Reviews (page 7 of 11)
Primero, vamos con lo obvio. Metallica es una de las mejores bandas para hacer ejercicio, puntualmente de alto impacto o de tipo artes marciales. El thrash marida perfecto con el esfuerzo para moldear el cuerpo y superarse. Segundo, éste disco que no había escuchado. Acá lo orquestal (valga la redundancia) va en sintonía con el heavy metal y lo embellece. Hay joyas como "Master of puppets", "Fuel", "Devil's dance", "Human". Y muchas más. Gran trabajo, más instrospectivo, demostrando la complejidad de canciones que muchas veces se tienen por repetitivas.
Metallica. 4
One of my all time favorites!
HardRock & Symph.Orch. live, 1999, -> 2
Absolutely incredible - so epic and energising, I don't think I can go back to listen to Metallica without an orchestra now.
Highlight: Devil’s Dance
A little long but the Metallica songs backed by the symphony sounds like amazing.
Brilliant, powerful performance Fuel Memory remains No leaf clover
Prefer Styx with the Cleveland Youth Orchestra!
this was a great live album with the SF Symphony, really cool
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.
Oh god no. How did this make the list? Not only a live album, but a compilation (I trule hope this is not considered a greatest hits) album on top? Just no. It's not that I hate Metallica, I just find them bland and uninteresting. I tend to like most classical music, but the combination of the two just ruins any interest or enjoyment. And why is this nonsense album so incredibly long? I want my two hours back.
Live albums continue to be an issue on this list. If you're not a fan of the band, the live album is not going to be a good time. Despite that, this is fairly unique in terms of mixing the symphony with Metallica. And it's done well. I like Metallica so in my case I'm eating highly. But again, when live albums for bands I don't like come up, it's never good. So this being on the list is problematic.
Its the best Metallica album so far, but its too bloody long at 2 hours. I got though most of it and think if I was to cherry pick some of the songs it would be more enjoyable
Hated this one
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.
I’m quite a big Metallica fan, and weirdly this was the first of their albums I ever bought. I got it from a antique shop that had a box of random CD’s, most of which were either in broken cases, or not in their cases at all. I got S&M, mostly because I thought the title was hilarious, and Hot Fuss by the Killers, which ended up being the European version with Change Your Mind in it’s proper place and Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll as a bonus track. Despite having owned it for years, I didn’t listen to S&M all the way through until after having become a Metallica fan, which I think is for the best. This is a long and pretty extra project. And to be clear, I love it. I’ve said multiple times before that Metallica’s style of songwriting scratches my brain in the same way that classical does, and the addition of a literal orchestra does nothing to dispel that idea in my mind. But I also see this as a project that is absolutely aimed towards die hard fans rather than the casual listener. Metallica may have been on top of the world in 1999, but that doesn’t mean that the average listener, no matter how much they enjoyed The Black Album wants to listen to 2 and a quarter hours of deep cuts performed with the San Francisco Symphony. To the casual listener, this is probably tedious. But if you’re already into the band, then this is a masterpiece, a reinterpretation of a load of great songs, and a unique and interesting functional Greatest Hits from a band that’s unlikely to ever put out a traditional Greatest Hits album. I do love it, but I can see why people wouldn’t
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.
Really good. Love the orchestra
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.
I'll grant you that this was an unusual concept record at the time, but that doesn't make me like live records or Metallica anymore than I did going in.
Rocking but, music sounds weird combination at times.
J'ai beau être un fan de certains albums de Metallica, celui-ci est probablement l'un des moins bons j'ai écouté d'eux. Au lieu de sonner plus épique et plus impressionnant, tout sonne plus mou, trop propre, il n'y a plus d'aggressivité du tout. Juste à Master of Puppets j'avais l'impression que ça allait être encore plus long qu'anticipé. Hero of the Day était tout simplement horrible. Je respecte le risque pris, mais c'est honnêtement très décevant. 3/10
The first song off this album sounds like it belongs in Dark Souls. This album is sick as fuck! I was so scared since it said 2 hours but so far I am having a great time! 4/5
Whilst the idea of combining Metallica and an orchestra is pretty neat, the result is an overly-long and at times mind-numbingly repetitive performance that long overstays its welcome.
What a great performance.
Its not on Youtube so coulndt listen but have the CD and I remember it was somehow good and innovative at the time.
I did not enjoy this but at least it was over 2 hours long.
Metallica? Symphony orchestra? Deal.
I really love this album. While, yes, it definitely does drag on a bit (double albums tend to do that), I still see this as Metallica's "Best Of" at the time they were still at their peak (I defend Load and Reload a little, sue me). Plus, the additional symphonic additions are just the icing on the cake. This is a spectacle of grandiose, and is just amazing.
I don't have much to say; I'm just an absolute sucker for when symphonies get added to songs that Ilike that originally didn't have them, and S&M is one of my absolute favorites. Sure, it runs a little long... A **lot** long, yeah, but I really don't care, honestly. Not when it has "No Leaf Clover" and among my favorite versions of "Master Of Puppets", "Fuel", "Hero Of The Day", and especially "One". The way James screams "NO" before the final guitar solo is just too perfect. It's stuff like that, and the transition from "The Thing That Should Not Be" to "fuel", that makes this one of those "deep in my soul" 5's for me. Plus, it's nice to give a metal album a 5 to balance out the 1 I gave to Kid gawddamn Rock.
Damn. Symphonic Metal goes Hard.
I’m not sure quite how I should rate this, given my unfamiliarity with most of the source material, the fact that I sort of zoned in and out while listening to it given its runtime, and that unfamiliarity making me sort of unsure how much the orchestra added to the actual weight of the original songs. There were points where these sort of just felt like studio recordings to me. With that said, it’s definitely somewhere between a 4 and 5. What a enriching album in terms of that soundscape and that orchestra blended with Metallica’s style. Seriously, seriously incredible stuff here. In some sense, I think my lack of familiarity with the band is a bit of a positive; even if some songs sort of blended together, and even if my focus was a little lost at times, something about either the orchestra’s ability to keep up with them or Metallica’s inherent charm and appeal kept pulling my ear back in pretty quickly. Are there lulls and periods of this album where you can feel a sort of rest break built in? Yes, but they don’t take away from the experience for me because they blend it super well to a point where those rest breaks are just as needed for the listener to catch their breath. I might need to give this concert at least one more listen to really lock this in, but I’m super comfortable with the idea of a 5 just on vibes, execution, and energy alone. I can’t wait to get more Metallica, mainly so I can come back to this album someday with a very fresh sense of how much the orchestra added and how well these songs were adapted to incorporate them. Either way, I’ll go for a 5. Great stuff.
Ugh.
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.
First off, a big "get bent" to the author of this book for including a 2.25 hour long late career Metallica live album, that is absolutely cruel and unusual. This orchestra really amplifies everything about Metallica. On the positive side, these versions of "The Memory Remains", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", and "No Leaf Clover" all completely rock. On the other side, somehow they made that turd sandwich called "Hero For A Day" even worse, and the "Loosen up maaaaan" adlib during "Enter Sandman" made me almost crash my car from violent laughter
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
interesting, but it gets old fast.
Easiest way to consume Metallica for a square like moi
Although I was only previously aquainted with just a few Metallica songs, I liked this album. Metallica's thrash metal works with a symphony orchestra, and works well. I especially liked "Master of Puppets", "Nothing Else Matters", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and of course "Enter Sandman".
Its kinda weird because you don't see metal in classical form everyday
This album made me so anxious I ended up not finishing it. I’m sorry Metallica… I just don’t like your music esp when it’s 2+ hours BUT the orchestra was beautiful…
fun but I wish there was no crowd noises
Great concept album. A very fun listen for classic Metallica and something I will add into my daily playlist.
Not an idea I'm aware of having been tried before this, and an interesting one that was well executed. Gripes about Metallica's mid-to-late period transition, this still captures the band delivering a lot of Black-era and prior tracks in an entirely different light. "No Leaf Clover" was a welcome revisit as well.
why not give me an actual metallica album.
interminable and frankly just kind of lame. james hetfield's voice also just does not sound great in that weird way a lot of 90s and 2000s metal vocals sound that i can never quite describe. I'm sure this would have been cool to attend, but as a recording it is miserable and neverending
Overwrought and overlong.
Top-notch combo of classical and metal, only outdone by S&M2.
me no likey
No comment.
Really enjoyed this one!
This hits me in a sweet spot, as it's one of my favorites. Some of the newer Metallica songs are better with strings, and it's great to see Jason Newsted on the very-non-HD video.
This was a neat concept, but the orchestration needed work on many songs. The huge hits were probably the best. Love the idea, just needed work on the execution.
Easy 5 here. Very aware of this performance and album but had only seen/heard parts of it. Phenomenal!!
Meh
I was skeptical when this album was first released 25 years ago but they managed to pull it off. The orchestra doesn’t necessarily make the songs better but definitely an interesting reinterpretation. Enjoyed re-revisiting this album after many years since the last listen.
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.
not listening to a live metallica album when idgaf about the original recordings. first track was dope though i love that movie
This is a tough album to sit through. I wish they had done this 10 years earlier, for several reasons. The first being that they would have had only the first 4 albums to choose songs from. Also, James sounds old and tired, and he wouldn't have in 1989. S&M is over-produced. Almost everything is buried under the vocals and drums. They say there's a symphony on this album, and you can hear it sometimes. But, Jason's bass is very quiet, no wonder he quit. Metallica is a shell of the great, ass kicking band they once were. That's alright with some people, but it hasn't sat well with me for 30 years.
Awesome!
I love Metallica, but always struggle with enjoying these live performances for just about any band. The 'Ecstasy of Gold' is fantastic though.
I've never listened to this before, definitely an interesting concept combining metal and symphony. Two genres that couldn't be more diametrically opposed, until you actual listen to sweeping guitar solos and realize how intricate they truly are, and how much they have in common with a symphony. This album basically amounted to Metallica's greatest hits featuring the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. It really works well. I enjoyed it
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
Metallica, live, with the San Francisco Symphony as accompaniment - just absolutely incredible. The energy and the authenticity is inexplicable and, what some may consider polar opposites, melded together so seamlessly. From "The Ecstasy of Gold" from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" through the end of the album, this is a top tier album.
I loved (early) Deep Purple. Since then I've never heard any heavy metal that comes close. This was quite interesting at first. Good arrangements and catchy tunes with great sounding guitar and even some interesting bits... but after a while it all sounded the same and began to grate.
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.
3.5
This is what people who don’t like rock music perceive as rock music. Generic thrashing of instruments in an attempt to exert a ‘metal’ rhythm. Perhaps it works in their studio albums, as this is probably the worst introduction to Metallica someone can have. A 2 hour live album. I’ve no idea why this is in the list. Hopefully the next Metallica album that comes up is not soon, and is shorter.
I'm grateful for having this album brought to my attention. Ive heard other rock group/orchestra combinations that don't work half as well. This seems to succeed in doing what it sets out to do. The sound is epic. But... I don't like Metallica so this wasn't for me.
Metal isn’t my jam, but many of these songs are from my high school heydays.
Not a big Metallica fan but given that this is a live album it’s very good
Not my favorite but not bad
So this is a live album which is basically a 'Greatest Hits' compilation? I don't think it's a particularly good live album (let's compare with Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison for example). It adds nothing. I ended up listening to the original songs from earlie albums. This is poor.
Good
This was ridiculous. Full Spinal Tap. Loved it.
This was surprising. I fully expected to hate it, but then really didn't. When I saw a 2 hour long metallica album, well there aren't very many things I'd want to listen to less. I still probably won't listen again, but it was interesting.
I like Metallica, I would have liked seeing it live. Don't wanna hear it as an album. Maybe they might blend better live, in the recording they pretty often contrast too much. Hero of the day really stood out as a very bad song. Will I listen to again: 1%
OK. a bit bland
some great songs, some songs i truly do not understand
That would have been an amazong concert to attend
This was basically pure joy. A bruatlizing fusion and a lasting testament to Metallica's dedication to their (witch)craft. Its camp, its gothic, its destruction.
I like Metallica but a lot of these songs just don't mesh with the symphony.
Après un seconde écoute : bon kiff
I honestly like it but it's too damn long
Þvílík veisla. Algjör unaður. Ég hef hlustað svo oft á þessa plötu að ég kann hana næstum því utan að. Ég var svo ánægður að sjá hana og að hlusta á hana þó svo að ég vissi hvaða einkunn hún myndi fá. Löng plata en samt bara svo æðisleg. Mig langar bara að setja hana strax aftur af stað.
Álbum orquestrado! Excelente! Impecável! O orquestrado conseguiu completar as músicas de uma forma indescritível. Resultado: inusitado e incrível.
This is one of the best live albums of all time. Is it perfect? No. But it is really interesting.
Pass, will listen on CD at some point
The juxtaposition between orchestra and heavy metal is amazing. Beauty meets the beast. Love this.
why is there a live album on this list?
Holger Czukay was different than what I would normally listen to. It was ok
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
An especially memorable Bukowski passage describes how, to evict pubic lice, he applied a ferocious ointment to his genitals and endured a hellish hour of burning as he kept it on for twice the prescribed duration, gritting his teeth, listening to soothing music, reciting poetry in his head until he could finally bear the agony no longer and threw himself in a cold bath to rinse the ointment and murdered bugs from his livid red undercarriage. Maybe I’m mixing up cause and effect here, but does this mean that listening to Symphony & Metallica will rid oneself of crabs?
Oh, FUCK OFF! If you gave me all day I couldn't come up with a concept as bad as a LIVE Metallica album coupled with HAM-FISTED orchestral stabbing that was MORE THAN TWO HOURS LONG Andrew Lloyd-Webber scores Spinal Tap. Could only be made worse by including a Radiohead cover
Yes
Live met een symphonie orkest, dat maakt het allemaal wat luisterbaarder en muzikaler, maar nog net geen 3 sterren.
I am here for it.
#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
who asked for this
Great live album restored my Metallica fandom
meh
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
Love Metallica, this live album was great Top tracks: Master Of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, One, Enter Sandman
This shit blew my mind. I thought it was regular metallic then I was like yo this sound in like extra good for some reason. I first thought it was live show for army people then I realized SFSO isn't a military thing it's a life orchestra. 5/5
Ok, not really my thing.
Might work if you're a Metallica fan. I'm not.
you know how the theme to Mission Impossible II has the power chord guitars, and it sounds like the year 2000 in the dumbest way possible this is like that another thing 2 hours longer than it ought to be
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,”
Metal and a symphony, say less
This was an event.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the concept of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die but it seems like it’s spelled out in the title. I just have no idea why this would be considered one of those albums. I guess as artists, it’s an accomplishment or milestone to say you played your songs with a symphony. But I’m going to guess the number of fans that have thought “I’d really love to hear some live Metallica songs backed by a symphony!” are few. I could have happily lived without ever hearing this album. I certainly hope the Metallica albums at least up to the Black album are included on this list.
Great album!
Sorry I love Metallica, and I love orchestral music, but i just couldn't sit through this. Not even sure why this was included in this list when there are other much more generational heavy metal albums out there to listen to.
why is there 2 hours of this
First the good, the quality of the recording is great. The production and mixing sound really good. I always thought many of the Metallica albums just sounded muddled. This one doesn’t. But the music just doesn’t do it for me. It sounds like a movie soundtrack rather than a rock album. Metallica always had a sound of menace to me. The orchestra just wipes all of that out.
wow. somehow the songs sound heavier when they are backed by a symphony. truly amazing and powerful album. this has been one of my favourite live albums since the first time i heard it. highlights: “the thing that should not be”, “no leaf clover”, “for whom the bell tolls”, “one”…
Way too long
Epic. Maybe too long
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.
This is a cool concept. I imagine that every person who went to this show brings it up in the most annoying way possible in every conversation.
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
Ok I know it was over 2 hours so y’all are probably gonna knock it for that but I really liked it. I like Metallica’s sound a lot and it was really cool to hear them with the orchestra as well. Yes I would probably prefer if it wasn’t over two hours but at least it was an enjoyable two hours with a band I like and enjoy the sound of. If this had been two hours of Korn I may have done something drastic.
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
i think all metal bands need to bring in a symphony on their albums
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
They should have done fewer songs and worked on the arrangements more. Some songs were done quite well, but on most songs, the orchestra is just filler for the last available milliseconds. If you're gonna play with an orchestra, at least give 'em some space to play. Favorite song: Battery. It works surprisingly well with an orchestra.
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
bad! just bad! The orchestra makes every song sound like some sort of James Bond movie theme.
4.5
Great collaboration. Cant believe its been 24 years.
Epic album with most of their greatest hits. Love the blend of metal and orchestra. Even the bad songs are good.
I have split feelings about this album. This was cool asf. Powerful voices, crazy solos as always, these guys are beast. It was epic. Even the crowd did the job great. It's a great idea with a lots of potential. But sometimes I don't even hear the orchestra. It looks like the members of Metallica don't want to let the orchestra to play with them but for them. Fav song : No Leaf Clover Worst song : Bleeding Me
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.
If not for the orchestra I would've turned this off immediately, so +1 for that! Stop trying to make me like Metallica please
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.
Very musical hard rock album. Live performance inspired. Seamless fusion with symphony. Singer’s lower tenor voice worked perfectly with the highs of the violins. Unique listening experience.
You know what, fuck the haters this album rocked.
Epic & huge. Metallic at their best, in one of the greatest live albums.
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
I really wanted to Scoff at this. I had comments already in the bag about how it was Metallica doing a Metallica covers album, about how Portishead did it much better, about Metallica trying desperately to land the next Bond theme tune. Then I listened to it. It's over the top, theatrical, sometimes ridiculous, but eventually and fundamentally brilliant. As the album progressed, it gets more over the top. James Hetfield is like a super charged version of himself, every sentence ending with the familiar "ah" sound. As the album comes to a close, the classics come out. It's fun, caricaturish, riotous. I couldn't help but get swept along with the madness. Not sure this is a life changing album, or an album that changed music in anyway, but a great listen, Metallica being Metallica to the Nth degree.
Good sound. Very 90's burgeoning mainstream rock. Some good songs.
Quite decent album. I really liked it when it came out. It has quite a bit of nostalgia for me. There was a bit too much emphasis on Load/Reload but those were the hot albums at the time. Best Tracks Call of the Ktulu No Leaf Clover One Skips The Outlaw Torn
Not my cup of tea this. Having not really listened to much Metallica prior to this, I thought they'd be harder than they are, this was just soft-glam rock
Mostly a snooze. My favourite Metallica songs have been the raw thrashy ones. These lean into the overblown cock rock of it all, Hetfields voice sounds way over-processed. Nice if you're a die-hard, but hardly essential. Fave track: Master of Puppets
I can appreciate trying something new and fresh with classics and reformatting them into something else, but unfortunately I did not think this was very good. Would rather listen to the originals any day. One and a half.
Too too too long. Can something be both epic and dull? As I think this is. + A star for the ecstacy of gold.
Just far too busy did not ebjoy
Mon opinion est biaisée considérant que Metallica est dans mon top 3 musicale. Excellent live, le mélange orchestral avec le métal crée un mix vraiment intéressant à écouter et ajoute de la profondeur aux tounes originales.
I love when artists try something different and unusual. Doesn't always work well, but this one sure did.
No leaf clover followed by hero of the day is cinema. They killed it on this
This is one of the best live albums I've listened to. There's just something about symphony music and heavy metal that go so well together. Would have been a heck of a show to see.
Sick album but not sure why it's on this list.
Absolutely incredible album. Metallica is always electric, but the orchestra fits together perfectly with the band. Great performance. Top tracks: The Call of Ktulu, Master of Puppets, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Outlaw Torn
Fantastic album, great musicians
I don’t seek out Metallica, but I thought this album was pretty good. The mix/production is really well done. It turns out that I know a lot of Metallica songs. I enjoyed this. The cons are it is incredibly long and sounds very similar after awhile. 3.75 stars, so it’s a 4.
I listened to this a ton when I was young. It's highs are high indeed but it is way too long.
A real ass-kicker. A “face melter” as the kids might say.
Da… sa gud
Metal man
First of all, I love Metallica ever since I was a teenager. This was actually the second Metallica release I bought on the first day, after I had discovered to them through "ReLoad" (of all their records, I know) and quickly inhaled the back catalog. I did not like it then and I still cannot bear it now. I do appreciate the experiment and of course there are some really beautiful moments, "Ecstasy of Gold" being played live is one of them. But most of the time it is just too much for me. There is not much "room" left in Metallica's sound, but the orchestra just keeps pushing its way into the songs partly smothering the band. The worst thing for me is that it kills pretty much all of the quieter parts by filling them in instead of letting the songs breathe. This takes away most of the dynamic especially songs like "Master of Puppets" and "Thing that should not be" are supposed to have. I would have liked to see this live, but under my headphones I will always prefer just about any other Metallica live record.
Ich mag grundsätzlich eher Studioaufnahmen als Live-Alben, aber mit dem Symphonieorchester klingt das richtig gut. Wie gut dass erst im „Studio“ geklungen hätte.
One of my all time favourites from my youth & still listen to it regularly. The counterintuitive mix of metal and classical music hits exactly right, with an amazing re-invention of almost every track. Notable for the new songs "-Human" and especially "No Leaf Clover". "Michael Kamen at the helm, YEAH!" (R.I.P) 5/5
This brought me back to my youth. I remember watching this concert on TV and being blown away by the incredible mix of these two musical genres. A great listen back down memory lane. incredible live performance 4.5
Eeppine, raff, legendaarinen
Good
Super fun listen, the orchestra and Metallica merge so well. Last time I listed to this one I was 13 or something.
This album is bad. Blending metal with an orchestra was an interesting idea someone had when they were high, but highdeas don’t always turn out the best. This sounds the score to a shitty action movie. No part of this was enjoyable.
Not bad. Not great. Somewhat interesting. A background listen.
Bastante rollo. Se salva Nothing Else Matters.
Blind album. Interesting uh... concept? Why the hell did they open with the soundtrack to the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly? Not my thing.
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.
Wonderful
Metall-i-skit
Tremendous show
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.
I was never a hard rock fan, but Metallica!
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.
The Ecstasy of Gold was really good,I didn't realize Metallica did a cover of it.I also liked The call of Ktulu, Bleeding Me and Battery. Although a long album it was enjoyable.
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.
Gimme Foo Gimme Fah Gimme Jabbajabawah!
Was enjoyable but I feel like the symphony could have been more metal. Symphonies can go pretty hard, it felt like they didn't use them properly.
No. This album should not be on this list. Metallica has multiple albums that deserve to be on this list, but this album is not one of them. Sorry. This album isn’t bad, it just feels like something for superfans.
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.
Holy fuck. It was ok, but over two hours long. I didn’t want to listen to this, I listened to it, it took all morning, it gets a 2.
Beautifully done. A really special performance.
I like symphony and I really like Metallica so this wasn't hard to listen to. Of course it does start off a little slower than I'd like, though
Started off too heavy for me but became less so. Lived the symphony pairing
Best Song: Fuel. It's my favourite Metallica song, made no better or worse by this live setting. Worst Song: No Leaf Clover. In an album full of dorky, overly-dramatic tracks, this might be the dorkiest and most overly-dramatic. Overall: Nothing says "Metallica" like a music that's bloated beyond all belief. Everything here plods along at the standard Metallica tempo. The symphony doesn't add much, and actively detracts in some areas. Opening with The "Ecstacy of Gold"? It's a great song, but opening your own album with one of the most famous modern classical songs is one of the most "look at me bro, I'm an intellectual"-moves I've ever seen. The whole thing just feels so soulless. After "Enter Sandman", one of the musicians shouts "Thank you very much, fans", and I can't think of a duller, more impersonal way of referring to your audience than that.
Pretty damn good. It’s a full concert on one album, I just don’t have the attention span for a 2 hour album
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!
Metallica cap off their blockbuster 90s with an unfathomable collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, thus bringing to life their own version of what Deep Purple did in the late 60s. At times highly tasteful whilst becoming a tad too overwhelming, the end result sees the band and orchestra dive into newer variations of what was now classic heavy metal songs, wringing out ferocious emotion and intensity that was bound to come to. It is not a surprise to see this become a pivotal moment for the band as it not only closed out the decade (and unknowingly saying farewell to Jason Newsted not long afterward) but it would inspire them to dig back into the symphonic bag two decades later. Whether or not this causes classical fans to dig Metallica or Metallica fans to appreciate classical, what can be said is that S&M was a rousing success. Generated on 2/7/24, reviewed on 3/27/24. Favorites: The Call of Ktulu, Master of Puppets, Fuel, The Memory Remains, No Leaf Clover, Hero of the Day, Nothing Else Matters, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Outlaw Torn, One, Enter Sandman.
I lasted 2.5 songs. That's as far as I could get. It's sooooo bad. I feel bad for the poor musicians in the orchestra who have to pretend like Metallica are good. 1 star.
Rough
i dont like the live versions so much however Metallica in general is nice
Did not listen
Undeniably good for what it is. The emphasis on Load/Reload era is striking and unfortunate; good songs in there, but so many more better songs that could have been included. Still solid.
Nach dem Album weiß man warum es beim Dorffest in Wacken so voll ist. 137 energiegeladene Minuten zeigen eine Osmose aus Hardrock und Classic. Nicht nur der Classicer “Nothing else Matter” wissen zu überzeugen sondern auch “Hero of the day” oder “Outlaw Torn” das einen guten Querschnitt des Albums abbildet.
None
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.
live album qualifier
Listening to this album is like eating a raw potato
I remember when this came out in 99, and I sat through it then. I had friends raving about it. I didn't get it then, and I still don't now. The idiotic title (wink wink, see what we did??) should tell you all you need to know without having to waste over 2 hours(!) on this. Only worth one star because the SF Symphony Orchestra is fantastic and they're doing all they can with the material.
I have always enjoyed this album. Some of the songs are a little muddy sonicly with all the instruments but others work perfectly. If nothing else it makes me want to listen to all their original albums.
Incredible.
Did like this Metalica with the symphony as it is far richer with an orchestra. More depth.
Comments: Never found appreciation for Metallica until now. This blew me away. Rating: 4/5
Yuck.
A Metallica album with an orchestra? Alright, fine. A Metallica album live? Sure, whatever. Both together? No one was asking for this, and no one is better off for it existing. Don't know who is on vocals for this album but they're particularly bad.
Interesting concept, works much better with the visual but I still dig the sounds
Kinda a cool concept but it mostly makes me want to listen to the original Metallica records.
2 hours and 13 minutes. What the hell. The Ecstacy Of Gold was cool. Besides that meh.
Love it since 20 years - and still do. Amazong project <3
self indulgent toss
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.
Meh.
Yes!!
Heavy metal cello is an awesome thing. I certainly like the combination of a full orchestra with the band. The integration is still imperfect in that the orchestra is very much an addition/wrapper to the songs, but it sounds great. The future would of course be to see an electrified orchestra actually take lead on some songs and not just be an embellishment--a flugel-horn melody, more clarinet, etc. Jethro Tull truly integrated some flute into their sound. Jean Luc Ponty violin was used by Zappa to some effect. Rock and pop have stuck for the most part with a very small range of instruments and tend to be very drum and bass driven. This kind of work begins to open the door to a broader sound and hopefully will light up the minds of those future musicians with the breadth of skills to turly integrate an orchestra.
i don't like metallica at all. the orchestral stuff is cool when it works though.
A little mid tbh, just not my vibe yet again
Interesting concept overall but this is not for me
This album made me realize that I actually hate Metallica.
Sheer pompous HUBRIS. The best bit is the intro; scored by Morricone, performed by the orchestra and therefore nothing whatsoever to do with Metallica. And this mf is over 2 hours long 😧 Visceral dislike and a true test of endurance to get through this. These guys are absolute tossers 😅🖕
I unashamedly love this album. Metallica has always been such a rediculously melodramatic band. "S&M" just... leans into the drama in the best way possible. It's so huge and over-the-top that it becomes its own thing. The orchestral compositions by Michael Kamen are so good that, though it's supposed to be an album of Metallica backed by an orchestra, it FEELS like it's the other way around. The San Francisco Symphony is the star here and they deserve the spotlight. Metallica is just adding texture to their performance. And, again, it's JUST. SO. EXTRA. I can't help it. Haters be damned, I love it.
Metallica rocks but two hours is too long for me.
Chun-chun-chunnnnng with an orchestra trying to make itself heard in the background. For 2 hours and 13 minutes. It's a novelty record.
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.
Los arreglos sinfónicos quedan excelentes y Metallica logra hacer un ensamble ideal. Se nota que era una gran época para la banda.
And here I was complaining about the overabundance of live albums in this list just because The Who's *Live At Leeds* popped up yesterday--taking up slots that could have better uses--when *this* surges today! I'm sure some fans of Metallica love this live "symphonic" version of their favorite guitar heroes' staple songs. And I'm sure doing this sort of "work" requires some flawless "technical" skills from everyone involved in this particular concert and recording. The thing is, *artistically" speaking, this project is just inept and overblown to ridiculous proportions (gosh, the sheer *length* of that album!). Worse, everything in this record is so damn predictable, artificial and ultimately *soulless*: those stadium-like crowd chants! The *performative* aspect of it all! The bland and heavy-handed symphonic orchestration reminding you of so many dumb Hollywood blockbusters! All due respect for the memory of the talented Michael Kamen, but he wasn't exactly a subtle film composer writing memorable themes anyway. No wonder he accepted the job and condoned this whole project. Plus, how many *recent* great acts in the metal genre have been ignored to leave some room for *this*? If only for this reason, true fans of this genre should be angered by the inclusion of this LP in the list. 1/5 grade for the purposes of this list of "essential" records. Call that a "protest grade". Which translates to a 6/10 grade for more general purposes (5+1). Because *S&M* so often straddles the line between merely "listenable" and cheesy that it's easy to lost count. Number of albums left to review: 312 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 308 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 168 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 225 (including this one)
La sinfonica de San Francisco lo hace algo más llevadero. Sólo salvo el.primer traca, y es gracias a Morricone
Vamos a dejar aún lado los gustos musicales, te puede gustar o no, indiscutiblemente, indudablemente… músicos son por encima de todo. En este álbum reúnen muchas de su mejores canciones interpretadas magistralmente y unido al sonido de violines y otro instrumentos le dan un toque a las canciones que podrían ser de cualquier banda sonora. Las cinco estrellas nunca se las voy a dar a nadie por que nada es perfecto, esté álbum se aproxima. Muy bien
Probably my favorite Metallica album. Haven’t listened to it in years. Great revisit that took me straight back to my “Metallica days” in my youth!
Good idea in theory, but a bit goofy in practice. Not sure who wrote the orchestral accompaniment but it's clear they struggled to find melodic space to insert the orchestra alongside the band – most of the backing vamps or phrases feel tacked on and don't jive with the original song's melody in a way that feels organic rather than forced. When things do click between the band and orchestra, it has the unfortunate effect of feeling like a Final Fantasy boss fight theme or a track made for anime opening credits. I will give this LP credit for being mildly entertaining (I didn't mind listening for the 2+ hours) and having a great mix (it could have sounded a whole lot worse), but again while the idea is good this just does not execute in the way the band wanted it to.
Symphony improved everything somewhat but still managed to be a relatively boring show
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.
There are a few skippable songs - maybe 2 in each half of the album - but the cumulative effect of Metallica, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, a tremendous crowd, and a setlist that includes almost every great song they wrote from 1983-1999 results in a live album as big, as powerful, and as charged as the band deserves.
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 is such a cool concept, and I'm a huge Metallica fan, so I came into this hoping for greatness, but it just falls short in places. Many of the arrangements leave a lot to be desired, some are sick as fuck though. Mixing is inconsistent throughout. James' voice is really rough on a few songs, Puppets is especially awful. Never listened to Load in full (why would I?) and Hero Of The Day is probably now my least favorite song by the band, what the fuck is that thing. It's still a really cool record overall but I wish it was better, if that makes sense
I enjoyed the music overall but the 'orchestral' part was more distracting and busy then anything else. There were definitely parts where the sound felt 'big and impressive' and sort of had that epic quasi-medieval feel, but overall I sort of wished for more Metallica and less orchestra....
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 would have been really neat as a studio album but the live aspects of it make it terrible. It probably would have been really neat to see this in person, but the recording doesn't do it for me.
Gold.
Ecstasy of Gold has got to be one of the coolest, heaviest way to start your live show. Very cool. Glad they are still doing this even after 20 years. Metallica with Orchestra is pretty much exactly what I need in there music. Adds a layer beyond the thrash that I'm not a massive fan of. Call of Ktulu sounds epic as all hell. Like a Dream Theater suite. The orchestra carries this song big time! After finishing this full album I can maybe contend that this might be my favourite Metallica album of all. Big fan of the first 5 albums but the orchestra really adds that extra layer for me. Would love an actual studio version utilizing orchestral elements. So heavy. So epic. Hell yeah.
Absolute legendary classic. Metallica and a symphony, who knew it would be such an excellent pairing of musical styles and instruments. This is absolutely one of my favorite albums of all time. Flawlessly executed, live on stage. Epic.
Not my music type
This was a brilliant concept, something super cool that I didn't know existed. I loved the symphony and Metallica together and it was interesting and impressive to hear how well it works. I am happy to be introduced to this. Sadly, it still wasn't enough for me to enjoy sitting through TWO HOURS AND THIRTEEN MINUTES of this live, heavy metal album.
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.
Loved this. The SF orchestra adds such a crazy dimension to the music. I would have preferred if the entire album was instrumental-only but even with the lyrics, you never lose sight of the hugeness of the orchestra behind them.
I didn’t want to like it, but actually thought it was okay.
This is the first album on the list so far that I've actually owned, and it answers my question about double albums and live albums at the same time. Big fan of Metallica so this is a treat to listen to from start to finish again. I don't think I've done that since I had access to a CD player. The transitions from song to song are so clean and an aspect of it that I've been missing listening to it a track at a time. If you've seen them live you know what's coming to start up and the orchestra version of "Extacy of Gold" is just awesome, as are most of the instrumental tracks. For the vocal tracks, the theatrics and drama work better for some than others. "The thing that should not be" and "Hero of the day" The new tracks made for the album "No Leaf Clover" and "-Human" are both great and tend to be my favorites on each disk because of not having a clean studio version to compare to, and the orchestra has a much more relevant part. Great album and concept. I'm only about 10 in on this 1001 album journey, but this was my favorite so far. Favorite track disk 1: "No Leaf Clover" Favorite track disk 2: "-Human " 5/5
The first symphonic metal album i ever heard, never been a great fan of Metalicca so i don't have a lot of expectations. The openning is the ecasty of gold (i don't know it was call that) but its the main song in the god the bad and the ugly so its pretty cool. Its a great combinason of metallica energetic and powerfull metal sound and the magnestic symphonic of the orchestra of San Franscisco. Because i don't know a lot of metalicca songs, i couldn't apreciate as much of his value this album, but the sound of the fans screaming before and after each songs prouve how much they are a good band, simply not my favorite. Enter Sandman is one of the best Metalicca song in my oppinion and its this version that i like the most in the album
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
I deeply, deeply hate this album
I liked the first song as it was an instrumental piece, but with the addition of voices, i found the sound too stressful and busy.
I mean, it's ok.... I'm not sure their music REALLY mixes well with symphonic music. James sounds a bit half arsed. Lars is drumming as badly as ever lol. Love Metallica but this left me a bit cold
Interesting blend of heavy with classical. I love the band, and appreciate the art project.
duplicate
Its 2hrs and 13mins.
Live metal album with an orchestra. Interesting enough but not sure why it made this list.
Who decided we needed 2+ hours of Metallica? The hubris. I will say they had a point about Napster but ugh Metallica
Classic Metallica
I really didn't want to listen to Metallica but am pleasantly surprised they teamed up with The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for this album! I'm giving it a chance :) I dig the drumming but the guitar and vocals get too dark and intense for me. I'm definitely not a vibrational match for Metallica but loved Ennio Morricone's The Ecstacy of Gold and the SFSO.
Fun, especially since I live in San Francisco, so it was nice to hear a Bay Area favorite + the San Francisco Symphony.
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.
Metallica but big. Can't go wrong!
Long songs, like, unnecessary long 😂 Though, the addition of the orchestra really makes it quite enjoyable to listen to Metallica. A really good accompaniment and adds such a large dimension to the sound. Guitars are nice and chunky, some nice riffs. Vocals sound a bit autotuned, which I wasn't expecting for a band like these tbh Overall, best one so far
Wow, how did I not know this album existed?! Not a massive Metallica fan but I do really like their music, and adding an orchestra is pretty damn cool. Extremely dramatic, essentially a Greatest Hits with added strings. I like!
The most dramatic album I've ever heard. Enjoyed it tons more than expected though.
Soooo good! Probably one of if not the greatest live performance ever. The crossover ov symphony and metal works out extremely well. Also a good way to listen to some om Metallica's greatest songs in one album.
It's just Metallica songs that we already know with a symphony behind it. Yes, back in 1983, when Kill 'Em All was released, no one would have imagine Metallica playing with the San Francisco Symphony, but the novelty doesn't really add anything. The sum is less than the parts. I would consider giving it 3 stars, but it doesn't belong on this list, so I'm going with 2. It's not bad, but it's far from great and is not an album I needed to listen to before I die.
fínt. hálft stig í frádrátt=tvöföld plata. 3,5.
39/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 As far as I'm concerned, Metallica stopped being a metal band the day the Black Album was released. They should have changed their name to Rockallica. As this album happened in 1999, the band was already a full decade past its pre-sucking days. While the presence of older tracks on this album is welcome, the overall delivery is disappointing. Lars Ulrich is not a live drummer and it's painfully obvious here. Also, when it comes to integrating an orchestra into metal, Dimmu Borgir (to name but one) released a far superior product to this. Metallica's effort make the band and the symphony feel like two separate entities playing in parallel, rather than acting as a cohesive whole. It's a fucking mess. I would love to punch Bob Rock in the face for having convinced James Hetfield that he could sing. He can't. He used to scream well enough, as long as his vocals were layered over multiple tracks. Now that he tries to sing, it's painful. Master of Puppets is on the shortlist of best albums ever. It's sad that the same band was responsible for... this. Perhaps most importantly, my cat hates it.
It was ok. Very cool grand melodic boss fight music, but when I want to listen to Metallica I want regular hardcore Metallica.
Great collaboration but Metallica is just too intense and sometimes seems repetitive for me to enjoy a whole album. But the SFSO is really good with them.
5/5 10/10 it’s Metallica’s with an orchestra. Very approachable balanced and incredible. Loved it.
Fantastic composition and incredible lineup. Just a wonderful piece of art
A two hour live album? By a band who I'm largely ambivalent about? At the point in their career they stopped making good music and started becoming a heritage act? Whoop de doo! Both band and orchestra try 'dramatic' as a mood on every track and it makes the last hour and thirty turn to background music. At least this was the catalyst for a hilarious documentary I suppose...
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.
I think this might be the most I've ever liked a metal album. The addition of the symphony is quite effective. I don't think I'll ever return to this on my own, but I didn't active dislike listening to this like I do with most metal. Nicely done, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra!