Reviews (page 6 of 10)
It’s not bad, but it’s not necessary either.
S&M is interesting enough, it's Metallica with an orchestra, so it gets a high floor, but beyond that it's not impressive as an album. Hetfield doesn't have a strong enough voice to hold up live, the orchestra adds something but not enough to be truly compelling, and so you get a disappointing version of otherwise really good songs. This live concert would've been an experience to be at, but below par to listen to after the fact. 3/5.
I really, really enjoyed this for a while - I'm a bit soft for a full-on Metallica album, and this balances it out really nicely - but it got a bit wearing getting through it all. It must've been amazing to see it live, but I'm not sure we needed all 2 hours 13 minutes of it on the record. There's a few tracks where it sounds like a slightly duff recording rather than a live performance, you need a bit more of the crowd (because they are clearly absolutely loving it) and it adds a lot. 3/5, could easily have been a 4 if they'd trimmed it a bit.
Interesting
I understand part of the appeal of this album, is that it's a crazy spectacle. Massive metal band, joining up with a major symphony. But this album felt kind of over indulgent. Just takes it outta me.
I’m not even gonna lie to ya dawg, I’m not listening to all that
dudes will listen to this and be like hell yeah
hm...3 estrelas tá bom
Rating: 6/10 The orchestra enhances none of the songs. No Leaf Clover is fantastic and Hero of the Day and Devil's Dance sound cool with the orchestra but overall it severely detracts from most of the songs, especially the thrashier ones.
Sounded like a really cool concert.
I love symphony orchestra pairings, and this doesn’t disappoint.
A best of with an orchestra on the side. 3.5
The concept of this - mixing a classical symphony orchestra with heavy metal - was intriguing and I think it worked a lot better than I thought it would. Still, I could only get through about an hour of this before I found it too repetitive.
It's an interesting exercise and Metallica 's music allows for this kind of experiment, however it should have remained a live exercise.
In a straight up, completely unbiased way, this is a great album. But that is not reality. Yup, very very professional, interesting, unique... Well, unique-ish. See, I used to watch Italian slasher films and Dario Argento, one of the more well known directors, used to use a band called Goblin to do his soundtracks. Goblin was doing the symphony/ rock combo in the 70's so my mind said "oh, this reminds me of Goblin." And then you think "well, it is an interesting combo..." but after a while I got the creeping sense that it would be more interesting if you are a Metallica super fan or "know" their songs otherwise. I am, alas, not really much of a Metallica fan. I get that they are canon in their genre, I get and feel that they are amazing musicians and extremely passionate and professional and it shows in their work, it is just not my go to genre and by proxy, band.
J'aime beaucoup Metallica et je me demandais si j'étais fermée d'esprit de moins apprécier ces arrangements. Mais je trouve que ça enlève de la force d'impact aux pièces. De plus, comme c'est un enregistrement live, le groupe joue pour le public présent, et c'est bien correct. Sauf que, sur un album, ça donne un peu l'impression d'être à l'écart, ou encore de coït interrompu (quand on laisse la foule chanter plutôt que les musiciens). Bref, une écoute mitigée.
S&M is that rare Metallica album you can play with your parents—and yes, I once convinced my dad to sit through the full two hours on a road trip (He kept asking if we were listening to "Kashmir"). But to the band's die-hard fans and thrash purists, this album is likely the ultimate sacrilege: an intentional departure from the band’s raw, aggressive roots, softened with lush orchestral backing that almost feels like a bid for a broader audience. They’re not entirely wrong. With a tracklist leaning heavily on Load and Reload, it’s fair to say no one needed six songs from those albums. Yet somehow, despite the contrived concept, S&M works. The orchestration isn’t just window dressing; Michael Kamen’s arrangements deepen each track, transforming them into something more ambitious. There are undeniable highlights: in "Master of Puppets," the orchestra’s surges add epic scale, while the strings in "Nothing Else Matters" heighten its melancholy. "One" gains a dramatic tension that makes its climactic riff hit with massive intensity, and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" becomes an absolute powerhouse, with brass and percussion amplifying its ominous weight. No Leaf Clover, one of two original tracks, showcases the potential of this collaboration, with brooding orchestration and heavy riffing blending seamlessly into a live staple for the band. I’ve long maintained that live albums don’t necessarily belong on “best of” lists. Too often they’re excessively overdubbed or too rough around the edges, leaving you with something that doesn’t truly represent the live experience. This doesn’t apply to S&M, which succeeds in presenting familiar material in a new light—you can feel the audience’s excitement each time a new section unfolds. And yet, with a runtime exceeding two hours, there is a considerable amount of fat that could have been trimmed—if not during the performance, then at least for the album release. Like much of what the band has done since the mid-’90s when S&M succeeds, the tracks soar to unexpected heights, but too often it sounds dialled in, more like an afterthought than a fully realized vision. Did/Do I own this release? On CD. Does this release belong on the list? The band has other albums more indicative of their sound. Would this release make my personal list? I hadn’t thought of this album much until it popped up on the list, but I'd always pick The Black Album over this. Will I be listening to it again? Never say never.
I like Metallica a lot, but man this keeps going and going and going with a very similar sound
Kinda cool they tried this but I think I prefer Metallica on their own. The review that said this sounds like a James Bond soundtrack nailed it
With a length of 2 hours and 13 minutes, this fits well into the catalogue of Metallica: namely big and bombastic but also overblown and goes on for too long. I always thought they worked best in small doses and this albums proves that thesis.
Iconic group.
I can imagine the meeting where this concert is suggested probably at a time when the band is wondering what to do next and is just about all out of ideas. ‘Why don’t we get a fucking orchestra!’ Someone shouts in desperation. ‘Yeah, that could work’ is the unexpected reply. Does it work? At times it’s so insane it’s incredible. I had the DVD if this once upon a time and it’s pretty epic in its scale and audacity. However, I find that in the course of a single song the orchestra can go from adding incredible depth and drama to sounding like they’re playing a completely different song and there is no or very little symphony between them and the band at all. Master of Puppet and One are where I felt this the most. The orchestra worked best, perhaps unsurprisingly given the change in musical direction they took, in their more recent songs. Until it Sleeps and Human are not Metallica songs that I would turn to but if I did I would listen to the versions from S&M over the studio recordings. It was enjoyable, even at two hours plus, and been great to revisit. It’s a bit of self indulgent fun from the worlds biggest heavy metal band.
I'd never heard it and was pretty impressed. I like the soundtrack vibes from the orchestral arrangement. I thought it would be a gimick but it adds a lot. Hetfield's voice really stands up in the bigger fuller sound of the orchestra, which i was impressed by. However, sometimes the precision of the orchestra does make the musicianship in Metallica sound not so tight.
The most palatable Metallica has ever been
They’re obviously good at what they do, it sounds very formulaic!
Lemppari: Nothing else matters Vähiten lemppari: -Human-
God this is long!! Interesting concept to add a string orchestra to this band and songs. I liked it. It added a layer to the music I had not experienced before. Favourite song: Master of puppets is a great song, but does it need to be 9 minutes!! I also enjoyed no leaf clover. Least favourite: The rest of the album became much of a muchness. Album artwork: Love the cover
Metallica is an icon of metal. Always enjoyed their music
It must have been so fun for all the musicians on stage and the live audience, but, with a couple exceptions, the orchestral arrangements don't feel like they add anything. Other Metallica albums seem more impactful and important than this one.
Metallica is so awesome. I just cannot tell you how much I do not like a live album. Lol.
This is an interesting novelty, and probably would have been a really cool show to see live, but I can’t imagine intentionally listening to this again. I’d much rather dig into Kill ‘em All. This is also from the post “Black Album” period, and as such has a bunch of songs off of that. That whole album was so overplayed on the radio that if I never hear another song off of it - in any format - I will be just fine. Also, in preparation for that album, James took voice lessons. Personally, I much prefer the guttural, gravelly voice he had on their first four albums. Good on him for wanting to improve and be a better musician, but I feel smooth vocals take away from the overall feel and experience of Metallica’s music. It’s (originally) hard and heavy and angry. A clean voice does not add to that. Even if there’s a symphony accompanying it.
S&M is Metallica's live, double album recorded with the San Francisco Symphony. This is a greatest hits collection, with only three original tracks among twenty-one. This is an odd album - in this case, the result is somehow less than the sum of the parts. There is an incredible collection of talented musicians involved, and the orchestrations do work with the band's material. However, the result sounds like movie soundtrack material: complicated and well performed, but over-produced and somehow "sanitized." For example, the lyric "Nothing else Matters" seems at odds with a strictly timed performance, accompanied by a soaring string section.
Liked it more than I though I would. The orchestra collaboration is probably the reason.
"Ajde slušala si ovaj album prije skoro 20 godina, koliko može biti loše" rekoh sama sebi. Mislim, počinje kul (*edit nakon slušanja* kad sam išla pročitati malo ima smisla da mi se sviđa kako počinje). Ima taj Batmanovski/ holivudski simfonijski uvod i to mi dobro zvuči, mistično, dramatično, u stilu tog doba skroz... Dok ovaj ne lupi po tim bubnjevima. Ali rekla sam si da neću uopće srati po njemu u ovom reviewu jer nije ni potrebno komentirati - mislim da se cijeli svijet (glazbeno uki i neuki) slaže oko toga. Orkestar mi je i dalje kul naravno, vjerujem da je zbog toga ovaj album stavljen na ovu listu (*edit nakon slušanja* pogotovo kad sam pročitala detaljnije o Kamenu), ali jednostavno mi zvuči jako treš s cijelim bendom (da ne izdvojim jedan instrument posebno lol). Preživjela dvije pjesme i razmišljam si jbt pa kao klinki mi je ovo bilo sve, šta ne mogu biti sretna s ovim i sad? Nakon stosedamnaestog "Yeeeeaaaaah" i bezbroj cringe trenutaka razmišljam hoću li uspjeti odslušati do kraja. *Nekoliko stoljeća poslije* Tu i tamo mi se javi malo appreciation kad čujem ludilo u publici. Realno da sam bila tamo i roknula se prije nečim, bilo bi mi vrh 😂 Wherever I May Roam mi je donekle amusing, vjerojatno zato što zbog svega što se događa ne čujem stvari koje mi najviše smetaju, odnosno orkestar je tu baš odradio posao. To bih eventualno izdvojila kao nešto ugodno, a pogotovo mogu zamisliti da je to lajv doživljaj. Općenito mi druga strana bolje leži, ne znam je li mi se uho naviknulo ili je jednostavno bolja. Fun (kako kome vjerojatno) note: "One" stvar me uvijek sjeti na obradu od Korna. Taj lajv će mi uvijek ostati urezan, bila sam toliko eksajted da je to strašno (to je bila 2003.🥲). *Još par stoljeća kasnije* Preživjela. Znaš šta, sve kritike na stranu, ovaj album me malo vratio u prvo desetljeće i pol života, tinejdžersku/dječju naivnost i puno jednostavnije stanje sluha. Nekad pomislim da bi bilo baš lijepo istim ušima slušati to sve danas (ili barem ne čuti nešto). S druge strane, realno ovaj album ću si idući put pustiti u 70-ima kad budem patila od konstipacije, a ocjena će sad biti 3 (ili 5), čisto zbog 1. Orkestra, 2. zato što ne mogu dati isto ili manje kao Marliju, 3. a bome ne mogu ni dati više nego Talking Headsima. Bila sam izuzetno uzbuđena nakon Beatlesa, sad se već pitam koliko daleko ova 1001 lista može otići. *slightly worried, much curious* Ajmo sad nešto za četvorku ili peticu, priti pliz.
6/10 Valjda opca kultura svakog metalca ako volis Metallicu, a vecina koja uziva u zanru ima barem neku dozu rispekta prema njima (ili se mozda varam, I dunno, Cap ce bolje znat). Devedesetih su jos jako dobro rokali, prije St. Anger nizbrdice, a ovo bi bio kao jedan od njihovih najcijenjenijih liveova. Sve je to krasno ali nakon dva sata i 13 ili koliko vec minuta Hetfielda i ekipe u ove kasne sate (trijezan) sam si pozelio skuhat caj i slusat kisu kako pada vani. Moram priznat da sam stoicki odslusao cijeli u komadu ali zadnja cetvrtina me dosta ugnjavila. Neke pive bi svakako pomogle da ovo prodje bezbolnije, pa mozda i da bude jebeno ali ajd, necu na ponedjeljak opet. Publika je sastavni dio nekih kljucnih stvari gdje sve dize na jos visi level uz gromoglasno pjevanje skupa s orkestrom, zbilja gust za cuti a cak sam naletio i na dvije stvari koje su mi dobro sjele - Hero Of The Day i Bleeding Me. Definitivno najduzi session slusanja Metallice ikada, ajd pa i to mogu prekriziti. Nego... ...Pusti Maidene! \m/
Does Metallica sound good backed by a full orchestra? Shockingly enough, after two hours of this thing, I still don't know the answer. Putting the kind of cheesy opening of 'Ecstasy of Gold' aside, I'd say more times than not, the combination comes off equally as tacky as it does epic. And that terrible word 'epic' is, unfortunately, the best way to put a majority of those moments when the orchestra sweeps in. It all feels very cinematic. I love the strings on this rendition of 'One', it's one of the moments where this orchestral rendition almost TOPS the original for me. In contrast, the following 'Enter Sandman' sounds awful and messy. I was excited to see a Metallica live album, as I've been impartial toward most of their discography, and was hoping a live take on their music would win me over. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if that's the case yet after this album alone given how gimmicky it is. Nevertheless, I applaud Metallica for doing something this ambitious and "over-the-top" - I can only imagine how much work it took to pull it off. And the crowd seemed to love it.
very long, but great.
A little gimmicky take on a greatest hits album. I would much rather listen to the originals but I expect this would be amazing to experience live.
Way more entertaining than I thought! Each arrangement was unique and not overly done.
Okay
This is fairly impressive, but I still can't do more than a few songs by Metallica at a time, even with orchestration (which I would've liked more prominent). This is a 3.5 because of One (which rules) and crazy good leads, but going to 3 for monotony and lyrical sadness.
Better than expected, but way too long
I mean fun idea but not sure who this is for and why it’s a double album where every song is so long.
This just went on a little long for me. At about the hour and a half mark, it all started to sound similar and I was struggling to keep listening. That being said, this is a really impressive album. The addition of the SFSO, just enchanted the depth of the songs and I enjoyed it way more than a typical Metallica album. Glad I’ve listened. Maybe I’ll revisit call of Ktulu.
The orchestra arrangement works well with most of the songs on S&M.
What a curious concept. Much better than I expected it to be.
Fun times. Live was harder to listen to though
It finishes really strong, but you have to put in a bit of a shift to get there,
Ok, so not going to lie I literally sighed and rolled my eyes when this appeared. However, credit where credit is due, it wasn’t too shabby at all! Added to the list to be bought. It’s epic, it’s sweeping, it’s grandiose in its ambition and I’m pleased to say, it nails it!
I really like the concept of the album - metal with orchestra 🤘🎼! But I would love if they would have dived even more into the orchestra arrengements! Because some songs fit better in this concept than others I would rather condense it to one disc. Nonetheless it is almost a greatest hits collection. 3,5
3.5 Metallica with strings exactly what you’d expect. Can’t say they’re better than the original recordings tho
Ma guardate, la musica è bella, la voce è caruccia, non sembra quasi un album live, però che rottura. I metallica non hanno un album unico sufficientemente decente per finire in questa lista? C'è bisogno di mettere una compilation? Sono abbastanza maturo da non dare 2 solo per l'eccessiva durata ma non sono sufficientemente maturo da dare il 4 che forse meriterebbe
I shouldn't really rate this as I didn't get through the whole thing. But I want to show my approval for the project and the performances.
Let’s take badass songs and make them…less badass. Getting older sucks
Pretty good gimmick. Lars never sounded better?
I just knew I was going to hate this as I do not like heavy metal at all, or so I thought. The music on this album is amazing. I don’t care for the singing, but the music is great. 3
Solid album, but did feel a little repetitive at some points
I'm not a big fan of Metalica, but oddly enough I have seen them in concert several times. They always put on a good show. That being said I found this album to be underwhelming. With that I mean they sound like they normally do and the album is a well-recorded live album, however, the SFSO does very little to enhance the band's music and seems out of place at times. I was very disappointed in the orchestration for the song "One" which is one of my favorites. I think the highlight of the fusion here was on the song "Bleeding Me" to which the orchestration was a welcome addition. Overall, it was ok.
By this point in their career, Metallica had really become a bit of a joke. Load and Re-Load were legitimately awful albums that really took them away from their thrash metal roots and into Creed territory. I remember this album really helping them to reestablish some of their legitimacy. This album came out the year after Portishead’s (utterly superior) Roseland NYC Live that incorporated the NYC Philharmonic. I think that album is sort of the apex of what that kind of combination could do. I think I’d put Puffy’s version of Kashmir at the bottom and this one somewhere in the middle. Which is not to say that it should be written off. I think this album highlights the musicianship (and the excess) at the heart of Metallica and I think it helped get them back in the good graces of the music community. Enjoyed the listen. 3.5/5
Bombastic and epic, but also sludgy and sluggish. Probably more interesting in concept than in execution. Not bad, but I don’t need two hours of this. Best song: The Call of Ktulu
Feels very 90s in concept - metal and classical are so different, isn't it crazy to mash them together?! Kinda fun for a few tracks. Then it just keeps going and going...
interesting
A live album?? Maybe I’ll like it more? “The Ecstasy of Gold” fucks I love Ennio Morricone. I’m scared to ask but where’s the Metallica? I found it, it’s in “The Call of Ktulu.” This also sounds like the Space Mountain Halloween ghost vibe. As cool as this is, I fear it’s still Metallica which I don’t really like? 3.5
I didn't get into this album as much as I wanted to. A friend watched the concert, and I think that would have been a much better experience. I find the concept a bit cheesy and was applied to most popular bands around this time, unless they were too busy doing 'unplugged' albums! I'm not sure about the track selection either. I'll give it 3 stars: One star for Jason Newsted (his last album with Metallica) One for Michael Kamen who is a dead set legend! One star for Kirk Hammett (who appears to be the most 'Normal' member of the band) One star for the way that James Hetfield holds his pic (there are not many of us!) but then minus One star for the absolutely lamest album cover EVER!!!
Better than last metalluca
Metallica is known for being a great live band. It's cool to hear orchestral music with rock, so this was a fun listen. I'm glad they played Of Wolf and Man, which was always a favorite from the black album. I can only take so much of Hetfield's yeah-eahs! So, at 21 songs, this was a bit much for me. I like their first few albums, and really nothing else after that. It is amazing to hear the huge crowd singing. It's a testament to how much their music touches people. They are the pinnacle of popular heavy rock music. One is one of my favorite ones, if I had to pick one.
Oh, all the Metallica albums, THIS ONE?! I've always thought a live album works better than a greatest hits or best of album, where you can accomplish the same retrospective overview of your catalogue but still offer something new in the process. True, early Metallica was composed much like a symphony with extended musical interludes that explored different moods and tempos before returning to musical themes established at the beginning of the track. Metallica has not only the skill on their instruments but also a classical approach to their earlier writings. And this album straddles the line between such epic masterpieces ("One," "Master Of Puppets") and watered down sell out Bob Rock radio tunes ("Sad But True," "Of Wolf And Man"). And at the time, Michael Kamen was showing up everywhere, adding strings to Aerosmith's "Dream On" for an MTV performance, for example. I gave him credit at first for his work on The Wall, but reconsidered when I heard Roger Waters' demo of "The Trial" where he played all of the parts that I attributed to Kamen. Waters basically handed him the score. And that has always been my feelings towards Kamen; he takes the music you write, doubles it on strings with occasional flourish, but does nothing to really add to the composition. Nothing that a midi file pushed up or down an octave or two can't accomplish. Still not impressed with what he does on these tracks, the most recent Kamen work I've listened to. He is the Bob Rock of classical music. James Hetfield's voice sounds great, save for the ever-present live Auto-Tune. For those moments when the Auto-Tune kicks in, I'm fairly certain they could have left it off and he wouldn't have been THAT off-pitch. Auto-Tune is the Bob Rock of studio plug-ins. Happy to see Jason Newsted still on board here. He undeservedly ended up with the bad end of the deal, brought in to replace a legendary bassist, turned down in album mixes, and eventually kicked out because he was tired of still being treated as the new guy after playing with them for 15 years and demanding his fair share. I usually don't shit on bands changing directions this much, but I vividly recall interviews with Lars saying they do it all themselves and they don't care about radio play and they'd never make a music video. And then they made "One" which was great, and then Lars saying that they only made this video because it added to the art of the piece (which it did) and that they would only make videos if it added an artistic voice to what they were already doing. "One" gets the attention it deserves, they get a taste of the real money, and they join Bob Rock in a watered-down sell out versions of themselves that they so adamently claimed to despise earlier on. Not only did they make a money grab, they fought Napster to make sure they got every last penny. Anyways, aside from the backstory, S&M isn't without merit. Early Metallica did elevate speed metal with virtuosic playing and poeticly edgy lyrics with something to say. Fans loved it, but society as a whole seemed to deny any merit to speed metal. I think S&M was designed to legitimize the genre as 'actual music' by sticking their pinky finger in the air a bit, while playing off their great back catalogue to validate their current drivel. Maybe this album made the "1001" cut because of its 'innovative' blend of thrash and class, but to me it represents the excess bloat of the over-the-top direction they started (and eventually ended) with the Bob Rock era.
Not my vibe at all but I appreciate the art
3.5
it’s not bad, i’m not the biggest fan of live albums or Metallica, sounds heavily like there is auto tune
meh
Bought it the day it came out. Now.?... meh.
I mean it's good, but it was "live" but did not really capitalize on that.
The idea of rock/pop bands playing with an orchestra was certainly not new when Metallica did it but I feel like they sort of reignited interest for the concept. Especially for a band whose songs tend to have a lot of orchestration already, or at least the potential for it, like Metallica, it makes a lot of sense. A solid idea for sure and this is probably one of the better records to showcase it. Sometimes these albums can sound like just different mixes of the band rather than the complete addition of an orchestra, this one does a wonderful job of blending both elements. One thing that stands out about this album which is different than a lot of the other albums like this is that they actually wrote parts for the symphony rather than just having them double notes, chords and melodies that the band was already playing - it was a genuine addition of music in this case. The problem with this album, other than Lars randomly beating drums to whatever song is playing in his head at the time, is that unless you're a big Metallica fan this is going to be too long. I get that it's a recording of the whole live show(s) but the casual listener will probably stop about halfway through or just listen to a handful of songs they know well already. The track list is basically a 'best of' album so I think most songs will be recognized by most people but the audience for this album was probably never meant to be widespread. All in all, it's a good record but loses points from me just because I'm not a huge Metallica fan and it was a bit of a chore to sit through the whole thing. 3/5
For a live album this is very well produced
At the time of writing this review, Metallica's self-titled "Black Album" has the distinction of the highest global average rating of all my 1 and 2 star reviews (I gave it a 2, against 3.8 average). Maybe I was having an off-day, maybe the internet is actually full of raving metalheads, or maybe the band just aren't for me. So, imagine my surprise to discover that this two hour, fifteen minute live album, "S&M", is… perfectly fine, actually. If you love the band, it's probably one of the best live releases you could imagine. And if you don't, at least the contributions of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra are there as a very welcome distraction/gimmick. Even though I've never been interested in Metallica or their genre, I could appreciate the appeal of this album: the cohesion of sound, the pitch-perfect performances, the colossal scale and scope. Opening with Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" is a suitably grandiose touch, and then we're treated to Metallica's synergy with the orchestra in the following instrumental, "The Call of Ktulu." Much of the songs are made resplendent and rich by these touches. The deathly climax of "One"; the slow build of "No Leaf Clover"; the epic menace of "For Whom the Bell Tolls"… I enjoyed them all. I reserve special praise for "Enter Sandman", with its long and unsettling string break: it's an absolutely thrilling masterclass of arrangement. "Hero of the Day" is nice too, as the only light and soft relief. And no, it isn't really my thing, and no, I probably won't listen to it too many more times… to my ears, much of "S&M" was one-note, a barrage of unceasing heavy riffage. But perhaps that's my new listener bias: I must admit there were plenty of solid melodic moments, blistering solos and ear-grabbing, complex rhythmic passages. Have Metallica always been so proggy, or does an orchestra just give a band such an air of lofty bombast? Either way, I'm surprisingly here for it. Oh, and my only other note to add is that during disc 2, I was playing Tears of the Kingdom, battling Gibdos outside Gerudo Town: this was a significant contributor to my enjoyment of the album. I recommend.
It was fine for like a song, but I don't need an entire album of Metallica with a symphony orchestra. One or the other would be fine.
I remember when this album came out, that it seemed novel that an orchestra was playing with a "metal" band. However, this far out, I don't find it a very essential album, especially because I think the original recordings are the more historically relevant. However, there are some really good versions of their songs in this recording such as "Nothing Else Matters."
A good album but not amazing.
I love Metallica, but generally speaking I like my Metallica just straight forward heavy metal. There are a handful of tracks on here that are really well done with the enhancement of the orchestra, most notably “Nothing else Matters” For whom the bell tolls”, and “the thing that should not be”. I am sure I would be rating this much higher if I would have had the live experience. 3.5/5
Albums such as this are quite epic and probably gain higher marks if heard while watching the show. Still, while way too long, it’s pretty impressive that this was 25 years ago and that Metallica found a way to fuse their style with a symphony. Not an easy task. Production and execution by the band could easily place this today with the same staying power.
Is Metallica the perfect candidate to team up with a symphony and perform their hits? Probably not. At times this feels like a long version of Live or Let Die. Likely not what they were going for. But it’s pretty epic at times, was between a 3 and 4 for me.
appreciate it being good but not for me
nice album different style
I‘ve never digged Metallica that much but I am aware of their top 5 songs and like them. This LP though wasn‘t what I expected. It‘s like a 2 hour and 13 minute long soundtrack paired with some vocals in between. I liked it but propably won‘t listen to it again anytime soon.
I've avoided listening to this one because I'm not a heavy metal fan, but balancing it out with symphonic music was a nice surprise. I may listen to some songs again but not the whole 2 hours plus album.
Probably more interesting if you’re more familiar with metallicas music.
Ever since I heard Master of Puppets, I’ve had a new found appreciation for Metallica. I love all sorts of metal music, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend like their music doesn’t go hard as fuck. But I figured I may not be as positive about their music on the day I got this album. This is a beast. Basically two live albums in one, that make up over two hours of music. Two hours of Metallica is a lot. And of course the key difference here is their collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony. This album is more a good example of how not all ideas are good ideas. I admire the work that was done here. It’s clear they really thought out how their music could best fuse with an orchestra. They even wrote two pieces of new music, neither of which are mind blowing. But I feel like the novelty and cool factor of this wears itself out very quickly. The best songs here are the ones where the orchestral elements don’t drag down on the original songs, but elevate them and bring them to the next level of explosiveness. And there are many songs that do that. These renditions of The Call of Ktulu, Fuel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, One, Enter Sandman and Battery are all great. I was especially surprised with One and Battery because I fully expected them to slow the tempo down so the orchestra could move along more smoothly. Not only did they not slow it down, but they actually sound somewhat faster. Very impressive stuff. Also starting with The Ecstasy of Gold is simultaneously hilarious and amazing. I definitely still have gripes with this though. Hetfield’s voice sounds off at best, and pretty bad at worst. There are a lot of moments where he has these strange inflections and cracks that throw the songs off. He doesn’t have this issue now live, so maybe this was just the way his voice sounded at the end of the 90s. Jason’s bass also seems to be largely absent in the mix, which is not the first time the band had this issue. Also, the track list confuses me. I’m aware that the self titled record, Load and Reload were the big new releases from them at the time. But in hindsight, most fans would agree that the latter two albums contain some of their most lackluster material. And I am largely unfamiliar with those songs, so this was not a great way to get introduced to them. What this should have been is more like a greatest hits live show with the symphony. Why are ...And Justice for All and Kill 'Em All almost entirely omitted from these sets other than One? I do love that song, but I would have also appreciated to hear something like Blackened. Also two pretty big glaring omissions with Orion and (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth, which would have fit the orchestral sound perfectly. Overall, I don’t hate this as much as I thought I might, but I’m also not absolutely in love with everything they do here. Rating: 6/10
This is very long, but looking forward to this kind of collaboration as an orchestra person. No vocals, which is a very cool take on Metallica. Oh JK, some vocals start in track 3, maybe I would have liked it more if it was all instrumental. Master of puppets sounds like Doom soundtrack.
A very long live album. Quite good but probably wouldn’t listen again.
I remember thinking this album was very cool when it first released and a novel idea. It hasn't aged well and it just doesn't fit the music well. It being live, guitar tones sound muddled and less clear. It feels a bit self indulgent. It's fine, but probably won't revisit again.
Ok, but not my thing.
Not really my thing but I can appreciate the musicianship and I am a sucker for heavy bands playing with orchestra ( see Deep Purple for prime example). I enjoyed the album but it dragged on for me though I am not a huge metallica person. I liked it but it didnt hold my attention the whole way through.
really sick live album, the performance sounds insane, really long performance, sounded great, i wouldn’t listen to this much but it’s interesting to hear what their concerts sounded like
The combination of metal and classical instrumentation works really well. The fact that it's a live album with the public in the background helps add to the more theatrical feel as well. What really kills it are the vocals though. This era of Metallica isn't the best and this weird autotuned voice ruins the impact. Some tracks like nothing else matters and call of ktulu work really well, but most of the newer tracks don't.
Metallica is not by kind of music. Throw a symphony in and they are so much more than a metal band. Excellent album.
2,5
Cinematic, pretty good!
Alloora, inaspettatamente non mi è dispiaciuto! Unica pecca la lunghezza complessiva che ha reso l’ascolto un po’ difficoltoso per i miei standard di attenzione da pesce rosso
Ma guardate, la musica è bella, la voce è caruccia, non sembra quasi un album live, però che rottura. I metallica non hanno un album unico sufficientemente decente per finire in questa lista? C’è bisogno di mettere una compilation? Sono abbastanza maturo da non dare 2 solo per l’eccessiva durata ma non sono sufficientemente maturo da dare il 4 che forse meriterebbe.
I actually quite enjoyed this, if only it wasn’t so long. Then again it is a live album, I’d feel a bit short changed if I went to a gig and it was 35 minutes long. Simpsons: Yes
The Ecstasy of Gold Iinstrumental) 2.8 The Call of Ktulu (instrumental) 2.9 Master of Puppets 3.1 Of Wolf and Man 3 The Thing That Should Not Be 3.1 Fuel 3 The Memory Remains 2.9 No Leaf Clover 3 Hero of the Day 2.7 Devil's Dance 2.8 Bleeding Me 2.8 Nothing Else Matters 3 Until It Sleeps 3.2 For Whom the Bell Tolls 3.4 - Human 3 Wherever I May Roam 3.1 The Outlaw Torn 2.9 Sad but True 3.1 One 3 Enter Sandman 3 Battery 3.1 Score: 2.995238095
I was friends with the metal heads in high school so Metallica will always make me think of that. If this had come out 5 years earlier it probably would’ve caught my ear and made me a Metallica fan. As it is it’s just a bunch of nostalgic tunes with the James Bond soundtrack mixed in. Also, the James Brown live album on this list was barely a half hour long. 2+ hours is just too damned much.
No denying the quality and bombast on offer here. Not my cup of tea, although I completely accept their greatness.
Interesting collaboration.
I don't know how much the orchestra actually contributed? Good, but feels kinda gimmicky.
Half this album is beautiful reinterpretation of great songs, while the other half is songs that were bad to begin with and are not improved by having strings thrown on. Skip every track from Load or Reload and you’ve got a classic.
We stan a rock band playing with a symphony orchestra!
Enjoyed this. Only problem and reason for a three instead of a four is the length. As someone who didn’t listen to a lot of metal or Metallica growing up (probably because I’m a girl and love new wave, alternative, Brit pop, etc) the orchestra really made this more accessible!!
I listened to about half of this album. It's a lot, and I think it's super cool that it exists. There are too many songs I don't really want to listen to on it, but I did click through every song I liked. That was about 10 songs, which is honestly a solid album all on its own. I liked it, but the album in its entirety isn't super consumable to me. Awesome concept, dope that it exists, a little exhausting to listen to. 6/10
Ahh this takea me back to my chikdhood as a metalhead. Its also like my chuldhood in that it has some real high highs and some real low lows.
A great album, have the sound quality and structure of a studio album. In the sense that I feel like it might lack a bit of unpredictability of live albums that I really enjoy. An interesting fact about this album, Leonardo DiCaprio famously played this album during a date in 2015. However, once the album was finished, his date was too old for him.
Bastante rollo. Se salva Nothing Else Matters.
I'm not a big Metallica guy, but I must say this was pretty well done. While it is lengthy, it's a decent musical journey.
As a fan of other metal, but not being familiar with Metallica, I don't think I can make it through this whole album. It's fine—good even—but all very samey.
It's fine. I was not a huge Metallica fan in the first place. This does nothing to change that, even though I would guess the entire conception of this was to broaden the fan base. The band is talented, and as far as heavy metal goes, I prefer them to most others that come up on this list. The orchestra mix does not totally work for me. There's a soundtrack feeling to it, which takes me out of the live album element. I probably would have attended this as a novelty, but I will probably not ever listen to this again.
Orchestra was neat.
I normally like everything orchestra related, but this was a bit too raw for me still. This is the Metallica sound that I dont like too much.
Rockin
I think this is my preferred Metallica listening experience.
I actually didn't mind this.
nice mix of metal and orchestra.
Overall decent, not super into Metallica to be listening to a live album again. Sometimes the orchestra parts hit right with the rest of the band, other times it felt real cheese
i didn’t finish it but it wasn’t doing it for me! feels like something that could be cool but just ended up cheesy a lesson in more isn’t always better
Totally get why someone would love this tbh, great fusion of metal rock and orchestral. Entirely too long for me tho
Prefer Styx with the Cleveland Youth Orchestra!
I rated this one a 3 and not a 2 because I was in high school when this dropped and it has a lot of memories tied up with it. Objectively, it's far too uninteresting to be considered worth the 2 hour and 13 minute run time. A product of it's time and a band that was having fun trying new thing after an already long and fruitful career, and for that I cannot fault them. Just not as engaging as I was hoping for.
Yes it's too long and yes the older songs are way better than the post-Justice ones, but any metalhead should get at least some enjoyment out of a huge crowd screaming MASTER and James Hetfield gleefully letting them sing half the verses. For how complicated this live production is, everything sounds near perfect....from Hetfield's vocals to the orchestra to the mixing. Truly impressive. I will save the high rankings for the studio albums, but I enjoyed this.
Rating: 6/10
I do enjoy some Metallica, and as nice as the idea of this is, more than 2 hours of it is a bit of a slog. Especially since they exclude almost all of their earlier faster stuff that I prefer, as that would be tough to make interesting with the orchestra. Hetfield's little ad-libs are comedic ("San Francisco Orchestra YEEAAUGH"), although i don't think that was the intention. Definitely some great highlights on here, but i don't see myself every listening through it again. Watching the actual concert might be a good time though.
This album was my first exposure to Metallica, and I really dug the mix of conventional styles. I don't love all of their jams, and fuck them for their RIAA bullshit in the 00s, so can't give it more than 3.
Rocking but, music sounds weird combination at times.
Its not on Youtube so coulndt listen but have the CD and I remember it was somehow good and innovative at the time.
Musicality was good, but I didn't like the symphonic stuff that much although I appreciate them trying to bring something new to their well known songs. The mixing wasn't great, but that's expected for a live album. I think I just don't like live albums.
Gutes Album, ein paar interessante Versionen der bekannten Songs. Aber alles in allem nicht Fisch und nicht Fleisch. Spannend, mal zu hören, aber nichts an dem ich hänge 3/5
Easiest way to consume Metallica for a square like moi
Its kinda weird because you don't see metal in classical form everyday
why not give me an actual metallica album.
I’ve spun S&M before and knew what I was in for. Of all Metallica records, this one is my favourite, the orchestra adds such a contrasting tone and colour to the aggressivity. Hero Of The Day was a new discovery for me, even though I’d heard it before I never really took notice until yesterday, its ascending chord progression gives it a particularly reassuring, comforting feel. Now to the score. Metallica is a band I need to be in a certain mood to enjoy. I split the listening of this album across two sessions, the first session I wasn’t in the mood and the second I was much more receptive. As such, there were moments where I felt a 2 and moments where I felt a 4, so I’ll have to go with the average, but it’s a very strong 3.
Was okay, not really music I would listen to often but I think it being a live album actually helped me get the vibe a bit better
Cool idé med orkester till den genren. Vissa låtar blev bättre med det, andra sämre. James lät riktigt bra, Lars lät lite halvkasst men vad ska man förvänta sig? Är inget jättestort Metallica-fan men detta gick att lyssna på.
Metal isn’t my jam, but many of these songs are from my high school heydays.
Not my favorite but not bad
Good
OK. a bit bland
some great songs, some songs i truly do not understand
I like Metallica but a lot of these songs just don't mesh with the symphony.
I honestly like it but it's too damn long
5/10. I liked some of the theatrics but it got pretty stale overall. Felt that band had a lot of range potential instrumentally but more often than not stuck with the same rather than showing off the variation they showed in certain songs.
Metallica isn’t really my cup of tea, but I like them more than all of their contemporaries. There are songs and performances here that I dig well enough. The length is a hindrance, though, and I don’t really need pitch-corrected Hetfield in my life. Still better than Mustaine, though. 2.5/5
#18 Metallica - S&M (1999) Heavy Metal, Symphonic Metal, Hard Rock Thrash Metal Why does... why does James sound like that? Anyways, interesting idea with a good enough execution, but not something I'm itching to come back to. Favourite Track: For Whom the Bell Tolls Least Favourite Track: The Thing That Should Not Be
It was ok. I liked it but I think Metallica is just not made for an orchestra. Also I think they didn't really choose the "right" songs for this album. There would've been Metallica songs that fit better. Anyway whoever plays a live orchestra version of "Ecstasy for gold" as an opener has a very special place in my heart. Best song of the album btw.
The second Metallica Album on my List. Personally, I'd have chosen something else. It was a nice experiment and it mostly worked, but I think, Metallica's songs are just not suited for this, except maybe for Nothing Else Matters. Sometimes the orchestra was overpowering the band, and though some songs sounded more epic and akin to a movie soundtrack, most songs lost some of their feeling and character to the epicness and the embellishments of the orchestra. Songs like Battery oder Master of Puppets are as good as they are because of their simpleness and in-your-face-attitude. This was completely lost by inflating it with unnecessary strings and horns. All in all not a bad album, but except for a very few, Metallica songs are just not written for orchestral use.
Interesting collaboration
Ok, not really my thing.
Enjoyed it a lot, too long though. Some high quality self indulgence from Metallica. It has a five star moment, which is when the crowd goes MASTER! MASTER! And Hetfield says “HELL yeah,”
This was an event.
Again, I find it hard to fairly rate a live album when I am not very familiar with the original recordings. The Ecstasy of Gold and The Call Of Ktulu made me really excited for the remaining two hours. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy myself that much again until the last few tracks. Maybe that's just because I am most familiar with One and Enter Sandman, but maybe there's a reason I am familiar with them. Those few tracks were solid 4s but the middle 90 minutes brings it down to a 3.
I’ve always thought Ulrich was an amazing drummer, guitar is insane, and Hetfield has a solid voice. I really enjoyed this album with symphonic sounds. It slowed the music down some and you could understand the words well. I appreciate that though they thrash there is some substance to the songs about psychotic struggles, fear of death, and things under your bed. If only it would have been about 45 minutes shorter.
If it was shorter and cut down, it would be better
really like the overall concept and blending the contrasting sounds; HOWEVER, this album needs some editing. TWO HOURS???!! Only a serious Metallica fan could possibly be ok with this run time. Would have been much better served doing a greatest hits type tracks with better use of them as a band & the orchestra-some pieces just felt like they were playing over the orchestra & others were just drawn out needlessly. and some just felt like they were going for a James Bond theme sound. 2.5
7/10 - 3/5 Pretty cool experiment with a symphony! I didn't like Hetfield's voice live as much on recordings (he had trained in baritone singing before, so it was less gritty and more operatic). And 2 hours? If I was in the audience, sure. But listening just didn't hit the same.
I’ve had a Metallica album before, really early on in this project. Like the first week. Might’ve been the third one. And one of my criticisms of it was that, at least to the non-metalhead, a lot of the songs sounded the same. I kind of have the same criticism here but in a different way. The orchestration here does add a new sonic element to the entire venture. And I do appreciate the immense amount of work that must’ve gone into composing all of the orchestral parts for all of these songs and all the rehearsing that went into it. And I do overall like this better than the first one I listened to. But I still think it suffers from all the songs sounding a little too similar to each other. Everything is high stakes, almost always. There are exceptions of course, but I dunno. After two albums I just don’t think Metallica is for me. And that’s ok. Also this was obscenely long at 2 hours and 16 minutes. I couldn’t fit it into my normal day and now I’m behind the 8-ball trying to listen to today’s album. Standout tracks: Fuel, Devil’s Dance, For Whom the Bell Tolls, One, Enter Sandman
the band x opera albums always slap but still not a big fan of metallica
ok cool intro. was hoping to find the studio version of this album tho but i gave up. anyway. ok where are the words and lyrics? what am i missing lmao. what in the metal-rock-Oum-Kalthoum is this? Need to listen to it again properly.wasn't able to finish it
Previously rated: Master of Puppets (5/5) Metallica (4/5) **************************** This seems strange to have on the list. If we needed to hear symphonic metal before we die, why not have an actual symphonic metal band? Oh well, anyway, the symphony gimmick gets old surprisingly fast. There was one track later in the album (I think it was Wherever I May Roam) that I thought sounded cool with the symphony. The vocals were very inconsistent throughout. Some were OK, some goofy sounding off-key moments, some voice cracking, some lyric slurring, and even sounding like a lounge singer (in One). Quite laughably bad in some parts. In fact, he actually is laugh singing at one point. It's a good thing the underlying music is solid (even though I'm not familiar with many of the originals) or this would have gotten a lower rating.
Almost a 4. Fun
Orchestra is tight but not a big metallica person. Understand the importance of the album and doing it live with the SFO.
Too slow and when they do play a more typical Metallica track the symphony sounds out of place. Works better with the songs from load/reload but they’re the slow ones
Good sound. Very 90's burgeoning mainstream rock. Some good songs.
Super fun listen, the orchestra and Metallica merge so well. Last time I listed to this one I was 13 or something.
Not bad. Not great. Somewhat interesting. A background listen.
Bastante rollo. Se salva Nothing Else Matters.
I also note that I generally don’t like live albums that much, but this one at least justifies itself as an interesting experience and a different take on Metallica’s catalogue. Overall I think it’s a decent inclusion on this list, but goddamn it is a full on undertaking, clocking in at over 2 hours. While bit can get exhausting and a little repetitious, there are enough exciting moments with the pummeling songs and orchestration that I think makes it worth a listen. This album came at a point in their career where they were fully out of thrash metal, but a weakness is the over reliance on Metallica’s recent (at the time) albums, which were probably a low point for them - 7 out of 21 tracks come from Load and Reload, while only 6 tracks come from their first 4 albums that are considered “prime” Metallica (there are actually no songs from their first album, which is a shame). I would have appreciated a few more tracks from their early period.
Wanna love it, but in the end they choose to have the thrash metal dominate the orchestration so it’s just Metallica with a little more depth of sound. When bands like the Beatles or Moody Blues add orchestration to their music it shines and enhances it, that’s just not what you’re getting here. It’s still thrash metal, they’re still singing through clinched yeah, and you still need to look up the lyrics to have a clue what is being sung.
I kind of like Of Wolf and Man,
Generally shy away from live albums, this was an interesting variation with the strings adding a richer sound. Too long though.
Whilst I can see the obvious musicianship that radiates from every pore of this, i'e prefer the originals and I'm not a massive metallics fan anyway.
I think the orchestra must have tempered James Hetfield's singing as it's not as "rawk" as usual. Occasionally the strings add a lushness, but I think the brass is a bit too much. All on all I'd rather listen to the original LP recordings. Good exercise all the same and a document of the concert.
Giving this 3 stars for 3 reasons: 1. My son Sam is obsessed with Metallica and knew exactly what I was listening to. 2. I do think the melding of metal music and orchestral music works very well. 3. That said, I didn’t listen to all 2 hours and 15 minutes of this. So I can’t fully judge it. I listened to more than half though. That was enough.
Beautifully done. A really special performance.
Love the symphony. Love Metallica. It is interesting to listen to them together but not sure it adds that much.
Well, ambitious to say the least. A marriage of heavy metal and symphony orchestra. This did take some effort to get through but it was worth a try. It was interesting to hear the orchestral arrangements accompanying the band. The sound quality of the live recording is notably good!
Did not listen
An okay album. I feel like it could have been done better, as most of the songs feel like a drag for a 2 hour album.
Did like this Metalica with the symphony as it is far richer with an orchestra. More depth.
Kinda a cool concept but it mostly makes me want to listen to the original Metallica records.
Innovative cross-genre work though I wished for more S and less M.
C+ The Ecstasy Of Gold 3 The Call Of Ktulu 3 Master Of Puppets 3 Of Wolf And Man 3 The Thing That Should Not Be 3 Fuel 3 The Memory Remains 3 No Leaf Clover 4 Hero Of The Day 3 Devil's Dance 3 Bleeding Me 3 Nothing Else Matters 3 Until It Sleeps 3 For Whom The Bells Tolls 3 - Human 3 Wherever I May Roam 3 Outlaw Torn 3 Sad But True 3 One 2 Enter Sandman 2 Battery 2 This was long af. I just wanted to listen to some fellas in my spare time (Mac Demarco, Mild High Club, Steve Lacy, Dr. Dog, Alice Smith, The Arcs, Elliott Smith, Radiohead, MGMT), but this long mf album took up so much time. Now, I need to use this Metallica review to shoutout artists that either deserve an album on here or deserve even more albums on here. F*** Metallica.
A little mid tbh, just not my vibe yet again
Metallica rocks but two hours is too long for me.
Didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would after reading the description
I get why this album is on this list. Symphony and Metal. An orchestra and Metallica. This is a very weird combination - something you should have heard before you die. And it's not even bad. However, you get the gist after like 6 songs and really don't need over two hours of it. I suppose only die hard Metallica fans can listen to and enjoy it all. Personally, I won't be coming back to this album, but I'm glad I know it exists.
Made it through 1 hour. A reminder about how annoying I find James Hetfield's voice, but don't actually hate Metallica's music that much.
Conceptually very interesting, I liked a lot of the orchestration, but while I respect what they do this is just way too big of a dose of Metallica for me as a single album experience. (on the other hand, this must have been incredible to experience live.)
It's grandiose. There's times when the strings really complement the songs, adding a building, eerie contrast to the guitars. Other times it can get a little busy with too many counter melodies going. Devil's Dance really feels like the weak one here. Heavy on Load, Reload, and Black Album. No Leaf Clover is a good addition to the metallica canon. Sometimes the flute melodies feel a little forced and silly. Overall I think the concept works, but it feels like the symphonic arrangement sometimes tried to be too front and center, fighting for space. Better recording and mixing quality than most of their studio stuff. I get it's a live album, but it really runs long. It's Metallica and and symphony - over the top but still pretty awesome.
This was an interesting idea for Metallica but it's not great. The 2 new songs recorded for this album are pretty good as are some of the reworked songs but some of those classic songs don't really work for my ears. I understand that this was recorded in '99 and they certainly weren't going to skip over their 90's material but they should have. Did anyone want to hear Devil's Dance with an orchestra, or ever for that matter? It's got its moments and having the orchestra is certainly a nice touch but I think this is mainly Metallica superfans who can sit through 2+ hours of Metallica that includes the 90's bleh.
This was a looooong album which I had to listen to whilst doing other things to get through the whole 2 hours. The orchestra sounded really good and mixed well into the music.
I think this is a really impressive feat, and I loved hearing the audience react, but I just couldn't get on board, I maybe wasn't a fan of how it was mixed, which is always an issue for me with live albums. I'm not like an expert or anything, I just kinda don't like the way music sounds sometimes when it's hitting the open air on a recording?
After about hour 1 i got the picture
My preferred Metallica album, but still not my cup of tea.
I admire what it took to do this, and I am quite frankly blown away by the combination of sounds. That said, I’ve never been a Metallica fan and that doesn’t change because of this album
Interesting blend of heavy with classical. I love the band, and appreciate the art project.
duplicate
Just don’t like that kind of music too much. But it was excellent live concert.
3/5. I like Metallica, but the orchestra didn't add much to the listening experience. I'm sure it was fun for the crowd to sing along - just not so entertaining for those of us who missed out.
It's not bad. An hour too long though and James sounds autotuned which is distracting. AND OF BAKED APPLE PIEEEEE MYEAH
I am not a Metallica fan, but enjoyed this more than their usual stuff. The orchestral elements made it sound more epic and gave me movie soundtrack vibes, which I enjoyed. The highlights were the instrumental parts.
fínt. hálft stig í frádrátt=tvöföld plata. 3,5.
It was ok. Very cool grand melodic boss fight music, but when I want to listen to Metallica I want regular hardcore Metallica.
Metallica is great, this is a really interesting project, but it has a lot of Re/Load era songs that I'm not that into and runs way too long.
Really cool album but not really my style.
Symphonischer Rock ok, war damals vielleicht ein großes Ding. Klingt schon Energiegeladen aber nicht so meins.
I liked the instrumentals!…better then the others. 😬 This album gets an extra point because it was live.
Listening to this is a joy. The orchestra makes the root sound of the band amazing
Didn’t finish, it was good but eventually it just became Metallica which got old
Bastante rollo. Se salva Nothing Else Matters.
A sporadically entertaining 90s curio whose arrangements miss at least as much as they hit.
I don't know this was fine but went on for over 2 hours. I think this is the 4th Metallica album I've had wow! More interesting than just a live album with the addition of an orchestra to a metal band.
Why add the most cheesy-vanilla Metallica album here? It is literally dumbed-down to please an average listener. Something to show your grandparents to prove you are not in a Satanic cult. This is not why they are good or revolutionary in their genre.
another gem from the past. I used to watch this on DVD with my father. the opening 4 songs are perfect, but the whole 2 hours of this is quite difficult to listen to. contrasted to the orchestra arrangement, it is weirdly obvious how limited Metallica music is
3.5
Not a big Metallica fan. The band sounds tight with the orchestra. But I find most of their songs a little cheesy.
"S & M" (Symphony & Metallica) is a live album by American thrash band Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Kamen. It is performances of Metallica songs with symphonic accompaniments. The idea was actually that of former bassist, the late Cliff Burton. Speaking of bassists, this was the last Metallica album with Jason Newsted. The album reached #2 in the US and #33 in the UK and had decent critic reviews. The album begins with the symphony covering Ennio Morricone"s "The Ecstacy of Gold." The band enters the concert on the next song "Ride the Lightning's" "The Call of Ktulu." The strings begin to the guitar to the drums. A very large and grand sound. The next song works as well with the symphony, "Master of Puppets." These are the songs I thought worked really well with the added smphony: "Hero of the Day," " Nothing Else Matters," "Sad But True" and "One." On the flipside, I thought the symphony took away the intensity and the made the song too busy in "Enter Sandman" and "Battery." There are two new songs: "No Leaf Cover" and "__Human." Both sound like songs from "Load" or "Reload." I did like "No Leaf Cover." A soft-loud-soft dynamic. A chunky guitar solo. The strings in the background. For the most part, the strings do add and make the songs bigger and more grandiose. The song selection covers all of Metallica's catalogue. But, there is a large amount from their 90's albums ("The Black Album," " Load" and "Reload) so if that's not your favorite Metallica cup of tea, remember that. This reminded me of how good Metallica sounds live and they do sound good here too. It is risk that paid off unlike some other collaborations they made.
# 130 : Really? Two hours? life has other things to do… Interesting concept that turned out ok. Favourite track : Of Wolf And Man Listened : 13/12/2023
I enjoyed this album ... not a new concept, but it works well here. The contrast of classical strings and metal guitar should be pleasing to any rocker with broad tastes. But, I'm not sure it's one of the 1001 albums I HAD TO hear.
Onsamenhangend en rommelig voor mijn gevoel, heb er niet van kunnen genieten
Great power but the autotune was kind of a let down, and was kinda underwhelmed with the string arrangements.
Would be a 5 star if it was a studio album.
Didn’t actually listen cuz Metallica is LAME lol
I saw Metallica and automatically assumed I'd be listening to a 5/5 today. But hearing these remixed versions of Metallica's greatest hits honestly just makes me wish I was listening to the original versions. I still enjoy it because I love Metallica but even I can admit this album does not belong on the 1001 albums to listen to before you die list. I guess it is interesting because of the Symphony Orchestra mashup and that's what is supposed to make it stand out. But it's just too long. The audio isn't as crisp because it's live. Metallica has a long catalog of amazing albums that everyone should hear at least once. Greatest Hits type albums shouldn't be on the list.
Good but not really for me
Alright, I guess. Never been a huge metal fan, but it works well with an orchestra although it's almost 2hrs long!
It was okay, I'm not a huge metallica fan really. They are fine but I'm not about to bust down doors to see them.
Cross over was interesting, but it’s a bit self of the self indulgent times that were the 90s.
Cool idea and the symphony sounded great. Couldn’t get over the Metallica though which seemed to be even more Metallica than usual. Did not finish listening.
As an album, it aggregates some of Metallica's greatest hits, bringing them to soaring highs with the addition of the SFSO. It's so well mixed and produced that it doesn't quite have the energy of an expected live album - whether or not that is a criticism or a compliment might depend on the listener, but for me, it detracted from the experience, making this more of a chore to work through than anything else.
This only proves that metal is not my thing. I did not enjoy this and barely got through it. The songs are unnecessarily long, and they are pretty boring. The riffs the violins and the general sound is good but just so convoluted and not in a way I can like. One of my favorite songs was the ecstasy of Gold, which goes to show about my preferences.
This was an impressive, albeit very long album because it’s a live recording of a concert performance. That said, it gave me a newfound appreciation for Metallica. This album is a great way to explore their catalogue with the added bonus of the bombastic hook of the symphony. The hits hit hard here, “Enter Sandman” & “Nothing Else Matters” were excellent in this setting. But the album is long and there is a sameness with Metallica’s song that wears on. Still, the performances are excellent and I enjoyed the experience of the live concert!
Interesting concept. It doesn’t always work, but it has some songs that really work with the orchestra. 3.5/5 Might listen again
More of a greatest hits with orchestra
This is the first totally new one for me - I've heard some Metallica songs, but don't know many by name and have never heard of this album. My understanding from wikipedia is that the songs were pretty significantly rearranged by the band, so this will be interesting coming into this not knowing the original songs well. It's Over 2 hours long, with multiple songs in the 7 to 9 minutes range, so it will be quite the undertaking today. The first two songs, "The Ecstasy of Gold" and "The Call of Ktulu" are completely instrumental. "The Ecstasy" is an Ennio Morricone composition, and serves as an orchestral prelude. "The Call of Ktulu" brings in the band. There is some nice, bombastic interplay between the metal riffs and triumphant orchestra arrangements. I jammed to "Ktulu" a few times today. Then it goes into "Master of Puppets" and the crowd goes bonkers. James Hetfield starts singing on this one with some audience participation. The focus is more on the band, with some horn pops and dramatic swells provided by the orchestra. The following songs use the orchestra to varying levels of success- some were great and some were meh. Some songs had a lot of audience participation - namely "The Memory Remains" and "Enter Sandman". "Hero of the Day" is extremely corny. So is "Wherever I Roam". The more vocally intensive songs are disserved by over use of 1999 pitch correction - I said "yikes" out loud during a particularly autotuned part of "Nothing Else Matters" "For Whom the Bells Tolls" combines the orchestra and the band very well to a menacing effect. Same with "Outlaw Turned" and "Sad but True". The end of "One" is turned to 11 with the whole orchestra joining the band in thrash overdrive. Likewise for "Battery" It's a 3.5 based on the tunes which are mostly good, but I'm rounding down on the basis that it's not an album, it's a live show recorded. "Portishead Roseland NYC Live" and "Stop Making Sense" are better live albums and are not included on this 1001 albums list. I am looking forward to hearing more Metallica as I progress in the list. I will be using "fuckinnnnn A! Right!" in the style of "Battery" more often.
better than i expected
mwah
What a listen, epic
I’d rather just listen to the good songs not live. Not terrible. Not amazing though. Too long.
What I like about Metallica is the aggressiveness. the orchestra works against that. and it's a bad length. it might be good if you've never heard the songs before.
Noisy. Feels like very structured metal. Like classical metal. Hmm
This genre as a whole is not my cup of tea. Although I appreciate the classics.
This is a really fun collaboration. Also not something you see done all that often.
It was a live album on apple music, entertaining listen, bit soundtrack-y. wouldnt just pop it on to listen too
Must’ve been an epic performance and very original. It’s not something I’d want to listen to regularly though.
Epic, kind of long. Would probably have been more fun to be there than to listen to it from home.
Palletable at best.
Metallica's discography is consistently great, and they are doubtlessly amazing live performers. Still - this album offers nothing their studio albums don't.
Apart from the classics, I'm not that hyped
10/24/23. Have known a few songs off this concert and thought it was a cool addition to have the orchestra. However, I think the majority of the songs, it doesn’t add much. Admittedly, I’m also a casual Metallica fan.
Orchestra and band instrumentals are generally on point, although they do not always complement well. During "One" in particular, the orchestra did not add much to the experience for me. James Hetfield's singing is also not my style throughout the performance. However, hearing a live experience such as this is always different from actually attending it yourself and this was likely a banger of a concert to see live.
Altijd leuk om Metallica te luisteren uit nostalgie. Dat het live was maakte het soms irritant wanneer de zanger het publiek laat invullen. De zangstijl is niet helemaal mijn ding, en de lengte van de nummers wordt soms ook vervelend. Zou niet het hele album hebben geluisterd, maar eerder de klassiekers eruit pikken.
I wanted to love it, but I’d much rather listen to high quality tracks, without crowd noise. Harder to enjoy the music when the audio quality is like that. I haven’t listened to much Metallica, I don’t think this was a good entry point - seems like it’s more for fans of the band to enjoy.
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. The orchestra was probably why.
With very few exceptions (Bleeding Me being one), the orchestra make the songs worse. James' singing in Master of Puppets is terrible.
Her kendte jeg flere af sangene på forhånd, men at høre dem med en symfoniorkester var rimelig vildt. Har kun hørt lidt af det, da jeg ikke lige fandt tid til 2 timers Metallica i dag.
Highlights: The Ecstasy of Gold, The Call of Ktulu, No Leaf Clover, Devil's Dance, Until It Sleeps. In a nutshell: grandiose but it could have been so much better. First time listening. It's a mixed bag. BRILLIANT arrangements by Michael Kamen. Fusion genres such as symphonic metal or bands like Metallica may not be everyone's thing. On stage it felt as if the orchestra was on the side rather than a co-headliner. That said, it's worth listening to this album to appreciate musicians who push their own boundaries. Plan an intermission if streaming, it's 133 minutes. Overall: 6/10
Long album. Orchestra adds a kick to it.
Metallica is good. SFSO is good. Together it’s long, tedious, and the title is apt…S&M
Viel zu lang. Gute Produktion für ein live album. Orchester nicht nur ein afterthought, bringt tatsächlich Mehrwert.
Probably the most listenable Metallica will be for me. For a few songs it’s really awkward with the symphony and on others it really brings up the guitar and singer performance. I could imagine the concert being epic though. 6/10
Metal and classical music actually pair up quite well, and the treatment suits some Metallica songs more than others. What was a novelty in 1999 seems to be now quite common in some metal genres. That said, the orchestral treatment seems overdone in some other songs (too much spy movie vibe).
The softest metal amplified with an orchestra. Got bored about halfway through.
Enjoyable. Probably a 7/10 but can't justify a 4*.
I like early period Metallica quite a bit, and I also enjoy classical/symphonic music a lot. Together, though, it just doesn't work for me. It feels too sanitized or something.
Fun combination of Metallica and classical music that surprisingly works well. I think it could benefit from being half as long because after a while it begins to get tiresome. I would be interested to hear the version of this if they made it today. I feel like they wouldn’t have nearly as much material from Load and Reload as they do on this record. Added to playlist: No Leaf Clover
It’s good, It’s literally good, metalica is a good band and putting strings on metal songs works very well but I just have to rate it a 3 as you don’t get much else from that and while I like metalica they aren’t one of my favourites.
I'm really on several different thoughts with this album and I'll try to put them in line. The Good: - It's a great collection of Metallica material. Some old, some newer, but all good songs. - The band and orchestra are in superb form! James' voice is clear, Kirk never loses control anywhere, we can actually hear the bass and even Lars keeps rhythm. The Bad - It sometimes feels if the Band and Orchestra are more in each others way than playing together and other times the orchestra steamrolls over the band - Not all songs benefit from this supersizing. A lot of these songs really didn't need an orchestra fill and become bombastic due to it. - If you make an album with an entire symphony orchestra, why not write new material instead of rehashing everything? Or do it half/half? Apparently this is a good introduction into metal for a lot of people. But for me it was too full with filler.
Missed some opportunities to play some absolute bangers
Not really a fan of live albums - this would be an incredible gig but it’s a slog to listen to at over 2 hours and you can’t match the energy of a live show on a recording. Don’t think the orchestra arrangements added too much to the songs but otherwise a decent album.
Pretty good album. The symphony mixed with Metallica worked, but I wouldn't say it was anything special. More of a novelty than anything. Best track: # 19 - One
Listened to this album before - like Metallica but not the biggest fan of their live stuff.
Unfortunately the one on streaming services sounds like is heavy with autotune, so this ruined the live experience. "I'll search for the original1999 cd or vinyl if available for the real experience 3.5
A bit samey but loved the use of the orchestra
Not Metallica’s best performance, but it was a very novel concept at the time
It's Monday morning, i opened my album selector in anticipation of what album would be up for review... my eyes instantly rolled back in my head as I saw the name Metallica come up.... gently closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead in soft circular movements, I contemplated how precious life was and whether I should subject my ears and brain to the Metallica sound. Surprisingly, from the opening trck of the album, I realised that this was a bit different, it was a live album with an orchestra who could actually play instruments and make music! Have to say, I liked the albilum a lot more than I'd first thought, it was a good combo, and probably would have been an excellent concert to be there at, absorbing the full atmosphere.... but for me the orchestral novelty wore off by track 6. It's not a new concept, but still an interesting album in ways, and I could listen to some of it again.
first listen not a bad album, albeit a little long
I appreciate that this exists but I don't care for the execution
I'm not a huge Metallica fan the guitarist is the only reason I sat through 2 hours of this. The orchestra is a cool addition but can only make it so much better. It's just long and repetitive.
Didn't listen to the whole album but thought it was good considering it was live. Loved all the string stuff
Whoa. Metallica already has such a massive sound and then they added an orchestra? 😂 It’s inspired but also a little insane. The album can be overwhelming and overstimulating. Still, it’s a remarkable and impressive achievement. Add in the audience singalong moments and this becomes a very special recording. This is probably more in ‘I respect that this exists’ territory than me actually loving it. But I also wasn’t familiar with most of these songs. I can imagine my reaction being different if I knew these songs and then heard them expanded into these epic, live, orchestrated versions. I’m starting to get acclimated to the over-the-top style of this album. “Devil’s Dance” is slapping right now. Feels like heavy metal meets Bond theme song with the strings.
Interesting mix with the orchestra. After a while the same backing phrasing got repetitive and could have been more interesting. Metallica was metallica. Another commenter thought it sounded like Metallica doing a James Bond score: totally agree with that! I had the same thought.
I like the idea. I would have preferred leaning into the concept even further and making instrumental only versions of Metallica songs.
It wasn't really the unlikely combination of metal and symphony, real symphonic metal albums can make the same point but with a much better execution. For me, I think it's more about making live albums and compilation albums. This album is basically a live, compilation album. But what I liked about it is that they reimagined their hits and put new colors in it, instead of just recording a stage version of those songs. That's how you do a live album. But despite the cool bits of it, it still has a lot of misses. It's freaking two hours long after all, and its live!
Just because you could, doesn’t mean you should.
aucune chanson meilleur dans cet album que leur version originale. 2h bcp trop long. 5.5/10
I LOVE Metallica. This album doesn't do it for me. I know I should love it, but I don't. It's too long, and good songs are changed.... still better than a lot of other albums on this list. 3.5/5
Always found an entire album of Metallica gets a bit samey, so the orchestra added an interesting new texture. It all worked far better than I thought it would
Solid. Not sure it made me a fan of any songs I wasn't already but really enjoyed having the symphony behind a lot of the songs I already enjoyed
- Heard already - Nothing special
Wild
This was quite good, the orchestra worked really well with Metallica songs. I like Metallica enough but 2+ hours is a lot of Metallica and I’ve never been big on their ballad tunes though One was awesome here. I could pair this down to an awesome 45 but I’m rating the full two hours so it’s 3.5 stars from me
It wasn’t that bad: I’m not a massive Metallica fan but neither a hater but this album felt like a glorified “best of” album. 2h15!!! That was ridiculous for me and literally took me all day to listen to, the songs weren’t too bad with them pretty true to the originals and the orchestra didn’t add much but I guess enough for the band to allow it. Overall my main gripe would be the fact it was so long and added nothing new I think to the Metallica discography, just like a long concert.