Reviews (page 4 of 11)
My most unexpected 4 stars yet
A very very cool idea let down by muddy production and Metallica's inconsistent discography
Perfect timing to get this the same weekend I listened to LUX twice. I've basically come down on the side that an orchestra can help elevate music but it always brings with it the added bit of corniness. It's a tradeoff
When James Hetfield isn't groaning over it, the album is like a twisted, never ending James Bond theme.
Still not totally sure how I feel about this after 2 and a quater hours of it, i guess that means it probably isn interesting enough to be a four. I think it's one to watch rather than listen to. I listened to it hwile playing games and thought I'd left the game music on.
I really enjoyed this album. Having the orchestra shows that Metallica actually does *music*. There are a lot of haters in the reviews though.
The symphonic part feels forced at times, but it’s a great testament to the strength of Metallica’s catalog that so many songs hold up to this treatment. Hetfield is possibly in the best vocal form of his career, which makes this a great listen.
This was a very impressive live album with the orchestral arrangements.
Metallica in itself is an effectively mediocre band — they are even more satisfactory in a grainy, live recording.
A solid output for live heavy hitters.
9.5/10
So I do like this album, but I think I like S&M 2 better. Can’t believe this was 1999. Ok. There is something that’s just off about this recording for me. No idea what. I hate that I like “90s Metallica” songs on this. 😂 but hero of the day is better with the symphony. Feels like a Beatles song.
The music isn’t bad at all. But a 2+ hour long album is a huge ask and I definitely don’t think this mash up helped anyone. The orchestra could have been integrated a lot better
The combination of a symphony and metal worked better than I thought and I did enjoy a lot of moments on this album. The problem is that I struggle to listen to 2 straight hours of Metallica and in most cases I still would’ve preferred the original studio recordings of most of these songs. I’m also going to sound like a huge dork by pointing out that Deep Purple did basically the same thing 30 years prior
I really like metallica, but i think for a lot of tracks i perhaps prefer the originals
Worse than a late period Metallica album, or an SFO concert. Might be ok without the terrible singing - uh. I'd rate Metallica's early albums right up there, struggled to finish this one.
Campest Metallica LP? Closer to Broadway than Symphonic Metal, I love the band but there's zero here which is superior to the source - I'd rate Lulu over this. Interesting as a pre-poptimism moment where this collab was deemed necessary to be "serious"
3/10… Metall / *1999
Day 16. Best tracks: - Human, No Leaf Clover, For Whom the Bell Tolls I can't believe this album is on the list. I purchased this album the day it came out and have regretted it ever since. This works as music videos or a live video album. IT IS SO LONG. And absolutely boring in audio-only. It just needs some editing, a new setlist (ONLY ONE RIDE THE LIGHTNING TRACK IS ON THE SETLIST - a travesty), and an engineer who can make it sound like it wasn't recorded behind a single-pane of soundproof glass. 2/10. Great in as an audio-visual album. Horrible in audio-only. Does it belong on this list? Absolutely not. Not even as a novelty. And having this on the list and not "Ride the Lightning" cannot be explained or justified.
I was a big fan of this when I was a kid. It still rocks. Even the new tracks for this No Leaf Clover and Minus Human are great
Not a fan, and songs were toooooo long
Metallica has great style but I feel some parts feel too long
This was awesome! The orchestra just adds so much to this performance.
S&M isn’t wrong. This is like being hit on the head – if not the bottom – with a velvet cosh. The album and performance are all expulsive excess, but Metallica were never truly extreme. They always had things under control – or at least sounded as though they did. If their thrash peers Slayer ever roped in a symphony orchestra, it would have to sound like Penderecki. Metallica’s, by contrast, sounds like the Boston Pops. They are, after all, a pop group of great competence. And this is a pop concert – a Best Of disguised as an experiment. A step outside their comfort zone, where they play crowd-pleaser after crowd-pleaser. The real addition here isn’t the orchestration – which adds little, like when the UO accompanies a screening and just drowns out the dialogue – but the pleased crowd itself. Few of Metallica’s peers wrote such anthems, and none with such melodic reach. Listen to them sing along. It’s very endearing. You can hear, in every unified shout, the sound of disbelief: This is actually fucking happening, and it is awesome! And it is awesome. Briefly. In the moment. It’s dumb, and it’s pandering, but that’s who Metallica were in the ’90s – self-aware showmen with stadium-sized egos and tunes to match. I went in dreading what I was letting myself in for, but it turned out thrilling. Sure the orchestra do nothing truly significant, but the ground is there for Metallica and they play their best songs one after another and sound really happy about it. Sure, two hours and thirteen minutes is too much. A masochist should never be completely satisfied. 2.5 I haven’t listened to this since it came out. I recall it being funnier. All these years later I can find nothing to laugh at - this was, just, a bad idea horribly executed. It is entirely excruciating and over two hours long. The one concession here to the presence of an orchestra is that the guitars and bass are turned down in the mix but Metallica make absolutely no musical room in their arrangements. They simply perform their songs as usual, leaving the orchestra to play where they can - burnishing cadences, throwing nondescript melodic fragments in between Hetfield’s vocals and, of course, making horror film noises. There is no realisation, even for a moment across more than two hours of music, of the real power and depth of an orchestra. The San Francisco Symphony here sound staid and prissy - exactly how most people who dislike or don’t listen to orchestral music think orchestras always sound. If it was painful for metal fans to hear Metallica so neutered, it is doubly so for anyone with affection for orchestral music listening to this nonsense. That the concert happened was forgivable because there is nothing wrong with trying something new or a bit different. But to release it for broader public consumption is unforgivable. We are only about 200 albums into this project but I am certain that S&M will prove as potent a piece of torture as anything this list can throw up. You know what, I have been unjust. I’ve only now remembered that at the very end of the concert someone says ‘Same time next year!’. That is genuinely funny. 0/5
Could not finish due to the terrible autotuned voice, even if I mostly like Metallica.
Lowkey ornate.
In my opinion live recordings are not as good as the studio recordings, but this record still rips.
Gute Idee mit Orchester, aber am Ende eben doch Metal, den ich nicht so mag.
Peak. One of the greatest collaborations of all time. I appreciate being reminded of that fact.
there is enough and maybe too much Metallica on this list.
For a 2hr album, I surprising made it through easier than I thought, helps that I clean the entire house while listening, but I did it in one go. Really appreciated the strings addition. Also really enjoyed quite a few of the songs, just 2hrs for one album is extreme. I also normally hate live records but this wasn’t the worst.
Should not have live album where singer get crowd to fill in blanks. Okay otherwise.
This is an interesting idea, but it is scarcely more than the sum of its parts. It’s Metallica with an orchestra. It’s also over two hours long. Minus one star for the length. Too long and barely any of the songs amaze me enough to go back to these over the studio versions. The version of For Whom The Bell Tolls is my favorite song here.
And Nothing Else Matters, exept this album.
Olalalala c'est long à chier. L'idée de base de mettre un orchestre pourrait être intéressante mais ça rend pas dingue.
Sur les 2 premiers sons sans paroles j'ai ressenti des émotions que j'ai rarement ressenti c'était fou. Un peu déçu que l'orchestre soit aussi étouffé par les grosses guitares et basses et batteries mais ça enlève très peu au banger absolu qu'est l'album. Un peu moins fan du 2ème disque en revanche
If this was an hour shorter it would only be 30 minutes too long.
Never was a big fan. Maybe I disliked their fan base more - the kind of people who only listened to Metallica or Metallica like bands, never touching any other genre seriously. This is pretty well done so far and I’m digging it.
norm
Terrible
Ríkir rokkarar gera skrítna hluti.
Vel útsett og spilað og stóru Metallica lögin nutu sín vel. 135 mínútur af Metallica aðeins og mikið fyrir mig.
woah how have i never heard this 5/5
I can imagine it was a seminal gig for Metallica fans and the live experience must have been amazing. But to include it on a list of best albums seems incorrect.
Day 80 Don’t really think the orchestra added a great deal to be honest but can’t really go wrong with 2 hours of Metallica 8/10 Highlights No Leaf Clover Bleeding Me Outlaw Torn
jebemu mater. album uživo od metalike koji traje više od dva sata (!!!) stvarno nije nešto za ovakav popis. pogotovo kad su na njemu tri njihova studijska albuma. zašto?
Way to make “Master of Puppets” sound like a Christmas carol. I can see why Newstead quit after this. It’s worse than I remembered it. Some of the weaker tracks are actually enhanced by the symphonic elements but that doesn’t make up for the Disneyfication of their classic tunes. “One” is especially an abomination. If you want symphonically enhanced metal, go listen to Ihsahn’s last record.
2 hours 15 minutes of misery
I liked this better than I thought I would, but a lot of it doesn't really work.
Favourite Track: One
Way better than it has any right to be. Very cool to hear unique versions of the classics. And even better, the expanded arraignments really elevate the much weaker (shitty) Load and Reload material to new heights.
This is why I hate live albums… there’s so much missing. Why are they cheering? What’s occupying the crowd visually while these ten minute long instrumental songs are happening? I don't mind the combination with the string orchestra and I think it's a good idea executed as well as possible, but a live album isn't the best way to enjoy this performance. Like it sounds fine but this was too long of an album for what we get just hearing it and not seeing any visuals
Pretty freakin cool
Classical and rock usually go together well. This appears to be the exception that proves the rule. Nothing Else Matters is the only track on which this experiment actually worked. The rest was more M&S than S&M. I really don't want to be this harsh, but its a 1 for effort I'm afraid.
What a load of nonsense. It just didn’t work for me. I can’t imagine it working for a die hard Metallica fan either, but I guess it must’ve done.
Why does a thrash metal band feel the need to make this? Vanity? Another reason to feel vindicated why i detest Metal.
An epic sound- it could have been over indulgent but it genuinely does add something to their sound and gives a fresh take on old classics.
A cool idea lushly realized, but I often found myself wishing I was listening to the original tracks. It gets a little crowded and stuffy. The crowd sounds like they’re loving it, which boosted my enjoyment.
It isn't perfect but a few of these orchestrations eclipse the originals and they're generally already fantastic songs.
I've always loved Metallica. Of course S&M is a classic.
Enjoyed way more than I thought I would. Has this project turned me into a Metallica fan?
WTF!!! What a surprise! This is kinda awesome! No idea something like this existed. Sonically rich and powerful. Always respected what Metallica does, but this is a new level. Genius to pair their music with a symphony orchestra. Result is a musical experience like none other. Started to drag a little in second half… it’s looong. But interesting listen!
It's like listening to Metallica with some background strings. Which are sometimes "random" :/ Like, what is it in "For whom the bell dolls"? It ruined the song character... OK, "Wherever I may roam" intro is good. But the rest..... I mean, if its done just to add some orchestra and it sounds the same in every song....then why? The songs are great. The orchestration is just ok.
Why this album????????????????????????
I always expect this to be a great idea but for some reason the symphony does not do anything for Metallica and neither the other way around
I enjoyed it, def a fan of pre 2000. Still dont think live or best hits albums should be on here. Assuming justice for all, ride the lightning, master of puppets and/or load are on this list just havent come aceoss it yet.
It's essentially a Metallica greatest(ish) hits album that has mostly live versions that are on-par or better than the original and two new songs that are both fantastic. They're not the first to do an orchestra album, and in some of the songs it adds very little. But I love this album.
Metallica are already two albums deep into their buttrock era when this came out, so they have a well of mid tempo bloated ballad songs to further bloat with orchestral arrangements where the extra 100 instruments don't slow them down too much. The songs that are meant to thrash really suffer from the bloat though, the heavy layers of extra instrumentation don't add anything extra to the raw power and energy of thrash metal. The best songs are the slower ballads from the early era that already have a bit of that metal neo-classical grandiosity to them or the 90s radio hits that benefit from throwing more instruments at just ok hooks and kirk Hammett's wah wah pedal. An orchestra can't chug, and can hardly riff, but sure can crescendo. Is this the most pompous dumb guy album ever? Makes sense that this is only a couple years before the hilariousness documented in Some Kind of Monster...
This is hard for me to rate. I'm not a Metallica fan, but I appreciated the size and spectacle of this album. The music paired with the orchestra added a lot of dimension to the songs. It was also a good listen right before Halloween.
Two hours??? And a live album??? Ew. Music is alright, but it is too much.
I wasn’t relistening to this so here’s my old review First, I don’t really like Metallica’s whole thing, second I don’t think the facts it’s a live album help my enjoyment any, third it was probably awesome to see live but over two hours of Metallica just in the ears is too much
epic premise. didn't disappoint.
I didn't know what to expect with the variety of reviews. I always love live albums and this was a pleasant surprise
Live album from 1999 in collaboration with classical music. Usual 2 - not for me
90s maximalism. I can dig it.
Uff, Metallica is one of those things I don’t get at all.
This symphonic metal album blends heavy, riff-driven power with a full orchestra to form a dense, theatrical wall of sound where strings and brass add grandeur and tension, while gruff vocals cut through or strain against it, echoing lyrical themes of struggle, control, and inner conflict.
Det var bra i början, men man tröttnar rätt fort.
What in the Spinal Tap is this nonsense?
It took me a little while to warm up to this.. but jeez, this album is FULLY bad ass. There's a few awkward moments where the backing orchestra feels slightly at odds with the music and doesn't quite gel right, but the majority works really well. At it's best it's an absolute beast, with a full on assault of the senses in the most dramatic and grandiose way. These guys are so good as a live band. They're just incredibly tight as a unit, and like all the best live bands they can extend their songs into longer jams and moments to create something new and magical. The moments where extended guitar interludes meld with the orchestra were very much my thing. I love it when artists go all out and chuck lots at you. Some songs are spectacular, including 'One' which is just gnarly as fuck once it kicks off. \m/ There are small quibbles and it maaay be a bit much in one sitting... but I really appreciate that this is a live album that offers something completely different to the studio albums. And it's executed really really well.
Incredible album. Nothing more to say
This seems totally unnecessary
Pretty middle of the road for me. A long album will always have an uphill battle for me. I am not familiar enough with Metallica's discopgraphy to enjoy these arrangements as much as I could. However, it was a pleasant listen. The orchestra is undeniably talented and you can feel the energy/excitement from the band as they play these songs live in this way. Knowing how musically talented they are, I know they were geeking out at playing this show for their fans. If someone threw this one, I wouldn't mind but I don't think I would seek it out.
Dark Deception Kills The Light 1001 Albums Generator 139 (10/14/2025) The fact that the only version of For Whom The Bell Tolls on this list is from a recording in 1999 is a damn shame, which is my way of saying: why is S&M on this list that is missing Ride The Lightning? I could ask 100 random Metallica fans for their four favorite albums by the band, and I would be surprised to find even one who includes 1999's S&M on the list. Anyway, it's on this list so I guess I get to talk about it. S&M released at a weird time in Metallica's career, before they had hit rock bottom, but certainly after their peak. Load and Reload are both kind of stinkers with a couple good/great songs each. And then Metallica decided to just release a live album with the San Francisco Orchestra backing them. The softer songs in their catalog, especially Call of Ktulu and Nothing Else Matters, work really well with the orchestra backing. Interestingly, the orchestra kind of brings most of the songs on the album to a similar quality, meaning the Load and Reload songs get a nice glow up, while many of the classic Metallica tunes, which constitute some of my favorite songs ever, become much worse. For example, near the beginning of the album, I loved the version of The Memory Remains here and thought the orchestra improved that song, but did not enjoy my time with Master Of Puppets, which is normally one of the best songs of all time. One is also a bit of a mess. However, this principle does have limits, since something as dreadful as Devil's Dance, originally off Reload, can only be elevated so high. Additionally, there are two new compositions here. No Leaf Clover is really cool, but "- Human" is pretty boring. I also have to mention that James Hetfield's voice here is really bad at times. I don't know if he was abusing drugs at this time or if that started later, but it certainly sounds like he was. Unfortunately, this album is quite long, so I only got one listen with it. It's fine and a novel idea, but the execution is far from perfect. Would have much preferred to spend my day with Live Shit: Binge & Purge if we're doing a live Metallica album that's too damn long, but oh well. 3/5 I guess. Favs: The Memory Remains No Leaf Clover For Whom The Bell Tolls Least Fav: Devil's Dance
This was good, song-wise. I like almost all of these songs and some of them are my favorite Metallica songs. And I love a string orchestra accompaniment, especially for a sound as hard-edged as Metallica's is. But man, I just can't get behind the live aspect. I really don't like live albums as a rule. The tempo on some of those songs is just all over the place, sometimes too slow, sometimes way to fast. It just sounds sloppy and takes me out of the music. Overall still a great collection of tracks, but I probably won't ever listen to most of these tracks again. Three stars.
Ugh. Not my style at all. Too unimaginative and too cliched even with an orchestra.
This shit is a headbanger
Forgot how fun this album is. I appreciate the added drama the orchestra brings to their music, it’s a great concept.
Looked good on paper, awful execution.
The originals are all better than this recording, but I'd bet this was a wildly entertaining live show. It tickles me to imagine the first-chair flugelhorn's "Holy shit!" face when presented with the sheet music.
At first I was surprised how negative reviews were on here. The opening was very strong. It was also an instrumental. Once Master of Puppets started, I began to understand. I respect the idea but the execution is poor. For one, this would work much better as a studio album. The mixing of the symphony with the band would be better. And we could eliminate all of the awful crowd interaction. It is one thing to experience a crowd singing parts of a song when you are in the crowd, but on an album it is insufferable. I think it would also work better with new material and not covering old songs.
This did not land for me at all, and I don't really mind Metallica's music. I think it was added to the list because "Ohhhh metal band plays with a symphony orchestra, this is so groundbreaking". Vocals sound bad, Lars sounds forever bad, and I'm sure there was a lot of correction applied, still sounds bad.
Живая энергия, устаёшь даже от такого продолжительного буйства. Лучше слушать каждый диск с некоторым перерывом. 6 из 10.
Nope, 3 songs in, won't do it. Pre-black-album Metallica is great, but this is pure wankery. Absolutely does not earn a spot on this list.
That was awesome
I don't feel like the orchestra was a good match for Metallica's music. That or the audio mixing was just... bad.
Long, but it’s a live performance. Metallica with an orchestra is great.
- So, this is kind of what I expected; a symphony playing behind Metallica .... it comes off as a movie soundtrack .... ish .... i can see why Metallica heads could be into this but I really don't think it added anything, it feels forced. It's CERTAINLY another one that I don't think I absolutely needed to hear .... before I died ... -
Quintessential Metallica. Just what I wanted this morning.
An album that puts you in a bit of a tough spot. On one hand, this is a very sensible accompaniment - the symphony really elevated the mystical element of Metallica’s lyrics. On the other hand, I was not built for 2 hours of this. But you also can’t do anything about it, I’m sure this was a 2 hour headline show that many people were amped for. The intro on “Master Of Puppets” might be as good as it gets in terms of this album providing a cinematic angle to the normal Metallica songs. I was honestly a bit disappointed though with the renditions of “One” and “Enter Sandman” at the end. I think the originals just can’t be beat. I will remember this as a well-executed project that went on for far too long. Strong 2/5.
Has pretty much all nice Metallica songs. Sounds pretty good live.
Would have been a 4 if it wasn't TWO HOURS
The music was great, really epic to listen to. Only complaint was the length of the album
I wasn’t expecting to like this just because post-eighties Metallica is objectively average or bad depending on the album, and I’m not far off in my pre-assessment. The first issue I have is that the symphonic elements merely detract from the innate heaviness of Metallica because the band was never intended to be symphonic in nature. In consequence, the music doesn’t mesh at all. My second issue is the choice of this album as the representative of symphonic metal on this list. While there are metal acts whose entire identity folds in symphonic foundations perfectly (think Emperor or Fleshgod Apocalypse), Metallica is not one of those acts. If this album is on the list because the authors thought orchestral elements + metal sounded cool, then why this album out of the hundreds of symphonic metal albums? It makes no sense. My third big complaint is that this bloated, questionable album made this list, but the incredible Ride the Lightning didn’t (although this album does have tracks from that album). My final issue is that the whole thing is just too damn long. On the plus side, there are still some great moments from the band’s early discography. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
i really enjoy metallica and i really enjoy a good symphony orchestra. while a few songs feel like a regular metallica live show with the symphony tacked on as an afterthought, most of the songs do a job of blending the two. some of the song choices were odd considering that there were some classics that were omitted. as live albums go, sounds great, and the symponic arrangements add interesting variations to the classics, but at the end of the day, i'd take the studio versions of most of these songs over the live ones. overall, its a bold and unique album but length and the live format make it though to sit through in one stretch.
Orchestra adds a lot which was the only reason I listened through this album. Metallica just does so very little for me.
I think they spelled "Cthulu" wrong but really enjoy the symphonic accompaniment.
Good metal band. Some good music.
72/1089 2 hours and 13 minutes?? 😭 bit of an intense first full Metallica album to experience lmao It’s decent, cool rock and i do enjoy the live and symphonic aspect of it, it’s potentially an album i would appreciate better if i came back to it having listened to the regular albums i enjoyed my time with this project, it’s probably on the edge of what i would enjoy about rock/metal, the orchestra definitely tied it together nicely for me but the atmosphere and showmanship etc was really solid. faves: No Leaf Clover, One, Sad But True, Enter Sandman, Wherever I May Roam, Until It Sleeps, Hero Of The Day 3 stars or 68/100
When I read what this album is about, I thought it might be quite interesting. The first two minutes were so. But more than 2 hours followed and it became more and more exhausting and annoying. 2/5
The orchestra simply did not add anything to these songs.
I don’t like metal music.
The orchestra didn't work with a lot of the songs, Master of Puppets being the worst offense. I won't knock it for being 2hrs because it was a concert, but it would've been better if it was just them playing. Listening to this in two sessions helped a good deal in making it enjoyable during certain parts.
Maybe I'm just a fan of Metallica, but this felt like it worked better than I expected. It's tough to mix orchestra music with something else, but they played off each other well.
Dear god, this was brutal. 2 hours 13 minutes of musical masturbation that wasn't even that musical or impressive. The brilliance of orchestra was ruined by this annoying rock band stepping over them. The brilliance of Metallica and their thrash metal perfection was muddied by this annoying string accompaniment. The opposite of Reese's peanut butter cups.
If you’re going to get pompous and embellish your greatest hits with an orchestra, then this is the way to do it.
Although they are great musicians...it's still alot of noise with an orchestra in the background.
For the love of god, why? Were Metallica like ‘Why aren’t any of our songs ever used on a James Bond or Mission Impossible soundtrack?’ That’s the feel of the orchestral stuff. Well rehearsed band meets well rehearsed orchestra. Not sure i can do the 2+ hours that this requires. Honestly, of all the Metallica albums, this is in the 1001 best? Maybe the dude is a Metallica fan and all of the albums are on here, even St Anger. In fact, to continue down that line of thought, this album and St Anger point to Metallica just wanting to fit in - why are we never accepted by the classical crowd? Why arent we accepted by the nu metal crowd?
i am not the biggest fan of sadomasochism. but this album is not about sadomasochism. the abbriviation just happens to be the same. i mean what do you want from a guy who gave the black album a 4. the music itself is really good but in master of puppets when james was letting the audience singing the backup my brain automatically fills it with the original version so its a bit weird for me. everything is more epic with the ochestera. there are some weak tracks on it but generally a 4. sad that theres no use of the tubular bells in for whom the bell tolls.
Awesome album making these songs fresh and interesting plus it being live is very cool
Cool that this exists, but the symphony carries
This was a groundbreaking and controversial album at the time - a metal band playing with a symphony? I’ve always thought it was fantastic, even more so now that I’m more familiar with Metallica’s catalog.
Nomas
TL;DL
Heavily biased rating but I have loved this album since the day it came out. From an objective eye, it’s imperfect. But from an enjoyment standpoint, I love it. When it came out No Leaf Clover was an instant favorite, and it’s held up very strongly to this day.
This one is going to take me a few days to listen to cause it’s 2 hours long but I’m enjoying so far
really cool and really long but still really cool
- I dont like metallica, they play well and they sound good, i just dont like them - this album is too long - the orchestral parts are cool, but i just dont care - cool and all, i dont like it
Excellent live album.
Så här mycket Metallica under en vecka har jag nog inte lyssnat på sen jag var 16, och då var det inte mitt val/fel. Precis allt som kan tänkas vara bra med Metallica har berövats. Här finns inte tillstymmelse till punk, skitighet , tyngd eller nåt som kan uppfattas som farligt. Det är direkt beklämande och smärtsamt att lyssna till. Måste ju vara med här pga att det är en av musihistoriens största kalkoner och det måste man ju kanske höra (?). Tänk om någon sagt till dom 1986 att dom skulle spela "Battery" med en jävla symfoniorkester tretton år senare. Det är lika otänkbart som att Sex Pistols skulle uppträda med finstämd jazzkvintett. Snacka om att gå vilse Ett gigantiskt magplask. Det luktar "död hud-Ceasar"... av! Keeeesssoooo!
Nej, jag orkar inte.
Hur får man redan usel hårdrock att låta ännu värre? Lägg till en symfoniorkester lajva Robert Wells. Fy fan vad outhärdligt, och i över 2 timmar dessutom. Inskränkningar i yttrandefriheten sa du? Jag är för!
En dålig idé som utförs illa. Symfoniorkestern spelar för sig och Metallica gör sin grej, där emellan skrålar publiken. Det smälter inte ihop på något sätt. Även om man sminkar grisen så är den ändå en gris.
symphony doesn't match the rest of the music
The Good: Who doesn’t like a little spanking??? The Bad: The spanking is done using Lars’s drumsticks… The Ugly: Having to listen to Mr Hettfield’s “Yeah-Yeah” all the time… For fuck’s sake, really? One thing is having to listen to a live album, another thing is having to endure a symphonic backing band to a metal(lica) soundtrack… Where half the time you aren’t even able to hear all instruments clearly. I hope the gents enjoyed their cultural blowjob, and that the crowd felt like their IQ went up 2 points… me, I’ve seen Metallica live more then any other band/artist, and I can’t recall it sounding so “forced”. So, fuck it… 2* Not because I don’t like the songs, nor the band, nor do I have an issue with classical music, it’s just that I will not be wasting another 2 hours of my lifetime listening to this album ever again… 2*
es muy largo pero voy a votar por los temones que tiene y que en vivo debe ser una locura
I'm at a loss for words. Why is this absolute piece of junk on this list? I don't mind Metallica, and I can enjoy Master of Puppets or the black album, but this quasi-pretentious crap is the worst album by far I've listened to from this list so far.
Biased about this album. Absolutely love it. Introduced me to what music could be and not staying within the lines of 'genres' 10/10 no notes. Every. Single. Song.
Was expecting more, disappointing. The orchestra accompanying them seem to be playing cliches to occupy dead spaces and not really playing for the music. At times the music seems disjointed, as if two different bands are competing. Other times they seem to blend, but even then James vocals are what they are. James feels the need to add "oh baby", and "yeah yeah" far more than is needed. Lars is truly a one trick pony. Not the worst, but definitely not list worthy.
It was good. I never finished it. It was long but I just had a busy day and didn't have time.
Ughhh
Ja daaag
Great live album that is emblematic for the crossover of classical music and metal/rock. It has a great arrangement that gives the metal of Metallica something more bombastic. It works greatly. But if you don't like Metallica that much you will of course not like it. I personally think they have earned their place. I don't listen to them regularly and would've personally some other songs here and there.
Pretty much a best-of Metallica album. The synthesis of an orchestra with the metal sounds (alongside the impressive length) makes the album feel suitably full and grand - they gel together pretty well. It being a live album is for once an enhancement to the sound, too, as it gives that 'crowded venue' feeling that suits the enormous scale of the thing. That said, it's two straight hours of Metallica fanservice and doesn't really have much of interest to offer for anybody else.
Somewhat relentless
I appreciate the effort. The music, not so much.
It's an interesting idea, combining metal with a symphony orchestra, but my god does it drag on. I really think it would be improved when cut back to 1 cd. 3/5
TWO HOURS OF THIS NONSENSE!!!!!! AND RIDE THE LIGHTING ISN'T EVEN ON THIS LIST. This is terrible. These songs were actively worse both live and with this ridiculous string section. I honestly cannot fathom a single time in my life I will ever want to hear this ever again.
it’s Metallica so legendary but a little too dad groaning for my liking
Great opening. I could feel the energy and imagined I was at the concert. The orchestra added good layers and complemented well throughout the set. I think they could have had better arrangements, having said that.
Never been a fan of Metallica despite enjoying metal as a genre. Hoped the orchestra would enhance the songs, but it was mostly swells.
Very cool Metallica with orchestra
Metallica with symphony orchestra
S&M= Symphony and Metallica, which is not a combo one would imagine working well. Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" has been Metallica's walk-on music for decades. Now, a symphony orchestra plays it live and it sounds HUGE. Some songs are elevated by this collaboration: "Call of Ktulu", "Nothing Else Matters" Some aren't: "Master of Puppets", "Of Wolf and Man", most of them to be honest. All in all, I'm not impressed by this gimmick or Metallica's live performance. Very unneccessary and kind of annoying.
I'm a casual Metallica listener, so I enjoyed this but was a long slog to get through. I enjoyed them not stripping the songs back, but subsequently nothing was added to the songs for me. They're so tight here and all members are top of form
A proper rock opera with a full orchestra. Very long because it’s a whole concert rather than an album so a bit of an odd choice for this list but the music itself was impressive.
Full disclosure that I couldn’t commit to two hours of listening. But what I have listened to (basically the ones marked as popular by Apple) were good! It’s a fun concept
Quite possibly the best live concert to have ever existed. Would have loved to have seen this live. Not many bands can produce a live album to such perfection. You've got Nirvana Unplugged, and Metallica's S&M. That's the entirety of the list. What can I say about this album. You've got the best of Metallica, in their prime. Hero of the Day, Nothing Else Matters, Fuel, Master of Puppets. I could just list the entire album, there isn't a bad song. And they added two new songs to this release with No Leaf Clover and - Human. They didn't need to release new tunes for this, but I appreciate they did. But if that's not enough to sell you; When you reach that special part in the song Bleeding Me where the guitar solo crescendo's and then drops into that lusciously deep octave, pulverizing the melody deep into your lower spine, you will, without fail, reach the most exhilarating climax of your life... It's divine, it's heavenly, its every single dirty desire you've ever had hitting you all at once. You will explode. And you will never be the same after you do. You belong to them now, and you will thank Kirk for every single moment as he drives you into climax. Don't get me wrong, Kirk doesn't need a whole orchestra to get you there, but sometimes it's nice to have an audience. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 100/100 - Perfection. Now, bring on that death that was promised when I started this list. I'm ready!
S-tier album right here. One of the coolest things Metallica has done, and Metallica is pretty damn cool. Bleeding Me is my favorite song from anyone, and with the Symphony, it's unreal.
I've always loved this record! The way all of these songs are elevated by the orchestra is amazing. It is an experience, and it is beautifully done.
Hoo boy. A 2 hour Metallica live album. Ha! Here goes..... Yeah this is fine. It really is just Metallica with an orchestra on top. They don’t seem to have changed the songs fundamentally they just put a layer of orchestra on top. Does it add anything? Maybe a little- it doesn’t take away too often. But- for the purposes of this list- I’m assuming the three or four seminal Metallica records are on here; is this really necessary? Probably not. THREE STARS
There comes a time in every rock bands life when they’ve thrown all of the tellies out of the hotel windows and parked their Rolls Royces in the swimming pool, and they’re wondering how to spend their advance from the record company, and somebody (probably the bass player) suggests recording a live album with (get this man) a full symphony orchestra, because Bach was like, really metal, if you think about it, dig? The rest of the band will try to dissuade him, but then the accountant says it would probably be good for tax reasons so they book an orchestra and set to arranging their tunes for maximum epicness and coming up with a rude joke for the title - Symphony and Metallica (abbreviated to S&M - do you see what they did there?) The results in this case are actually pretty good - the conductor and arranger Michael Kamen uses the orchestra to set the stage for Metallica’s signature metal songs and the audience is clearly loving it (and singing along). All of the favourites are here, but the highlight for me is probably the classic Enter Sandman which sounds suitably awesome. Classical-tastic!
This is a good -- but too long -- live album. The idea is not new but well executed. The arrangements are really good and you can feel the work done by the SF orchestra. I don't really know how to phrase this, so let's just say that it appeals to the 14 year old me who loved symphonic metal, but older me find this a bit too much, too epic, too cliché.
Yawn. AC/DC without the subtlety. Adding an orchestra only makes it sound even more pompous.
I love Metallica. ...And Justice For All, Master of Puppets, and the Black Album are very worthy of this list. S&M, while an interesting concept, just didn't really do it for me. The songs they reimagined were better in their original form. No Leaf Clover is amazing, though. In all, I appreciate the artistic license given to both the SF Symphony and Metallica, and the resulting album gave rise to many better versions/bands/Dethklok parodies. It was an artistic risk that paid off culturally and financially, but at least to my ears not musically.
I am such a huge Metallica fan. I tried to listen to this, but it was hard to do and I couldn't finish it. IMHO, heavy metal and orchestras don't mix. I'll give it five stars anyway.
81/100. Too tired to write more lmao
I'm sure it's a very good album but 135 minutes of a genre I'm not keen on was too much
Im not sure that Metallicas S/M symphonic album should be on a list of the 1001 albums one must listen to before they die. I’ll bet it was one of the best live events to attend, but it doesn’t translate as an album.
I was dreading this when I saw how long it was but what a surprise it turned out to be! Adding the symphony orchestra to this recording elevates it to another level.
Better than their usual sound. Best without the vocals.
What can you say, if you are a Metallica fan this is a must. The addition of the SFSO makes the concert even better. It was definitely a bold move, Cotton. Five stars.
Really interesting concept but I hate the execution of it. The orchestra feels forced and on most songs doesn't compliment the music and stands out in an odd way.
Solid.hard rock
Bombast.
I was willing to hang with this for the first couple tracks, the grandeur, the bombast -- it didn't strike me as different in spirit from a lot of metal. But after 15 or 20 minutes I had had my fill.
I didn’t finish this Mannheim Steamturd schlockfest. If you are going to do classical fine, go all the way but this sounds like John Tesh had a baby with Trans Siberian Orchestra and it has genre dysphoria. Yuck.
As an indulgence for a legendary rock band and their fans, I don't begrudge it. Not sure the symphony adds any new layer to any song, or situates anything in a new light, and the mixing is pretty muddy. But mostly I just can't fathom how anyone could vote for this being one of the 1001 albums one must hear in their lifetime, let alone enough voters to land this on the list. In that spirit, here are 50+ albums from the 90s / early 00s that aren't included on this list, in no particular order: Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" The Breeder's "Last Splash" Bjork's "Homogenic" and "Post" Outkast's "Aquemini" and "ATLiens" Fiona Apple's "The Idler Wheel …" and "When the Pawn …" Queens of the Stone Age's "Songs for the Deaf" Every single Tom Petty album except his debut Every Morphine album (less surprising, but still) A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" Janet Jackson's "The Velvet Rope" Robyn's self-titled or "Body Talk" Eric B & Rakim's "Paid in Full" and "Follow the Leader" J Dilla's "Donuts" The Tragically Hip’s “Fully Completely” Daft Punk’s “Discovery” Every Tool album Massive Attack’s “Mezzanine” Deftones’ “White Pony” The Cranberries’ “No Need to Argue” Cypress Hill's "Black Sunday" Every Nine Inch Nails album except "The Downward Spiral" Sonic Youth's "Washing Machine" Every Yo La Tengo album Every Low album The Roots' "Things Fall Apart" Missy Elliott's "Miss E… So Addictive" Clipse's "Lord WIllin'" Mclusky's "Mclusky Do Dallas" Every Spoon album Gang Starr's "Hard to Earn" EVERY MF DOOM ALBUM including "Madvillainy" Every Lil' Wayne album Broken Social Scene's "You Forgot It In People" Interpol's "Turn on the Bright Lights" PJ Harvey's "To Bring You My Love" Nick Cave's "No More Shall We Part" Every Mos Def album, every Talib Kweli album, and the Black Star album (featuring Mos Def & Talib Kweli) Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt" Mobb Deep's "The Infamous" Every Slowdive album Every Death Cab album and the Postal Service album Blur's "13" Tupac's "All Eyez on Me" Big Daddy Kane's "Long Live the Kane" Every Pearl Jam album except "Ten" Red Hot Chili Peppers' "By the Way" Weezer's self-titled debut Weezer's "Pinkerton" You get the point.
Second Metallica album in 3 days. Why am I being punished? Still not for me, even with an orchestra.
I'm sure I listened to this one many many years ago. I wish the guitars had a little bit more presence and sometimes the orchestral arrangement doesn't seem to make sense to me, but it's Metallica doing an insane set list so I have a hard time not enjoying it. Production gripes will probably drag it down a star or so though.
First things first, I would listen to all these songs in pretty much any format, and have for decades; if you have a choice between Metallica and no Metallica then the answer is pretty much always Metallica. And 15-year-old me (along with the rest of the low brass section in freshman concert band) specifically thought this album was proof that metal was The One True Genre and had swept all its enemies (Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, mostly, at that point) under its feet. It was a different time and the Sux/Rulz TRL Wars were in full swing. If you know, you know. That said, in retrospect I question the setlist - seriously, no "The Unforgiven?" Only one track from *...And Justice for All*? - and in general there's not enough done with the orchestra to justify this project's existence (the opening to "Battery" is the exception that proves the rule). Which on some level I get, because teenage metalheads like Former Me couldn't be trusted to follow it, but still - opportunities have been missed here. So in summary it's cool, but inessential. But cool.
The first time I listened to a Metalica album I thought it was okay. The second album I thought it was passable. Then I listened to this one. Now I might be a superfan.
For all the love I have for Metallica, this doesnt really fit Like Metallica + James Bond + Disney... A lot of great musicians in this, but it just feels weird
I've given out about live albums being in this book before, but I think I can give this one a pass since it's a unique concept. What I can't give a pass though, is the number of terrible songs on here. Metallica really did take a nose dive in quality after the Black Album. I wish it was mixed a bit better as well, sometimes you can barely hear the orchestra over the band. Some of the older songs are great, maybe even improved by the orchestra. Master of Puppets gave me chills when the crowd started singing along. The last 4 songs on the second disc are great too. Overall a mixed bag, but interesting enough in places.
Cool to hear sf symphony with Metallica. Started strong, but then got a bit long and repetitive. Some songs were better without symphony accompaniment. The first track was very cool though! 3.5/5
epic premise. didnt dissapoint
I think everyone knows why I think this slaps. Absolute banger. Only issue is I wish the orchestral parts were more interesting during the non-instrumental parts. Horns are the best instrument ever change my mind. Metallica also is a super great band. I don’t think that’s a hot take. This is my favorite album yet. Not much can top it.
First, I don’t really like Metallica’s whole thing, second I don’t think the facts it’s a live album help my enjoyment any, third it was probably awesome to see live but over two hours of Metallica just in the ears is too much
Not the biggest Metallica fan although I do Enjoy them from time to time. This album felt silly to me at times. Fun though
Hahahahahahaha this is so fun. What a great pairing. Always fun to pull this out
I tend to be a harsher critic on live albums. I personally believe they have to bring something fun or unique or interesting to qualify for this list. While this album didn’t do that, it did teach us that Metallica sounds as good live as they do in the studio. The music here is objectively good. It’s also interesting to hear how clearly male-dominant the audience is.
The album that should not be.
Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 🎼🎸💡 Production: 🎆🔊👍 Music: 🎸➕🎻🟰🙂↔️ Rating: 🎻🎻(🎻)/5
4/5
I didn’t know Mannheim Steamroller could rock so hard. Oh, wait …
5/10 - not bad, thought it would be harder but I like the long riffs mixed with the orchestra
killer tunes
Beautiful album. I would love to listen again
Would I put this in 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die? No. But I would put it in a list of 250 Ambitious Albums by Billboard Top Whatever. Neat idea with varied results. The symphony at times doesn't really seem to add much, but hey, I'm not a composer. Very cool to hear them do the Ecstasy of Gold but then there's 2 hours left. I think that is part of the issue, too. It was two sets. Make it digestible, split it up. No Leaf Clover is killer and I'll stand by that. No, I won't. Whatever. But the real thing is: take away James's vocals and this could've been a lot better. He sounds like an orangutan mid-stroke. Like, the brain one or vinegar strokes, you decide.
A terrible and gimmicky attempt to appear relevant at a time when this band had become a hollowed out shell of what it once was.
A fun way of revisiting Metallica’s classic tracks. While there are flaws (mainly the bad use of Autotune on James’ voice) it is an enjoyable experience. That being said I don’t think this should be on here over something like …And Justice for All, Ride the Lightning, or even something not from Metallica like Blizzard of Ozz. This is more of a Metallica completionists record than it is an average music fan record. That being said it is still really good.
This would've been craaaazy to hear in concert, could not get into it because I can very rarely get into live albums + it's too long, but kudos to whoever came up with this collab. Kudos ESPECIALLY to whoever decided to do the Ecstasy of Gold cover that was bonkers.
Another marmite album. A strange mix of metal and symphony orchestra...doesn't really work for me
I still don't think live albums should be on the list, but this one is obviously unique. I remember when this came out and people were going ape shit over it - and with good reason. It somehow made Metallica even more metal. I can't imagine how intense this show would have been. The recording can't really do it justice.
Meh.
Literally no album has ever been less necessary. I'd say it ruined their legacy, but pretty much everything they'd recorded since "...And Justice For All" had already done that. "Nominally speed metal with a symphony" remains one of the single dumbest ideas I've heard of nevertheless.
This is a bit of an odd one. Sometimes the orchestra add a sense of majesty and epic grandeur to the songs, at other times it just feels really gimmicky and off. It’s a bit long, leans a bit too heavily on Load and Reload, and only one … And Justice track is criminal, but it’s still a good album, and shows how good Metallica were live. Also, it’s Jason’s last record with the band, and he will forever be my Metallica bassist (no shade on Cliff, but my first album was Metallica, and I saw them live twice on that tour).
Rip ozzy
We are less than 30 albuns in and this is my secon Metallica album. And it is a compilation. I do understand the power and relevance of Mettalica and I must confess that the blend of metal and orchestra is not a bad idea. There are some interesting melodies clashing and it's a surprisingly good listen. However I wonder why the album is in the list if it is a compilation album. I honestly don't think I will have to listen to "Master of Puppets" twiceThe projectbis good but not worthy of enterisng thenlistbas I think it is designed to Metallica fans rather than the general public, and as I am not very familiar with Mettalica discography it's like meh but ok... . It is a 3, I would like to rank it as a 1 as I feel it does not belong in the list. 1999 had so many good albuns as well
From ecstasy to Metallica. That's a steep decline.
Metallica but cringe
This album is sick. The orchestra adds a depth and fullness to the songs and I think the only reason people find it a bit dissonant is preconceived notions on what orchestral music is supposed to sound like. The harp in The Outlaw Torn particularly tickled something in my brain. What a delight. Past the orchestra, Metallica’s performance is great. Other than the hits, I never really listened to Metallica. I will be checking out their other stuff after this.
Фанаты, наверное, в восторге. Но я не фанат. Трэш-металл до сих пор не могу понять.
Very few of these songs were improved by the addition of the orchestra
Mixed feelings on this one. The symphony is a cool touch and there are a lot of individual tracks that are worthy of being on the list for sure. On the other hand this is a 2+ hour long greatest hits live album and that's just too much.
Looking back on it after all these years it feels a littke cheap and unnecessary. I think maybe two or three songs were actually complimented by the orchestra, on the rest the orchestra just kind of got in the way.
This one clogs up my intestines.
ecstasy of gold- the fucking car commercial song? honestly its nice to finally be able to name this song. too bad its sucks ass. 3 call of ktulu- oh jesus. 2 master of puppets- 3 until he sings and then its a 1. i think its funny when he lets the audience sing so you can hear hordes of drunken toddlers with no sense of rhythm attempt to scream along of wolf and man- 1 the thing that should not be- 2 fuel- 2 the memory remains- 1 no leaf clover- what. 1 enough a metal band playing with a symphony could be so cool if it was literally anyone else
Too fucking long
Band and orchestra do not fit together.
Weird combo of Metallica and a giant symphony orchestra. Interesting concept that starts to wear thin on disc 2. Works more than it doesn't but is it essential in the way Metallica's late 80s/early 90s output is? Probably not.
Crazy good for a long run. Felt like I was in a James Bond movie
A drunk cousim dorced me to listen to this years ago lol. He was right tho it's awesome. At its best, the orchestra expands suberbly on the original songs, but it's not consistently good
A lot of negative reviews on this one, but I liked the sound. Don't know if I'd ever come back to it, but a cool listen. 3.5/5.
Honestly, more bands should do this. The orchestra makes the heaviness feel elegant, somehow. Big riffs with big strings. Perfect album for when you want to feel like a warrior commuting to Trader Joe’s. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - No Leaf Clover - Hero Of The Day - Nothing Else Matters
Ugh, this kinda sucks and kinda rules.
Pretty enjoyable, but also very long.
Amazing performance, if the shitty band got out of the way.
fuckin majestic
Absolutely legendary
A very cool combo Edit Mar 27 2026: 5 --> 4. I will say that I do really like at 3:01 in Battery when James says "Are you alive? How does it feel to be alive?"
Metallica:🗣️🗯️👹🔊🧨🪚 Metallica when some mf is playing a cello: 🌟🌉🎥🎶💥
metallica was bad by 99 anyway, throw in a live performance and it's 2 hours long? brutal.
This album suffers from being live. Crowd noise, self indulgent "thank yous", generally not great mixing, unintelligible lyrics. Really hard to pull anything symphonic out of the mix other than the violins and a few horn blats. Probably a lot more interesting for someone who already knows the music in its original context. Is Metallica always this cringe? 30 minutes in and already fatigued. This is just relentlessly unpleasant on the ears. Gets more listenable starting at Hero Of The Day. Okay, yeah, that was painful. I'm sure there will be worse stuff to come, but this gets a 1 just for putting me through 133 minutes of that.
Cool. I've been meaning to go back to this. 2hrs+ what the flip! I like this project because I like the concept of an album - 35 to 50 min as a continuous statement. I am less up for such a long best of type deal. Will be tricky to take in in one sitting as I hope to for most other records. Not my favourite string arrangements. Often feels like just one or two interesting harmonies or melodic lines added to each section. This was a lot of Metallica to listen to. The voice grated on me a bit. Basically interesting though.
Did not know this existed, so a real fun experience since I’m a fan of Metallica and symphony orchestras. Plain and simple, this shit rocks — some pairings here provide a completely new sound to some absolute classics. There’s a James Bond / cinematic score nature to a few of the tracks. Moments of dissonance do detract a bit (really just times where I felt the original identity of the track is lost with an orchestra), but that’s rare across the album.
WAY too much going on with this album.
Wow. This made the cut? I had a copy of this CD, back when I didn’t know any better, and heard “No Leaf Clover” on KBPI and liked it. It’s a decent song I guess. I had my time with Metallica, but it wasn’t listening to the early stuff (the good stuff? Still haven’t listened, I assume that’ll come up eventually), I was into the pop radio stuff, like the Black album. This sure is Metallica with a Symphony all right-ah. Yep. If that’s what you want, you sure got it-ah. Master of Puppets, pulling your string quartet.
Not a metal fan. The symphony helps, mellows things out a bit. In other words, I liked this better than other Metallica albums I’ve listened to, because it sounds slightly less like Metallica.
I like Metallica but I do not like this remix 2/5 for me.
Nope. Just not a fan of Metallica and this seems sooooo unnecessary. There are also just too many live albums on this list
Super rad take on some of the best Metal songs ever created. Felt weird giving a high score to something that is practically a collection of great songs mixed with classically trained musicians, but the curation works super well.
Neat, but not 2h 13m neat
I was really dreading 2.5 hours of Metallica but this was awesome. Symphony paired really well with them, so happy I listened.
I was not expecting to like this at all and wow. This was really cool and I can definitely see myself listening to it again, especially on a run
Very much enjoyed a lot of this but dinged points for being a bit too long
Enjoyed this and considered giving it a 4 but it 2+ hours made it drag a bit in the middle during the parts that aren't their top hits. We had seen both Nelly and a Led Zeppelin cover band perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and this was better than those.
I can’t make it through the whole thing. Got to For Whom The Bell Tolls and it’s just too much Metallica at once for me in the mood I’m in. I’ll listen to the other half later. This concert would be fun in person with the symphony, but too be honest I don’t know how much they truly add. Still being a live recording, the album doesn’t really flow well and is just too much fun all at once.
Did not even bother listening to it, sorry not sorry
Wow this really works! Great combination of music styles, especially the faster, heavier songs. Would have been great to have been at the concerts.
tönt ein wenig wie soundtrack bei einer verfolgungsjagd im film. spannend.
Kann man eine Platte toppen? Ja, kann man: wenn man sie live spielt! Weil eben nur dann das Intro Ecstasy of Gold gespielt wird. Und dann noch ein Symphonieorchester organisiert. So geil, zwei Tage hintereinander die selbe Band.
Metallica certainly deserves its place on this list. And they are an undeniably entertaining and virtuosic live act. But this album seems like a novelty--if they played a show with my local symphony, I'd want a ticket--rather than a cornerstone of their catalog. While they were probably thrilling live, on this recording the symphonic arrangements are more distraction than embellishment. I'd rather just hear Metallica being Metallica. They don't need any help! Standout tracks: No Leaf Clover and Human, the two songs that were written for this album.
The biggest compliment I can give is that the orchestra and Metallica don't step on each others toes. That said, it's way too long and the whole premise is kind of lame.
It's too bad I don't know Metallica's music so much, as I'm sure I'd appreciate this album much more. I do appreciate the arrangements and playing, by both the band and orchestra. It's quite the collaboration.
Its Metallica, live- that's it. It has Master of Puppets live if you need a push. I mean, can I say It's Metallica one more time.
2 hours plus? Yikes. Not as bad as I thought 3-
Metallica x symphony orchestra. Mega nice
I just couldn't do the whole thing. It was stressing me out
Not a massive Metallica fan they have a few good songs I listened to it all. But it was a chore sometimes.
Dude.....
Live ehhhh. But with instrumental makes up for it having to be live 4 stars forsure
still holds up
In this challenge, the words I tend to dread most are "double live album". Unless I'm a huge fan of the band, that's already going to be slog. Added to my dread is the fact that this was an extremely overhyped release in the 90s which often don't meet the expectations. But I had two surprises here: 1) it's actually not a bad album, and 2) the orchestra is the worst part of it. No offense intended to the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. You played very well at all, but was this really the best use of your time? The orchestra playing with a rock band thing has been done before and since and has been merged better. The effect of "S&M" is take the big sound of Metallica and make it sound a bit bigger. Which... Ok. The crowds sound like they're having fun but it's kind of gimmicky, isn't it? At times it sounds a bit like two different musical styles going at once that happen to sync up from time to time. Again, ok, but the novelty doesn't last too long. But ok, it's kind of different to mix classical and heavy metal like this I guess and for fans, it was probably pretty exciting when first released. Metallica clearly put on a great show, with or without the orchestra. Having said that, the over 2 hour length was a bit much.
vier (minus) alles etwas überladen
Good but too long
This is 100% an album that deserves to be on this list. For me, however, it’s just a bit uneven. There are songs where the symphony absolutely enhances the song, then there are songs where it just sounds like there’s an orchestra kind of playing along. When it works, holy shit, it’s awesome. When it doesn’t, it’s just a little, I don’t know, boring? Underwhelming? Also, I’ve never been to a normal Metallica concert, but does James Hetfeld always bail out of the high notes? His voice was a bit monotone at times. Last complaint: it’s too damned long. Ok, it sounds like I hated this, but that’s not quite the case. I’m going to give it 3 stars, and I wish I could give it 3.5, because it really is a very cool concept and a very cool album. There were a couple of times I got chills - and although I beey much love the Black album, I wouldn’t really call myself a Metallica fan. Anyway, damn good album, if flawed, and definitely one to hear before you die.
Look, I'll give Metallica credit for doing this, and it's an interesting take on a lot of their great songs. But, it's not what you'd want to hear every day from Metallica if you're rocking out in your van down by the river. 2.25/5 for some awesome string arrangements.
I'm not much of a fan of Metallica anyway but I was surprised at how bad this sounds. The bland orchestration fight it out with the guitars for the mids and they wind up weakening each other. A huge case of more is less.
All the stars are for the orchestra
Ce n'est pas parce que j'adore la musique classique et que j'apprécie Metallica que le mélange des deux fonctionnera forcément. Le meilleur exemple c'est Master of Puppets qui perd tout son intérêt. Ni l'orchestre, ni Metallica ne sont à leur meilleur.
1 woord, steengoed
Meh
Encore un autre album live, pis de 2h13?! J'vais me fâcher pour vrai, pis ça sera pas beau! Excluant l'élément live, je trouve que l'orchestre (ou bien même Metallica) est de trop sur scène, c'est vraiment juste Metallica sur scène avec des fois des coups de violons et des passes de trompettes qui filtre à travers la grosse guitare distordu et le double pedal du drum. Bref, l'orchestre élève en rien la musique du band et semble la majorité du temps superflux. Malgré tout, c'est pas SI pire; ça reste un show de Metallica, tu sais à quoi t'attendre pis les interprétations de leurs tounes sont bonnes. Ça mérite un trois de passage, allez ouste!
3.5/5. I’m also giving myself this rating for listening to it all the way through. Is this what you call symphonic rock?
An astonishingly good live album, smashing together the metal and the symphony, perhaps a little too good as each note is perfect... I've seen bands become a little loose with playing songs for the 1000th time but everything is studio quality here. Its almost the uncanny valley of live albums. Anyways, songs are great, "No Leaf Clover", "Hero Of The Day", and "Nothing Else Matters" are the highlight for me
This is great. As a non metal fan I think it the combination with the orchestra gives this a much more approachable sound.
I can listen to Metallica while I run or walk.
Interesting concept
Hero of the Day has become one of my favorite songs even though I’m not a fan of metal. The soaring strings and thumping staccato beats drew me in. For the orchestration alone I give this four stares.
This is #day303 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… yeah, this is cinematic, epic (or, so they say), aka the last record to feature James Newsted, and all that, but I'd swap this for Ride the Lightning any day. More than two fucking hours of symphohic heavy metal live is merciless. The orchestra sounds very out of place to me. I didn't feel like going through the whole thing. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day304.
From the get-go, the sound is grand and orchestral. Pretty impressive for a live performance. And for the first few tracks, it gets even more grand and orchestral, and hence even more impressive. Of their material, I've only heard Metallica's self-titled LP before, and I didn't realise this was how their sound had developed. Being able to maintain a steady musical buildup for almost 10 minutes (The Call Of Ktulu) is a feat for the ages. My main takeaway from these first few tracks is that having a strong orchestral backing is integral to completing Metallica's normally guitar- and percussion-heavy sound – because this record already better than most of their self-titled record. But after the first hour, man, the tide really changes. My policy is that, for an album to qualify as "good", it must work well as a complete "album experience". The listener must be able to sit/lie down with a pair of headphones and enjoy the record in its entirety, ideally in one sitting. There are a few rules that absolutely must be adhered to, including mood variation, textural variation, and a diverse showcase of the band's stylistic repertoire. But Metallica doesn't try very hard at creating a cohesive experience. Although there are lower-energy tracks here and there, including the much-needed Nothing Else Matters at the beginning of disc 2, the large majority of songs on S&M are just identical glam-thrash-rock noise. With orchestral backing, which makes it a lot more bearable – but even so. (Metallica, you should know better! An album is an artistic medium, so use it properly, dang it!) Too many good tracks to justify a low rating, though, and I did enjoy it for the most part. Just had to split it into two sittings when I found myself tuning out the music more than taking it in. 3/5 Key tracks: Master Of Puppets, No Leaf Clover, Nothing Else Matters
Okay I’m not sure how I feel about this. I like Metallica a lot, and usually I’m a huge fan of the mix with a symphony, but this entire album feels like an action movie fight scene I fear. Bc I like Metallica tho I’ll give it a 3
Metallica is awesome and most of their albums are great. And it isn’t that this one is bad. It just seems to me this would be better experienced live. Give me their studio albums anytime over this.
I love the concept of this album, and think the orchestra really adds to the music. Too many favourites to mention 4/5
It's an interesting experiment which works best when the band aren't rocking out, but the bombast is a bit much, especially given the album's length.
Who the fuck thought that was a good idea!
Who on earth thought this was a good idea? Turns out that putting a symphony orchestra with Metallica sounds exactly as self-indulgent and pretentiously shit as you might expect. Who knew?
6 of these songs were covers of songs by the same band already on this list. How many songs are duplicates in this 1,001 list? How many duplicated by the same artist? Probably Neil blooming Young... Very enjoyable though. Although I'm only ten minutes in. An hour in and I'm starting to flag ... multiple pauses to do something else ... It is attention demanding, but not actually interesting enough to hold my focus. Maybe in 1999 this would be more striking and original. I think this is definitely an album for Metallica fans who want more.
The symphony aspects makes it feel quite cinematic, but the live performance/audience makes it feel out of sorts. Interesting enough to be worth a listen, but 2 hours is far too long!
I appreciated getting something different here- this was a combination effort of Metallica and the SFSO to recreate 21 Metallica songs with the orchestra added in. It was a live album, recorded from a concert performance. My biggest issue with this effort is similar to what I find irksome about most live albums: you miss out on half of what makes them worthwhile because you don't get the visual experience. Performers at a show aren't just recording music; they're entertaining the crowd of people in front of them. The whole time I was listening, I was wishing I could see the band and orchestra performing together. The music alone was fine, but didn't seem all that special even with the unique composition. I know plenty of Metallica songs, and to be honest I like the regular versions of them better than with the orchestra combo. Comparing the two versions is weird since I've only ever heard recorded versions of those and the live version of this. I've heard plenty of orchestra-accompanied rock songs that are great, but those came from a studio setting. I think this really needs to be its own thing without the comparison to the regular versions, but that just brings me back to the missing visual component. I can only imagine what an experience it would've been to see it live, but even a video of the show would've added a lot for the listener. I think one other issue I have is that the orchestra kind of mellows it out. Metallica is not a "sit down and enjoy" band, but a "get up and rock out" band. With the orchestra, a number of the songs lost that vibe for me. The ones that kept the energy made it clear why it's a cool idea that can work, but the majority of songs didn't come through. When the album is 2+ hours long, it needs to succeed more than this did for me to be satisfied. As a result, I'd be much more inclined to revisit certain tracks rather than the whole album. I liked this conceptually, but was disappointed by the result. I think I would've liked it a lot better if I had been able to see the performance instead of just hearing it. Overall: 2.25/5
I was sort of dreading it because it is a two hour live album. The massive redeeming factor is the symphony orchestra (as a biased musician who has played in a symphony orchestra). It actually is very good and one of the best albums I have listened to thus far.
This is a good live album and certainly one of the better ones in the world of music. The band is on fire. Guitar is clear and easy to hear despite am orchestra playing at the same time, drums sound full and pounding. James Hetfield does sound a little worn and tired but I'll always love him as a vocalist. Heavy metal and classical music definitely go together. A hell of a lot more than you may first think. I actually think the addition of an orchestra make some of the songs sound a little fuller and add a certain level of gravitas and sense of ominous foreboding. It's essentially a Metallica greatest hits album so it can't be any less than a four from me.
moments of magnificence that really rocked! but holy shit this does not need to be 2+ hr....it got to be SUCH a chore after like 20min...
Dude this is such a good live album! And it's Metallica doing the thing they know best...with an orchestra! Crazy good! All the hits up to that point and it sounds amazing! Honestly thought that I would get the black album or like ride the lightning! But I totally forgot about this album and it was such a good surprise to see!
I’m pretty sure this was the first live album I ever owned. I’ve listened to the studio versions of all these songs countless times so I always enjoy the different take you get of them on here. Up there with my favourite live albums ever. Top Track - One
3/5
They made the mistake of just adding the orchestra to the band without altering anything else. They didn't take the opportunity to create a fusion between the classic symphonic orchestra and a metal band. 2 hours wasted.
Не понимаю, зачем (это здесь), но допустим. Лучшая песня - No Leaf Clover.
Spinal Tap level Pretentiousness