially when they get away from their hits in the middle of album it just all starts to run together and drag. Still a very high quality album.

Yli 2h live levy, onneks se on Metallicaa niin maistuu kyllä. Eipä oo tullut mieleen tätä kuunnella, niin onneks tuli tällä nyt vastaan. Kyllähän tää toimii, tuntuu että monesti ehkä hitaammat kappaleet toimii paremmin kun orkesterilla on vaikeuksia pysyä kunnolla perässä. Hieno kokemus, mutta silti näissä kuuluu live sillein että en listalle näitä lisäis. Parhaat: No Leaf Clover, One, Battery

Adding a talented orchestra does not improve Metallica's music. Lipstick on a pig and all that....

Metallica wasting the time of a perfectly good orchestra so they can be even further up their own asses.

I think I’m inclined to agree with the negative reviews on this. It just doesn’t work for me, the orchestra dilutes Metallica's sound. You almost can’t hear them, it just doesn’t blend. It sounds like a superhero movie soundtrack in a way that doesn’t work.

Not even 'Load' or 'Garage Inc.' could ruin my love for Metallica, but 'S&M' made a 14-year-old boy realize that it's a piece of shit album and that Metallica is actually a pretty shitty band. After that, I haven't listened to even their good old albums.

i’ve been a metallica fan for 40 years. for almost as long, i’ve been bored by kamen’s rockestrations. that changes little with this album. at 2h13m, it is a slog with moments of brightness. metallica’s music doesn't need fills. never have I listened to it and thought that what’s missing is some dynamism in between riffs. one cool thing that happens is that the band seems to rise to the symphonic occasion and ups their game. “master” sounds more ferocious than ever. the guitar interplay with the strings on “for whom” is quite stirring.

This is cheating because it's basically a Greatest Hits album and it drags on too long but come on

this is big and stupid in the best of ways. like yes it drags on and yes the orchestra is superfluous in about half the songs and yes by the album list’s own rules this shouldn’t be eligible for entry but I love this big stupid album. probably a four but I’m bumping it up an entire point because I had it in high school and No Leaf Clover is great

I really only like Metallica in small doses. 2+ hours of symphonic Metallica was just too much. It's a perfectly fine live album, but I don't really understand why it's on the list.

This was certainly ambitious. First and foremost, great call getting Michael Kamen involved. His work with Clapton on Edge of Darkness, Aerosmith on their orchestral version of Dream On for MTV's 10th anniversary and with Queensryche on their Real World track for the Last Action Hero soundtrack is outstanding. Great stuff on all of these fronts and he really adds to this concert as well. As for Metallica with the SF Symphony, what an interesting combination. The reimagining of many of their most notable songs was awesome. Beyond that, them bringing two newly constructed tracks to the table in No Leaf Clover (which I loved) and - Human (also good) was excellent. Undoubtedly, metal purists will not like it. And it's natural to think it wouldn't work. But they have so many epic songs (Nothing Else Matters, One, Wherever I May Roam) that could lend themselves to deeper arrangements. What is surprising is how well it works for songs like Fuel, Master of Puppets, and others. Personally, I thought it was amazing. 5 stars.

I quite like the orchestra inclusion. But the whole effect is lost on it being a live album. It leads the whole thing to feel like some kind of Hollywood project for a movie trailer. Must’ve been great in person though

Went back and forth on this a bit, sometimes I was a bit disengaged, other times I thought it was epic af… probably would’ve been a really fun show. I like it! Good band!

my take on this is that this is basically like the last time in history that this level of 'epicness' wasn't immediately the most cringe thing ever (altho, it is extremely cringe i'd say (see disturbed: sound of silence on youtube)) and its i suppose a nice mix of 'high' and 'low' art and metallica is the best band ever but I don't really see how any of these songs are made better by this collab and I actually think the vocals are mixed in the most painfully annoying way that I've maybe ever heard on any album... it was awesome to hear this version of Battery tho

Fungerer virkelig godt.

Scrumduliumptious

I still remember very well how Metallica’s *S&M* was hyped up in the media because of its supposed innovations. In fact, the idea of combining metal with a symphonic orchestra is not only age-old but is inherent in almost all subgenres of heavy metal. Since Metallica and Michael Kamen decided at the time not to write any new songs for this album but to draw on existing material, the key question must be whether this made the songs any better. The answer to this question is a resounding “no,” because there is very little genuine interplay between the orchestra and the band. Instead, Metallica sticks to its own style, and the orchestra either supports them with (appropriate but uninspiring) layered sounds or with additional ideas that don’t quite fit because the band doesn’t give them room to breathe. For a long time, I believed that Metallica shouldn’t have recorded this album - to me, it was on par with Nirvana’s *MTV Unplugged*. In fact, though, I now see it as a tribute to bassist Cliff Burton, who died far too young, and to longtime superfan Michael Kamen. I think that’s totally fine, but it doesn’t make the recording any better.

It's like Star Wars night at the symphony--fun if you're already a fan, I guess. No, I didn't last two hours

Letters in the English alphabet.

Icky horrible hate.

Over 2 hours of high quality enjoyment. Longest album I've ever actually listened to end to end. Kicking off with Ennio Morricone was incredible and got me hyped.

I liked this more than I was expecting. It was more dynamic and nuanced than I was imagining. That said, two hours was more Metallica than I needed. I'm good for a while I think. Still some remarkable music here.

Just too long but honestly I thought it was fun. Cool mix of instruments I wouldn’t have thought Metallica would include. They’re really good at building tension but they’re bad at making each song sound different

To be honest, I think this is the first one that I didn’t listen to all the way through. Don’t have time for a 2 1/2 hour album on a Tuesday. I don’t feel bad about it either. I feel like I can’t really rate this amongst the other albums because it doesn’t feel like a put together project. With the Nirvana album, even though it was live, at least it felt like a cohesive project.

I applaud it for such a cool idea, but g-d this is unlistenable

Symphony + Metalica - good name. Interesting that the idea of mixing metal with classical was pushed by their bassist who died in 1986 (this album is from 1999). The addition of symphony makes it sound more like a movie score or like the TV intro to an NFL game. There are times when it adds and times when it's just more layers and busy (sometimes less is more).

I was ready to really like this album. I felt like adding a symphony to Metallic would give it an extra sonic richness and epic feel… and at times that was definitely true. But, just as often, the random horn and string flourishes gave it a Baroque feel more akin to Mannheim Steamroller. And, let’s be honest, it overstays its welcome by over an hour. Still, there’s a 4 star album buried in there somewhere.

You'd think the bombast of a symphony would work well with Metallica's ambitious, often theatrical sound - but it honestly just pushes them from theatrical to bloviated.

no lo escuché es live y eso no me gusta

I’ll always have a soft spot for spot for Metallica. I don’t want to know how many times I’ve listened to the Black Album. I still go to their gigs when they tour. Haven’t touched an album since Reload, and that includes S&M. Not sure why - I suppose 17 year old me thought the concept was unnecessary and pompous. I’ll admit this album works. I expected 44 year old me to agree that the record was unnecessary and pompous, but the strings do enough to elevate the material. For Whom The Bell Tolls kicks arse no matter how it’s played. The Load/Reload material is so much better. Devil’s Dance is 10000% improved. We should all be grateful this album was cooked up prior to St Anger. The only good thing that came out of that album was the Some Kind of Monster doco. I hence forth apologise to Metallica for sleeping on this album. Not perfect, most live albums lose something in recording, but a good time. 4/5

this is the soundtrack to the most boring grind of a boss fight you’ve ever experienced.

'Symphony and Metallica' certainly is one of the most exhaustive of live albums and definitely one of the most original of its time. The idea that the original thrash metal band would work with Michael Kamen's orchestrations seemed a long shot but it does work surprisingly well and I find that the orchestra adds touches not heard on the original recordings. My initial thoughts were that the band had been mixed down to allow the subtleties of the Orchestra to come through, but the heat is certainly turned up on the second disc - 'One' is quite something and 'Nothing else matters' was always going to suit this set up. I like Metallica but they're not in my top list of acts, but this really brings them more to life than my view of them in the 80s.

Am I crazy for genuinely enjoying this two hour extravaganza? Probably. But what a fun listen!

I don’t like Metallica, so I’m not going to like a 2+ hour live set of Metallica with strings. I get why people would, but not for me.

Early on it feels like, just another power metal album, but it happens to be a very good power metal album

Not a fan or live albums. I like some of the songs on the album but I would never willingly seek it out

This album sounds like video game boss music. Or possibly video game boss music sounds like this album. Either way, it was good but maybe I've heard too much music like it in my lifetime.

It would be interesting to see this live, but it doesn't work for me as an album. 3 stars or C+.

86/100. I found this really interesting and enjoyed it the whole way through. Quite a long live release, that was recorded over two days. It's heavy/thrash metal performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, I found the two quite opposite styles really come together as one. It removes a lot of the punchiness of the metal, for softer, more dramatic tones, for me that works really well. Both styles feel fully committed, that's probably why it works so well. I found the first disc much more interesting. I thought it was more symphonic, and it really clicked with the songs. Disc 2 is more focused on the big hitters. Maybe less interesting because the changes aren't as dramatic. The length is 133 minutes, so you need to set aside some time if you're going to listen to this. It's a really good live album, and at its weakest it's still interesting.

While a solid concept, the execution is just fine. Only getting a 2 because of its length, though me not being a big Metallica fan probably isn't helping lol.

Немного завышаю, но это тот случай, когда лайв реально добавляет ценность - с оркестром эти песни действительно звучат лучше и эпичнее, ну и трек-лист хорош

Это, наверное, для тех, кто уже слышал эти песни в оригинале тысячу раз. Не фанат лайф альбомов в рамках этого челленджа, но что поделать. Норм.

Два часа слушать лайв альбом метлы с оркестром. Ну такое

помню, когда впервые послушал - было оч много приятных эмоций, no leaf clover была на репите, и сегодня хорошо - 4

2 hours. 13 minutes. A slog to get through. Can't go 2 stars because it's Metallica + some really good symphony musicians...but 3 is my max.

Musically interesting, with the clashing styles meshing together for a live performance, but I can't get past the hammed up theatrics of Hetfield. It works well on some of the tracks, but when it doesn't, it's pretty awful. I get it, they're one of the biggest metal bands of all time, adding a full symphony to the mix makes them the biggerest. Cool. I just don't need 2+ goddamn hours of it on an album.

I find Metallica so hit or miss but this was impressive live. Felt like a lot of filler with some crackers in there

Second Metallica album. This is a really beautiful live album. Many have recommended in the reviews that this should be replaced with Ride The Lightning. Personally, I think RTL should be added but this one should also stay. It’s hard to believe that symphonic metal could work, but it does! The live version of Nothing Else Matters brings me to tears each time I listen to it and in my opinion, it’s even better than the original. This is an easy 5 stars. HOWEVER If we go to the wikipedia page, we can see all sorts of fancy stuff like the tracklist, producers, and where it was recorded. But we can also see the runtime of this album, which happens to be 133 minutes and 14 seconds. I have a rule when I review albums that says that albums over 90 minutes get one star dropped from its rating. So with how much I love this album, I must give it 4 stars. And yes, this will apply to the Beatles and Stevie Wonder. I’m not singling out Metallica.

Sin dudarlo ni un segundo, este es el disco que más he escuchado de los Metallica. Vuelvo a él muy seguido e inclusive me gusta ponerlo cuando tengo que hacer tareas que me llevarán tiempo, como armar legos enormes. Me fascinan los arreglos orquestales que hicieron y en general lo poderoso que se siente el concierto completo. Genial, me encanta.

Just a fantastic live album. What a cool concept and well executed

5/5

I'm familiar with a bunch of these tracks, though I've never listened to this album start-to-finish. I genuinely loathe Lars Ulrich, but I like the other guys. Expect my review to reflect that fact. This is too big and overblown for its own good. Also, symphony orchestras all-too-frequently just don't understand how to play with enough looseness for anything that's not symphony stuff, and that's on display here. This is sort of a case of "not a terrible idea" with "poor execution" and also "less would have been more." And then on top of it all: Fuck Lars.

I'm rarely a fan of the live albums, but this is an exception 2 hours is an epic, but it stays strong

Excellent album

A fun way to spend a couple of hours. The concept is good. I enjoyed the older stuff but the Load/ReLoad tracks just seem to merge into each other.

I really enjoyed this, the combination of metal and orchestra worked well, surprisingly well. It felt like it went on about 4 or 5 tracks too many.

This is another album I’ve always been hesitant to listen to. Once the Black Album came out, it marked a new era of Metallica that I never really cared much for. On top of that, it’s a live album, which I usually avoid, and not just that, but a live album from a sold out metal band with a symphony. If that doesn’t sound like shaking the money tree for a cash grab, I don’t know what does. That said, once I put all of that aside, it actually turned out to be a pretty solid album. It is over two hours long, so by the end I was definitely burned out. Still, I have to give them credit for making a serious attempt to reinterpret their catalog through a full symphonic framework without it coming off as a gimmick.

Torn on how to rate this one. I like the concept and I think it works really well with their style. It’s certainly not pretentious and many artists have done similar projects. On the other hand I don’t really want to sit in my house listening to 2 hours of it. And it does all start to blur together after a while. Bet it was a blast to experience live though

There's no way in hell you want me to listen all of this 2 and a half hour album. So I didn't and just listened to a handful of songs. Heavy metal mixed with a symphony orchestra is actually a cool idea and from the songs I've picked to listen sounds good with an orchestra. I'm sure this album is fine but imma just give it a 3.

Such perfection, I had forgotten the way i get lost in this music and magic of Metallica!

A good album, but far too long.

I think I would probably have preferred if this was a studio record. Favourite Track(s): No Leaf Clover Least Favourite Track(s): Bleeding Me

just not my thing

The label "self-indulgent" is thrown around a lot in art criticism. Now, luckily I am not in art criticism, or I'd be in danger of becoming a cliché! I am more in the field of schizophrenic graffiti in online form. Something you'd find carved into the stall in a psych ward. That's my MO. Now, with that out of the way, please let me review this self-indulgent tripe with visceral hatred. Metallica is one of those bands that became so overrated, that they swung back around to being underrated. Revisiting their first few records as an adult shed some of the damage that albums like "Load" and "ReLoad" did to their reputation in my mind and I re-realized that they were indeed, a great thrash band. I even like the black album as a heavier than standard, 90's radio rock record. After the black album however, is when the darkness bgan to creep in. There were whisperings, and then after some years in hiding, we began to see the origins of the Napster fighting, bee keeping, hair cutting, corporate radio butt rock Metallica. "S & M" is the smouldering crater at the end of this band's dizzying nosedive into mainstream mediocrity. Each ticket sold to this amateurish sleepwalk through the worst of the Metallica catalogue must have come with an air tank/mask combo, so you could inhale smug nu-metal dad James Hetfield's farts throughout the performance. For a bunch of guys apparently so influenced by punk and early metal, this is one of the most out of touch, holier than thou, egomaniacal pieces of dreck ever released. If a symphony wanted to do a Metallica night, sure. Maybe that's a natural consequence of being popular. It might even be enjoyable if done tastefully. This, however? A horribly sloppy and overbearing Metallica concert with a rejected Star Wars score that barely follows along the aging sell outs. All wrapped up in a bow and played for people who will power down as soon as they go outside in order to conserve energy for watchin' the big game or voting republican. Every vocal ad lib from James Hetfield made me want to vomit, the song choices were brutal and the whole thing is just a complete mess. It genuinely sounds like you're at a Metallica tribute show and the guy beside you is listening to "Classical music to study to" out loud through his phone. This isn't a missive to whine about how Metallica "sold-out." Hell, if you start making the sort of money they did, what is there to be angry about anymore? This should be a warning. If you ever do anything decent, ever; go out on top, because this is a monument to the death of an artistically influential entity who exposed the world to their excessive egos and complete lack of taste. This is a failure in every way. 0 LOWLIGHTS: The contrabassoon guy never really got a chance to strut his stuff.

Nice combo of heavy metal with a symphony orchestra strings. Probably has not been done since Led Zeppelin recorded Kashmir and Deep Purple with the London Symphony Orchestra. An interesting listen, but I would not rate this as a MUST HAVE!!

More than two hours of live metal/orchestra? This feels daunting. But they start things off with some Ennio Morricone so maybe I'm rushing to judgement. The Call of Ktulu takes on a Bond Theme quality when done with an orchestra. Actually, all of it takes on kind of a soundtrack/score quality which I like a lot. This is definitely my favorite Metallica album. Alan Silvestri must love this, I bet this was on repeat when he was doing the Marvel scores he did. I like this so much, I think I'd like to see how every band sounds with a full orchestra behind it. This is great. I've liked every song on the album...and that is a heavy lift for a two hour live album. The Morricone was a good omen. Great album.

was really fun - at 2 and a half hours i didnt listen to the whole thing but it was a great, dramatic introduction to metallica!

Je suis fan des albums live, et celui-ci est très bon ! Malgré l’aspect orchestre, je préfère toujours les sons d’origine pour la plupart et c’est difficile de le catégoriser comme un album L’album ajoute tout de même une autre dimension à Metallica

Definitely a lot of Metallica! Kind of uninteresting but no worse than listening to a lot of Metallica!

An interesting project, and I get why it's on the list. But I just don't like Metallica's music enough to listen it for TWO HOURS. This would have a higher score if it was better curated.

Enjoyable, but it has two things working against it (based on my preferences): live and way too long. Like excessively long. I get that it was essentially a concert recording, and I'm sure it would have been amazing to attend in person regardless of length, but it loses some of that when you're listening at home. Tons of great tracks though. The orchestra really enhances it.

Like a compilation of Bond songs but written for the bad guys.

didnt listen to more than 3 songs but still gonna trash it cos i hated those three songs sooo much

sounded good, but didnt feel like anything. didnt deserve a 2

Sounds like a temu James Bond soundtrack

*1999. Live. *Man I hate live albums. But this is actually kind of a cool concept - more melodic and orchestral, as opposed to trying and failing to recreate the experience of a live concert. *I'm not big on Metallica, but can appreciate why people like them. *At 2+ hours, I will never make it through this album. RATING - 6.5/10

It's a good concept. I felt I could be charitable and give this one a 2, which would be a higher rating than I gave to The Black Album and And Justice for All. But, it's so god damned long. And Kirk Hammett is probably my least favorite guitarist I've ever heard.

Forgot I liked metal. Forgot I liked Metallica.

This album was huge when it came out because it felt like it legitimized how big of an influence Metallica, and metal in general, had on music and culture. Fast forward to now, and this album is still awesome, but I have to be in the mood to listen to it.

Fuck Metallica

Shoulda been the Vitamin String Quartet.

Was it too long? Yes Are the songs better with the symphony? Also yes Should this even be on the list since there are other Metallica albums? No, it shouldn’t.

First a criticism of myself. I only know the popular Metallica songs. I think listening to a live album when you don’t know some of the songs makes it harder to enjoy in my opinion. The orchestral additions to the songs here make them feel unique. The violins and trumpets during certain songs worked really well. I really enjoyed For Whom the Bell Toll, Battery and Nothing Else Matters.

Orchestra plays soundtrack music, band riff aimlessly, singer grunts. In the absence of melody or harmony or lyrical meaning it must have been a long day for the orchestra players.

I have a hunch that I enjoyed this album a lot more than I would have had there been no orchestra. And I only had time to listen to about half of it, but I think I heard enough to know it’s a three star album for me. Without the orchestra, it would probably be a two.

Very interesting Live version of some big songs. I enjoyed my time with this one, I can imagine this would have been a great show to see in person!

S&M by Rihanna > this. I do like Metallica but I really get nothing out of listening to their songs with a bunch of symphonic instrumentation added. I'm just not a fan of symphonic metal, even from a band as talented as they are. Nothing here I would listen to over the originals. Waste of time.

The album seems to be marmite for most. For me it is a mainly positive experience. Metallica have explored different sounds and experiments and if I'm remembering correctly, this was pretty novel for a metal band when it came out. It is a long album and it feels that way. I think it makes sense though and wouldn't have felt like that as a show (intermissions etc). The length means it's one I can put on and drift in and out of. I really enjoy the opening with The Ecstasy of Gold and I think I actually prefer this version of Hero of the Day. There are multiple versions of Nothing Else Matters that I enjoy and this is one of them (check out Phoebe Bridgers one). Overall scrapes a 4.

Overlong unless a super fan

It certainly earns its place in the 1001, largely due to the quality of the orchestral arrangements and playing. Classical musicians do not typically accompany rock with the required, attacking energy. Michael Kamen is something of an expert in the field having worked with Pink Floyd amongst others. He also composes film scores and that comes through very strongly. Orchestra versus band, the orchestra easily wins in terms of musicality and impact. You could say 2 hours is excessive, but it works okay as 2 halves with an intermission. An unexpected 4/5.

This must have been a thrilling show to be at. It being a live album is helpful, giving everything an added oomph as well as some leeway in trying to mesh two oppositional sounds that a clinical studio environment would struggle with. Given it's over TWO HOURS long and so peculiar it could make or break a fan but I actually fell somewhere in the middle. Being someone who’s recently gotten into Metallica via Master of Puppets and The Black Album, I found myself “interested” in the added context it gave me about the group rather than being lost in the music like I had been with those studio LPs. The material is generally strong but some of the efforts written post-The Black Album are more alternative rock rather than metal and sound less unique as a result. I also don’t need to hear James Hetfield’s vocals doused in auto-tune, I don’t think it suits the sound. My main critique is that the orchestra should have been used more sparingly. All involved have pushed for the spectacular symphony to be all over S&M but given the material was not written with these instruments in mind the continual flourishes sometimes sound muddled and messy. When Metallica and the orchestra are on the same page, the classical musicians bolstering the band, it's a pretty effective whole (see: The Thing That Should Not Be and For Whom The Bell Tolls). But overall the concept is cooler than the final product. Despite all this I admire Metallica for choosing to make a high effort “best of” record rather than just pushing out the hits in a more familiar form.

Metallica S&M gets a 1 from me. It’s the worst live album i’ve ever heard. Beyond superfluous this venture actually made me question whether I ever enjoyed the originals. A completely failed experiment in my books, leave me alone.

01) The Ecstasy of Gold - 7,0 02) The Call of Ktulu - 5,5 03) Master of Puppets - 6,0 04) Of Wolf and Man - 5,5 05) The Thing That Should Not Be - 5,0 06) Fuel - 5,5 07) The Memory Remains - 7,0 08) No Leaf Clover - 7,0 09) Hero of the Day - 6,0 10) Devil's Dance - 5,5 11) Bleeding Me - 5,5 12) Nothing Else Matters - 7,5 13) Until It Sleeps - 6,5 14) For Whom the Bell Tolls - 5,5 15) – Human - 5,5 16) Wherever I May Roam - 5,5 17) The Outlaw Torn - 5,5 18) Sad but True - 6,0 19) One - 5,5 20) Enter Sandman - 6,5 21) Battery - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,95 (60/100) Current ranking: 759/964

Sunday, 5 July, 2026 Eh. The first couple tracks had me fired up. The rest are…not great.

A two hour gimmick album that becomes less impressive if you know who the likes of Nightwish and Epica are. The arrangements are well done and while there is the odd awkward moment where the band and orchestra don't quite sync up, it mostly works. If you are not a huge Metallica fan, you do not need to hear all of this though (and if you are, you probably already have). If this app had half stars, this would be a 3.5 star review.

This is type of album this project is made for. It's different (a thrash metal band playing with a symphony orchestra), it's good, it's popular but off the beaten path. Perfect. Now, I personally love this era of Metallica, it's objectively not their best. Some of the tracks - especially the originals - really showcase how well a rick band and an orchestra can complement each other. Others don't work as well. I understand having a full concert-length album, but it cost them in consistent quality. An hour or so less would have been so much more.

One of the greatest examples of how classical music is a base for metal. This is one of the best live albums. I would have been in awe attending this one.

Really great live album, albeit a bit long

Rock ig

i prefer the original versions of the songs

Absolute hack inclusion Hey let's include a live album where they play many of their best songs but accompanied by a symphony orchestra! Fuck this shit outta here, wasted spot. There are so many other deserving albums that this shit beat out man.

Not sold on the concept. Which is sort of the point. Metallica add absolutely nothing to Ecstasy of Gold, one of the greatest songs of all time. 2/5

Honestly thought I would enjoy this more. The concept was excellent, and the instrumentals were incredible, but the vocals didn't always mesh well, it felt a little disjointed, and the album being over 2 hours had me bored towards the end. And it's freaking Metallica, what do you mean I was BORED!?!

better than I thought, but not quite good enough for 5

I’m sure it would have been an amazing concert but the album is just a lot to sit through. When I’ve listened to it in the past, I typically just skip to the songs I want to hear. Couldn’t do that this time, so it was a bit tedious. Still, it’s Metallica with a full symphony behind it. That’s pretty cool.

This was entertaining. Long but decent

Basically a greatest hits album but with some pizzazz. They did not invent the gimmick of a symphony with metal but they seem to have brought it more to the mainstream.

Enter Sandman

I like it okay, it's a bit too much edge overall, but I enjoy the individual songs enough. Would revisit songs and not the live versions

Thrash-metal Bond soundtrack. I couldn't help but sort of want to listen to a live Metallica album where there wasn't a symphony orchestra with them, for comparison but to also see if I felt like the orchestra added extra value. I guess it's still an epic piece of work to make this happen and not sound completely wrong. I think that even though I'm not a big Metallica fan, I'd probably still prefer their studio work.

Interesting concept, can't ever recall a whole orchestra playing a show with a heavy metal band. I'm sure many adore this too, but once again, live albums being on this list feels a little odd. It sounds a little too overblown, and not as compact as the original album recordings, if that makes any sense. Perhaps it's personal preference too.

This was really interesting. I’m not a Metallica fan but I somewhat enjoyed this mashup of genres. DNF (3)

This is some eurovision bs

not for me

This did NOT have to be two hours and the orchestration a lot of the time didn't fit but there was definitely some pretty good stuff on here, just very bloated

Important album after two sucky ones

Gay

Long album but good music

An interesting listen for sure -- at times I seriously enjoyed this, and a lot of the time it fell pretty damn flat. Adding a symphonic orchestra to metal actually makes perfect sense to me: suddenly everything becomes way more epic and evil and sweeping. But then also, it almost goes too far, becoming a caricature of itself and pulling the teeth out of all of the music. I do think this is really cool. But I also feel like it's kind of cringe. Still a fascinating listen, though. Damn this was long. Fave tracks: - Of Wolf And Man - No Leaf Clover - Devil's Dance - Until It Sleeps - For Whom The Bell Tolls - - Human - Wherever I May Roam

Too long but actually alright. A bit of a slog but epic opening. Metallica are overrated as a rule.

4/10 Not an album a collection of songs that got remixed worse

Fun distraction but nothing else (maters). Staring with a Ennio Morricone is an odd choice for Metallica but it sets the tone for what to expect for S&M: stagy and orchestral, building to big finishes. Thrash metal with a symphony. “The call of Ktuhul” continues that and finally adds the heavy sound of the band to what is essentially a bond theme. The opening of master of puppets loses a little with the fiddles getting in the way of that iconic riff. Same all the way through really . It’s good and would have been even better live ; but like most live albums it makes me want to listen to the original.

7/10

One of the better live albums I’ve heard

Solid live album.

I really love the combo of Metallica with a symphony orchestra. It really elevates these songs for me.

I love every song on the album but I think I love them more without the orchestra.

4.5 - Even though I have mixed feelings about live albums on this list, the addition of the orchestra makes this so awesome that five stars is the only acceptable rating.

I prefer my Metallica uncut.

Probably amazing if you’re a fan, but I probably prefer the original songs.

Le pire genre d'album symphonique, même si c'est bien fait. C'est vraiment juste une track symphonique sur des tounes que le band joue, aucune intégration entre le band et l'orchestre. Mais des fois, ça marche. Il ne faut pas oublie que Metallica ont beaucoup de tounes poches et que cet album est constitué de beaucoup de tounes poches.

Chaque matin, mon cadran sonne et je me réveille en état de torpeur totale. Parfois dans le déni, je snooze en croyant que j'aurai droit à encore quelques heures de sommeil. Mais chaque fois il y a bel et bien une nouvelle journée à affronter. Metallica, et particulièrement cet album (ou bien en général ?), incarne à la perfection ce sentiment de haut-le-coeur et dédain de chacun de ces matins de marde qui mènent à rien d'autre que l'ostie de routine plate. 4e album sur 345 que je ne réussi pas à écouter au complet.

Artig forsøk, men ikke den beste sjangermiksen i verden. Hadde vært bedre tidligere i Metallicas karriere.

Definitely not for me.

Movie soundtrack vibes.

Long, but solid versions of their best stuff.

Heel matig dit, orkestratie is niet altijd goed, doet af aan zowel het orkest, als de band.

As a huge Metallica fan - naturally this is a 5 star from me. Any non Metallica fans I can appreciate this is lengthy. This is a basically flawless performance and perfect collaboration. The songs sound bigger and heavier with this orchestra - particularly that Call Of Ktulu opener - it feels like this was meant to be heard this way. Every member is on point. Hetfield's vocals are amazing, and Jason Newsted showing what an absolute asset he was to the band. The guy couldn't give more energy if he tried, and is hands down the best backing vocalist they've had. The setlist is also super interesting - two new songs that both are great in their own way. Outlaw Torn, Hero of the Day and Bleeding Me were great Load cuts to hear and all of them hold a place for me. I'm due to see Metallica for the 5th time in around 2 weeks so this album came at the perfect time.

HEAR ME

I never knew this album existed. I've listened to only two albums of theirs, the self-titled album that everyone owns, and the only one I've gotten in this project so far, ...And Justice for All. I've liked them to varying degrees. I have never had a desire to see the band live, but I assumed they likely put on a pretty entertaining show. Today was not the day I wanted to find out. I've not been feeling well and have relied on the generator to take it easy on me lately. And it mostly has. But when I saw what the album was, and then that run time, I was very discouraged. I listened to the first half while at work, with it playing in the background on my phone. I know this was not an ideal way to listen to a Metallica album, but it's what I could do to try and listen to the whole damn thing. And I thought it was fine. I even saved the song Hero Of The Day to a playlist. I saved the second half for my drive home, where I have good speakers and could play it louder for better effect. What I found was that I liked it less. Lars' drumming, which I already don't like, sounded worse. And it seemed to me like the Metallica version of a Broadway show. Not just musically, but with James sounding like a showman and not the lead singer of a thrash metal band. The word that kept coming to mind was silly. I am not against live albums being on the list. I've loved a few of them and felt that some performers can truly elevate their material and it comes across in a recording. But this was not one of those for me. I do not understand why it made the list. At all.

You can’t spell “same” without S&M. And that’s what all these songs sound like.

I don’t believe I can give this one a rating. It is a live album, so I should be comparing the live performance against studio performances. However, I do not know Metallica’s music, so I cannot make that judgement. Furthermore, the songs comprising this project tend to be the band’s more popular / well-known songs, so the songs are not played in the context of their original albums. For those reasons, it does not make sense to give this album a rating. That being said, I did enjoy the dichotomy between the serene orchestral sounds and the heavy metal instrumentals. I did think this project was too long for its own good though (a whopping 2 hours 13 minutes). I get it’s a live album, but I could definitely trim this down to at least 90 minutes.

This is one of my favorite projects Metallica did, and while I say that, it’s another live album I contend should not be on the list.

The measure of a live album is if it elevates the source material. This almost sounds like improvised flourishes and strings, and the core remains untouched. "One" has a slow, melancholic solo at its intro. It did not need fiddly whiddlys all throughout. Bizarre choice.

Initially thought I didn't like James Hetfield's voice and that's why I haven't gotten into Metallica. He is great here, Phenomenal even. I didn't know he could actually sing. The orchestra goes hard as fuck. Unfortunately it still falls flat for me

There were some songs that really worked with the orchestral arrangements and many that didn’t. The original songs for that record are very good, especially No Leaf Clover.

Good memories

Far, far too long. Far. Also, the orchestra adds too little to these arrangements. A lost opportunity! These songs could’ve been transformed. The vocals are strong. But you could get those on a well-produced studio album—and not be bothered by things like crowd noise. 2.5?

For starters, I can unequivocally say this is beyond unnecessary listening. It is barely necessary listening for Metallica fans (not the least because less than ⅓ of it is 80s era, which many Metallica fans will whine about being the only real era). This album is superfluous to the Metallica Catalog, let alone the list of albums one must hear before death. But the cool thing is, it's not a throwaway. It is a pretty unique record… we are sort of in a golden era of rock bands playing with symphonies, and this was probably a bridge for some of that. Surely this was a footnote in that trend as an early experiment. It's also recorded well, clearly set up to capture a home audio worthy performance. The orchestra sounds live, the crowd cheers are obvious between songs, but it never feels like a bootleg. It's clear this was set up to capture everything. And finally, the arrangements aren't just perfunctory strings. Some tracks utilize the expanded sound palette better (who is surprised Call of Ktulu thrives with a symphony behind it?) than others (Fuel, which is too hectic and not so nuanced as other arrangements), but even when there's just a lot going on, where the orchestra muddles the band and the band drowns out the orchestra, it still works in such a way that it's clear the symphony is being conducted as a complement to the songs. So this sounds good, but I'm not entirely sure who it's for. We all know what the metal goons thought when the biggest metal band dared to experiment on Load and Reload, and then they come out with this? I am proud of this era of Metallica, but I also bought this at the time and if I listened to it once, that was a lot. But I was a kid. I got into Metallica in part because of the music the gatekeepers hated. So if it wasn't for me then, I don't know what non-Metallica fan is hearing this now and finding it to be a revelation. Half the excitement for me is knowing the originals, enjoying a new take. Who is the casual generator user who is really sucked in by this? Who is the not-yet-Metallica-fan that needed to hear these songs with every “ooooughh” and “yeah yeaaaaaah” and other Hetfieldian gutteralizations? I think it's a fair experiment that works, a good mid 3*. But it's ludicrous to include this here.

this album brings metallica to the light. i loved this album and didn’t appreciate them as much until this. my favorite song was the memory remains.

I haven't listened to these songs since it first came out. I really enjoy the idea of this album, and I'm a fan of Metallica, but I would much rather listen to the original songs and these. I would imagine being there in person would have been a five out of five experience though

Some fantastic arrangements that enhance the original. Exciting and beautiful

Generally I have a hard time separating Metallica's music, which I mostly enjoy, from the people, who I'm less fond of. This album holds a special place, however, as one I had on CD right when it released and something I listened to on repeat while living abroad.

lol. nah. Nice gimmick though.

The concept is pretty cool, but it 2+ hours was overkill. It could have been better as a shorter album.

Cool live event

Metallica will only ever be a 4 star band with Lars.

It's a little sloppy at points, primarily at the start. Where the symphony and the band do not really integrate well together, and the symphony feels like an unfitting after thought addition, but when it works it works quite well. It is also just a bit too long.

Long and worth it. I loved this and now I want to see Metallica perform with the SF Symphony.

I'd probably say this is the album that really got me to start listening to Metallica. While it can feel a bit like Metallica the time was really deep into some olfactory self indulgence it's hard to dismiss that no one had really taken a metal band and put an orchestra behind it. This album goes HARD with the strings and trumpets behind it. So while it has so much nostalgia for me it's still an easy 5/5.

Good if you like Metallica. I like the symphonic elements in this live version, but it does contain some of their lesser quality songs and drags on a bit long. Had this only contained songs from their first few albums, it would’ve hit a 5 for me. 4.5/5

I love Metallica. I love classical music. Which is exactly why S&M is so fascinating to me. It’s particularly funny that this came out during the era where Lars Ulrich was on TV acting like Napster users were personally taking food out of his children’s mouths. Meanwhile Metallica was out here commissioning an entire symphony orchestra like medieval nobility. S&M is deeply stupid in a way only extremely talented people can be. The symphony is flawless. Metallica is locked in. The whole thing sounds like a perfectly orchestrated mistake. Nobody asked for this. Did the San Francisco Symphony lose a bet? I’ll give it a 3/5 for the talent on display and taking a swing on something new.

I liked the idea of this album more than I think I liked it itself. I didn't hate it, but I don't think this needed to happen. I think an orchestra-only arrangement would have been better and more interesting. I appreciate they at least tried in Master Of Puppets to let the orchestra do orchestra things... but I don't think it worked. The rest of the album felt like "Metallica, while an orchestra played" Not "Metallica and an orchestra playing together" (maybe that was the point though), I just didn't feel like the orchestra added much. It was a slog towards the end though, geez man. Two hours and 13 minutes was way too much for this.

Groundbreaking album at the time. What a concept.

When they aren't just generally sweetening the music, the strings feel like "Stayin' Alive"/"I Will Survive"/"Tragedy"/"Disco Inferno" disco strings. The brass saturates songs with a Bond-soundtrack Albert Broccoli feel. (Why, WHY? did they do that to "Master of Puppets"?) The crowd noise is very carefully mixed and controlled and feels fake because of it. James Hetfield's vocals are always at the front of the mix. Lars Ulrich's drumming keeps the same great position as ever. But bass and guitars just get sucked into the orchestra, sometimes prominent, sometimes disappearing where the cheeseball orchestra gets the "solos" instead. It's hard to give this a terrible score because despite its faults, the songs do come through pretty well. They still mostly rock, as much as they ever did. But after TWO HOURS of this, I just hate it. Hate it. Just listen to the original version of "One" and then the version here. Hetfield's vocals here sound weak, like he's pushed them too far for his lounge-act backing orchestra. There's a new melody with sweet soundtracky brass over top of guitars that used to pummel you in preparation for the "darkness imprisoning me..." lyrics. It's no longer believable. At least they lest Kirk Hammett have his solo. Hate it. It should be on a list of records to avoid listening to as long as you live. 1/5

La verdad por el tipo de rock que es pense que no me iba a gustar nada, que lo iba a detestar. Pero estuvo bastante bien, hay un par de temas que me gustaron un poco mas. Obviamente no me encanta el tipo de musica pero muy agradable. 7/10

Not a huge fan of Metallica but this album is amazing

Excellent songs, excellent musicians, but did we really need this?

A whole experience of an album

was better than i thought, kudos to the orchestra but TOO LONG

Ich verstehe es nicht. Warum gibt es immer wieder Rockbands (die erste die mir einfällt war Deep Purple), die unbedingt beweisen wollen, dass sie neben einem klassischen Sinfonieorchester bestehen können? Hey, schaut mal, wir machen ernst zu nehmende Musik und Klassik-Liebhaber müssen jetzt nicht mehr auf uns herab sehen? So ein Bullshit. Wird der Song besser wenn eine Wand Geigen ein Brett wie Battery untermalt? Für mich nicht.

Love this album, have it on CD. Highly recommend picking up a copy at a Napster near you.

I'll be honest, not my cup of tea. I know and like/love most of these songs, and am usually a sucker for a good orchestral arrangement of just about anything. But his vocals were so distracting to me the entire time. I know some say it's because of the care and focus he was putting into singing healthier, but I don't even think it's that. There's definitely some heavy-handed autotune making his voice sound so clean to the point of being robotic. That's really my only gripe, but it's a big one because it took me out of the whole experience. Still, I'll always celebrate the talent, passion, and hard work of every single person involved in putting together a project like this, and I know it must mean so much to many fans. Also, I didn't know they open their shows with the theme from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and was a little confused at first but still vibin'. Playlist choice is One because it's basically already begging for the orchestra treatment.

Never got the hype of metallica but like it’s not the worst album

Can't understand why some people are mad that this album exists

In retrospect did not enjoy this as much as I did originally.

Nunca me gustó Metallica, una bandita performática que siempre suena igual, e incluso en este álbum pretencioso, en vivo, suena peor que nunca a mi gusto... es solo para fanes.

If any album should have a song called "The Thing That Should Not Be", then it's this one.

My first true exposure to Metallica. Electricfying live performance.

My first Metallica album, and it was amazing

I’ll give it a 2 for creative effort but I did not enjoy this.

A very different feel for a Metallica album that was just ok for me. I’ll give them credit for trying a slower, less aggressive set of songs, but this didn’t give off Metallica vibes at all. Average music for a band that is better than this.

If you’re a Metallica fan, this is probably a pretty cool idea. I am not a Metallica fan, so I found it to be boring and indulgent. There was very little synergy between the orchestra and the band here. It was a novelty album with ephemeral results.

This is a great idea! As I settled in to listen I didn't break out the devil horns, instead I listened with my pinkie subtly extended. Fancy and shit. Also, I was on public transportation, I'm not going viral as "old metalhead gets down on ferry" But there are a few problems which make this a tough one to rate First and foremost...TWO hours and 15 minutes?!?! C'mon now. Newer Meralica songs aren't good, adding the orchestra doesn't help them. The classics on here were loads of fun, the newer songs are trash with or without the orchestra. The audio mix is distractingly bad. Overall, dissappointing. The highs were awesome, the lows were awful. So I land in the middle but super low end of 3...like barely a 3.

Metallica + San Francisco Symphony + 4000 Metallica fans Is it bad that I’ve never listened to a Metallica album before? Or is this a fitting introduction? It certainly felt like I was jumping into the deep end, with more than 2 hours of, well, thrash. But it’s a cool project, especially considering that few forms of modern popular music are as directly influenced by classical symphony as metal.

what an awesome experience this must've been. Whoever thought of this mashup should get promoter of the year. I couldn't digest it all at once, one day I listened to set 1 and the next day set 2. Enjoyed it all nonetheless! It's great to hear both the crowd and the band getting high off the energy.

Music was fine but putting a 2+ hour live album on here feels silly

Listened to on my Apple EarPods and my stereo set up. I don't find myself listening to live albums all too often, but I was intrigued at the prospect of this one in particular, which sees Metallica working with the San Francisco Symphony to re-imagine some of their tunes with the grandiosity and epic scale of an orchestral backing. Although Metallica's signature walk-on song 'The Ecstasy of Gold' from Ennio Morricone works perfectly within the symphonic bounds, and 'The Call of Ktulu' sees an interesting instrumental reworking, I found myself not too excited in my first impression, then leading into crowd pleaser 'Master of Puppets' which I thought was not very well enhanced by the presence of the symphony. At this point, in hopes to get more engaged, I switched from listening on my earbuds and found the full live performance on YouTube (unfortunately missing out on the 5.1 channel mixing found in the DVD release), and I found myself much more immersed in the performance, which also found it's stride as it focused on newer material from Metallica. Yes, this performance from 1999--although a particularly special concert--found the iconic metal band focusing mostly on cuts from it's newest three releases: The Black Album, Load, and ReLoad. Now, for as big a Metallica fan I am, that is mostly cordoned off to the so called 'golden age' of the band, or their first four thrash metal releases. Not to say that I dislike their newer work, but I am much more likely to revisit those albums than any other from the catalogue. Yet, the deeper I got into this work, the more I realized that this was actually a brilliant decision. See, I found myself not to attached to the expected hits remixed that find themselves mostly in the front and back ends of this album. Personally, I find the the thrash metal of those songs to be so enveloping and busy that the minor orchestral overlays they could add didn't enhance much at all, and often felt like the best they could do with the material they had. However, the newer material, which saw Metallica shift away from their thrash metal roots for a slower hard rock sound works perfectly with this mixing of ideologies. Because their is breathing room built into these tracks, it is absolutely laden with opportunity for orchestral expansion. These tracks, which I have disregarded for the most part over the years, feel fresh and exciting. It is such an interesting and fun blend, taking the hard rock of Metallica with the very conservative and proper symphony sensibilities. I must also mention the viewing experience of the concert, which I think sizeably increased my enjoyment. Actually seeing this concept play out is so charming. The arrangement of instrument sections being conducted while a rock band just let's loose in front of them, it really captures the unique energy of this release. It's like I couldn't fully appreciate the idea on display here until I was actually watching what was happening. Seeing Jason Newsted on bass go in front of the double bass player as they feed off each other's energy, catching the conductor singing along, Kirk Hammett on guitar going back to back with the conductor, and the sea of people in band shirts banging their heads, it really does just help to capture the atmosphere to actually see the thing play out. This is just a great performance on the whole. You get this wonderful mix of hard rock and orchestra going full blast for over two hours, and there is few moments where it stumbles. Personally, I found that to be mostly relegated to the iconic thrash tunes, in which the symphony couldn't add too much, but also illustrated a bit of age in the band itself, as James Hetfield on vocals couldn't quite belt out the same performances as when he was a young man, and Lars Ulrich gets to indulge in his more, let's say controversial drumming, like on the track 'One'. Some songs that I find weak in normal listening also couldn't find themselves improved with orchestration, like 'Sad but True'. Still, Metallica, the San Francisco Symphony, and conductor Michael Kamen do a great job putting on a show that isn't just energizing and fun, but is unique and a novel way to approach the material of the band.

Indulgent and uninteresting

I don't like Metallica for a number of reasons, but I liked some of this album. I don't know what the orchestra added to it, aside from making it all sound slightly more cinematic. If anything it took away from some of the metal.

Love Metallica, love a great majority of this album. However, a bit too much reliance on the Load / Reload albums, and a couple other songs I would have changed up. Overall, an incredibly interesting concept, performed very well.

The arrangements were less lazy than I expected.

good but much much too long

I wasn’t aware of this live album’s existence before this, and am a casual fan of Metallica and really only like their early work, but what a joy it was to listen to. The symphony makes these epic songs even more epic and broadens the band’s sound in incredible ways. While the symphony makes this unique, it should be noted that Hetfield’s singing is fantastic here. His genuine appreciation for the crowd also adds to the listening experience too, he’s always seemed like a great dude to me. I’ve never seen Metallica live and this made me think it’d be worth the ticket price. The solos are epic and sound great on the recording too.

Interesting, and I'm sure it was a lot of fun for them. But the orchestra didn't really add anything to it. Metallica sounded very compressed and not much like a live album at all. Meh.

Not a huge fan of their later albums, but this was ok

It’s good, but, I prefer the first four albums over this.

Great album. Would be better if they had played more early stuff instead of their latest at the time. Still solid

Det er igen en langt bedre oplevelse ens forventet. De har lavet speciel musik i et felt af middelmådig musik, derfor fremstår de rigtig gode. -- Jeg opdatede først ved 2. lyt som var et fokuseret lyt at det ikke bare var live, men med en hel symfoni i ryggen. Jeg kunne rigtig godt lide det! PS. Det må være her Volbeat fandt sin lyd, minus symfoni.

Hvordan får man Metallica til at lyde tungere, hårdere, vildere og højere? Man tilsætter et symfoniorkester! Det er ikke alle numrene der bliver decideret bedre af det, nogle løftes til nyt niveau. Men fuck det hele rocker alt hvad det kan. Hvor var det ærgerligt at de på den efterfølgende studieskæring ikke gik mere i denne retning med nyt materiale, men lod Lars’ usikkerhed definere en tåbelig Nu-Metal-ish lyd. S&M skal have 4 stjerner for indholdet og 5 stjerner for idéen og energien. Metallica har aldrig lydt mere i live.

Yeah right, like I’m sitting in for two hours of this. Who’s this for? Classical fans who want to bang their heads or metal fans who think adding violins gives the shredding a touch of class? The two don’t mesh. Most of the orchestra sits on top of the guitars, adding flourishes here and there but not reimagining the songs nor adding any depth. Hetfield varies his growls for the live crowd, but he sounds old and not at all spontaneous. His stage patter is really embarrassing. Like Metallica’s other vanity projects this century, this is an attempt to stay relevant only by ignoring what fans like about the band. Nobody asked for this, and nobody will be replaying it. And ‘1,001’ site managers: here’s another one to remove from the list!

In 2001 one of my roommates in a punk house was an industrial goth guy who played this album every time he had a girl over, so I cannot take it seriously.

Not a fan of this

I mean, it's a five star compilation without the orchestra. Cool idea...but it could've been the Kiss Alive of this generation if it was just a regular show.

I thought I was watching the longest John Woo movie ever

Ah...S&M - Symphony & Metallica. Got it.

I liked the addition of the orchestra, even if it is a bit of an odd fit with Metallica. I’d say that the orchestra is the best part of the whole experience here, because I really don’t need 2+ hours of Metallica in one go.

This album is not good for a multitude of reasons, but I'll try and synthesize my opinions into thre reasons. 1. The album is too long, especially for a live album. 2 and a quarter hours is already a big ask for most listeners, but the fact that this is a live album compounds this problem. Concerts are an experience, so having a concert go that long is no big deal. After all, the lights, crowd and energy create an atmosphere that allows for concert the length of a feature film to feel too short. As an album, sans in-person experience? It fails to draw me, which is necessary for any album, but especially one this length. The mixing of the crowd also hurts the album. It's not intimate enough to feel like you're part of the audience, but not grandiose to feel like I'm part of a larger consciousness. As such, length and live aspects really just collide and make me not ready and able to listen to thus album 2. It doesn't really sound like Metallica. The band lacks any of the darkness and crunch that makes their best songs work. I'm not the biggest metal fan, but going back to Master of Puppets or their other early works you can really see why Metallica worked. The sound, with all its darkness and machismo, just makes you want to scream and head bang the whole time. Their performances here are a lot softer though, turning from metal to arena rock, a genre I like even less and they're not as good at. The whole album I was asking myself "does this sound like Metallica?" And the answer, honestly, is no. 3 (the most important one). The classical instrumentation does not work. It adds nothing to the songs, and barely works with the sound that the song is going for. It's background music that is interrupting the song I'm trying to listen to. Not to mention it sounds like non-descript orchestra music at best. It sounds like what someone who hates classical music thinks classical music sounds like. It would've worked better as an orchestral version of a film score, but as the backing of Metallica songs? It fails completely. So yeah, not good/5.

While Metallica isn't my favorite band what I do like about them is that they sound like a bunch of bikers and James Hatfield usually sounds kinda scratchy. With the symphony behind them it seems like they cleaned up the sound and it's too much. The symphony is cool but the band sounds so polished it's out of character. Also, 2 hours? Are you kidding me? I saw them live and I think that was shorter than this. I skipped all the songs I didn't really know. 1 hour was enough.

Would be perfect if not live. 4/5

No thanks (live edition)

for a live album, this sounds great. all the songs just meld into one for me, there's not much distinguishing them.

This is by far the most "guys will look at this and say 'hell yeah'" live album I've ever heard. Metallica with a live orchestra, what a concept. It's kind of funny that I got back from performing at a police memorial in a Catholic church and the first thing I hear is a band from the most un-Catholic genre performing with an orchestra about the size of the band I'm in at my college. The performance at the memorial was fine, I didn't really feel much of anything. I'll never complain about being able to play for a while but I didn't really care for the memorial itself. I definitely felt a lot more listening to these guys, although the length is a little ridiculous. I feel like I'd be a little orchestra-ed out by the time the show was over if I were born 15 years earlier and actually went to this show IRL, but it was a pretty good time and a good cooldown from an hour and a half of trying to act like I care about police officers.

I can’t really punish this album for its length since it was a concert. But I don’t really like Metallica enough for 2h16m of their music. If I liked Metallica this would definitely be a 5.

OH Boy. I like early Metallica this does not have enough early Metallica to keep me interested. I ended up only listening to the songs I love.

*Very cool concept, I just don't love Metallica that much as I find they plod along even with cool moments with the guitars

i dont wannnaaaaa

A collaboration that must have been inspired by Opus the Penguin’s belief that “heavy metal” meant “weighty brass.” (Look it up, children) Seriously, the music walks the line between artistically interesting and comic book movie soundtrack. To me, metal has always had an orchestral feel to it and vice-versa. But I think I would have liked this better had they used Sabbath’s catalog.

So smart to add the philharmonic to this concert. I’m sure fans were blown away by the two nights. Mostly, it comes off well; if I have a complaint, the complimentary vocalist/vocals don’t sync well on a few songs. In a studio this would have been top notch. LONG, but very good.

This album is way overlong, overwrought, and overindulgent. I love it.

Innovative but not my thing at all

Things that shouldn't go together: Orange juice and toothpaste Water and a grease fire Dress and sneakers Toaster and the bathtub Sleeping and driving Ice cream and ketchup Bleach and ammonia Cell phones and water Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony

On the one hand, this does sound like the soundtrack to Mission Impossible: Stranger Things. On the other hand, it does bang. But at the end of the day, Lydia Tar would hate this.

Alright, we've reached the final super long album that I listened to in advance. Here's my review from August 2024. I’m gonna be completely honest. This is some of the most enjoyment I’ve ever gotten out of a live album. Why? Well, it’s simple. I’m biased. I’ve played in an orchestra and Metallica is one of my favorite bands of all time. Of course I’m gonna love it when those two things come together. It’s awesome! Of course, this is 1999 Metallica we’re talking about, meaning that they were already past their peak by this point. However, there’s still things to love about this album. Say what you will about Metallica from the 90s onward, but James Hetfield’s voice has gotten quite good with age. The rest of the band plays amazingly as well. I didn’t even notice any mess ups from Lars! And of course, I have got to give props to the San Francisco Symphony as well. They managed to turn these already great metal songs into something even more extravagant and over the top than they already were! Besides, this album finally gives Ride The Lightning some representation on the list! Of course, it also gives representation to Load and Reload, but that’s besides the point. The two original songs are also pretty cool. Overall, this is just a really fun live album that does something a bit different to make it extra cool. Strong 4/5.

Pitkä sessio s&m. Mutta ei kuitenkaan niin kivulias. Paikoin orkesterisovitukset ihmeelliset, mutta muuten ihan kivaa. En tiiä 3 vai 4. Toivottavasti huomenna tiedän. Tähtiantohetki: menen kolmosella. Ei oo huonoo, mutta mieluummin kuuntelen alkuperäisiä versioita

Isosti nostalginen levy itselleni, mutta eihän se nyt valtaosin hyvältä kuulosta. Orkesterisovitukset ontuu tosi paljon, muutamissa kappaleissa hittaa todella hyvin ja Nothing Else Mattersin versio on varmaan parhaita mitä on. Isolta osin ei vaan toimi ja mulla on henkilökohtasia vaikeuksia live-Metallican kanssa koska James Heiiyehheeatfield ja Larssin päätt(ymätt)ömät fillit ja Kirkin loputon paskan kuulonen wahwahwahwah.

Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I know that they made an orchestra album but I have never heard it How do I feel about this artist? Fuck yeah Metallica, not an avid listener but I get the hype First impressions from the album cover/blurb? I’m expecting Metallica with an orchestra, whatever that means I will find out Favorite song(s)? No Leaf Clover Overall Thoughts: I am sure this was an incredible concert to experience in person, but that energy and excitement never seems to translate well into a live album. I should have listened in 2 parts because it was very long. I also thought the orchestra sounded more like a backing track and didn’t stand out a ton.

It’s good but not for me

Live album doesn't really count

It's not like Metallica are renowned for subtlety, restraint and a shy, retiring nature. But this thing is the length of two Mahler Symphonies. "Yessongs" and "Welcome Back My Friends To the Show That Never Ends" - both frequently cited as prime examples of prog rock excess and self-indulgence - were both shorter. When you've out-indulgenced Emerson Lake & Palmer then maybe consider your life choices. I don't doubt that if you were there on the night this changed your life. But at this distance, taking already maximalist metal and adding orchestral backing that sounds as if it's trying to be the next James Bond soundtrack seems like a recipe for musical heartburn. Can't deny that the Orchestra plays its socks off and Metallica seem to be taking it all very seriously - although, when do they not? - and giving it plenty, but you know, enough is as good as a feast.

The tightness with which the orchestra weaves into Metallica's songs here is impressive - it doesn't just feel like they're backing up the band. I'm not sure any of these songs are improved by the collaboration though. Largely the orchestra serves to accentuate the riffs or add unneeded flourishes; rarely does it take over and provide something the band couldn't have. Even on "For Whom the Bell Tolls," where the string shine in the empty spaces and add a sense of grandeur, I find myself preferring the original. An hour of this would be fun, but the album is over twice that length and missing some of their best songs because it's loaded with 90s material. Two hours of chugging hard rock and Hefield's overwrought vocals is too much. A hardcore Metallica fan will probably eat this up, but it feels skippable for anyone who isn't tired of their studio material.

they should replace this entry in the list with a recording of the evangelion wind symphony and i'm not kidding. or the nier orchestra (another point for me) which i still lament not being able to get tickets for. hell even the stardew valley one. did you know they had a stardew valley orchestra tour? i didn't get tickets but that would've been so sick. okay this actually isn't THAT bad but i don't think it's executed for what it could be. i quite enjoy symphonic elements in metal which probably gives a decent bump for the tracks where it works, but most of this is precisely neutral background noise at best. i just don't think *thrash* is the right choice to add symphonic elements. most of this is distinctly at odds with itself and not in a way that produces enjoyable juxtaposition because the typical characteristics of thrash just Don't work that well with a string orchestra imo. most of these compositions aren't integrated either so it's just kind of a mess. at least "one" seems to lean into it heavily here; probably better than the studio.

Well THIS album is not condusive to a one album a day formula. I went into this album blind and was very confused when The Ecstasy of Gold started playing (which is my pick for best movie soundtrack score ever but that's by the by). So I did some research and uh, well, this album is certainly interesting. Albums on this list can earn a lot of points from me for being unique and this IS an undeniably unique album. Unfortunately I do not think this works at all. It's the musical equivalent of when a Marvel films score adds a bunch of extra instruments and swells because otherwise they don't trust the audience to know what they're watching is supposed to be "epic". In a lot of these songs, like Master of Puppets, the band is adding nothing over the original for the most part and when it does add something its largely weak. It just does not feel like they're extracting the full value of an orchestra I know for a fact is far better than this. It all hits very "2000s action movie big band soundtrack". Ofc the songs here themselves are great but at that point am I listening to this album for its appeal or as a best-of album? I guess the live elements do add something sometimes but is anyone really gonna be like "This is the definitive version of this song" from here? (Probably, there's always someone).

Oh hell no. This is really 0 stars, but I can't move on unless I give it one star. I hate that Jason's last album with Metallica is this awful trash.

I really didn’t mind this at all, there was some cheese in there for sure but I listened to the whole thing.

The first CD I ever bought: …And Justice for All. First concert: Metallica, G’n’R, Body Count. The first song I learned in guitar: Fade the Black. First favorite bass solos: Anesthesia and Orion. That said, I didn’t like this album. The metal genre-particularly thrash metal- was loosing the battle against relevancy in the late 1990s to NuMetal bands like Linkin Park, Mudvayne, Slipknot and Korn. Metallica, who themselves had fallen behind to more aggressive metals bands like Pantera and Meshuggah, was clinging on by attempting a series of PR stunts like the Johnny Cash-style prison tours and, of course, playing with symphonies. It was a recycled idea from Aerosmith, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and others, or emerging Prog bands like Dream Theatre, Tool and Symphony X, who were proving mastery of both the genre and musicality. Unlike G’n’R, who fashioned songs like November Rain around a symphony, this one takes Metallica favorites and reduces them to a James Bond-like playlist, presenting as more of a placemat underneath a well established meal. Even the Ennio Marricone opening was recycled from their Live Shit: Binge & Purge double album. And I love Call of Ktulu, but a 12 minute opener was egregious. If anything, the addition of symphony on One was pretty cool. However, One song on an two-and-a-half hour album doesn’t make it great, even if it is a great band at the midlife crisis stage of their career (see their next ten years).

Random thoughts: * Well, this was some kind of monster. * I definitely had some mixed feelings on this one. The opening two tracks and some of the tracks (Master of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters) were definitely enhanced or made slightly more interesting. * Some of the other tracks were made slightly worse by adding symphony - Enter Sandman and One. * Metallica has always done interesting things or changed stuff up which I support overall. So I tend to side on more the positive for this one. * Is this a must listen? No. We had Metallica fully covered with the other three 1001 selections. This is 1001 bloat at its finest.

I have mixed feelings about this record. While I did enjoy the first tracks and they even gave me chills, the execution falls short. I think the album could have been great, or at least more listenable, if it were half as long as it currently is.

Kinda excited that my first full-album Metallica experience will be with this. The collaboration with the symphony has me very intrigued! I am a little intimidated by how long this album is, though.

I honestly enjoyed this. It was just so long.

Interesting concept album.

IMPRESIONANTE. Me pareció espectacular la fusión de los dos géneros, 100% brutal. Súper divertido e interesante de escuchar y ver cómo iban quedando las diferentes canciones, incluso se logra que las que son instrumentales se sienta como un canto. Temazos.

Strings and metal don’t mix

the only thing worse than dad metal is dad metal LIVE

Greatest Metallica Album