Reviews (page 8 of 10)
- I dont like metallica, they play well and they sound good, i just dont like them - this album is too long - the orchestral parts are cool, but i just dont care - cool and all, i dont like it
The Good: Who doesn’t like a little spanking??? The Bad: The spanking is done using Lars’s drumsticks… The Ugly: Having to listen to Mr Hettfield’s “Yeah-Yeah” all the time… For fuck’s sake, really? One thing is having to listen to a live album, another thing is having to endure a symphonic backing band to a metal(lica) soundtrack… Where half the time you aren’t even able to hear all instruments clearly. I hope the gents enjoyed their cultural blowjob, and that the crowd felt like their IQ went up 2 points… me, I’ve seen Metallica live more then any other band/artist, and I can’t recall it sounding so “forced”. So, fuck it… 2* Not because I don’t like the songs, nor the band, nor do I have an issue with classical music, it’s just that I will not be wasting another 2 hours of my lifetime listening to this album ever again… 2*
it’s Metallica so legendary but a little too dad groaning for my liking
S&M= Symphony and Metallica, which is not a combo one would imagine working well. Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" has been Metallica's walk-on music for decades. Now, a symphony orchestra plays it live and it sounds HUGE. Some songs are elevated by this collaboration: "Call of Ktulu", "Nothing Else Matters" Some aren't: "Master of Puppets", "Of Wolf and Man", most of them to be honest. All in all, I'm not impressed by this gimmick or Metallica's live performance. Very unneccessary and kind of annoying.
Full disclosure that I couldn’t commit to two hours of listening. But what I have listened to (basically the ones marked as popular by Apple) were good! It’s a fun concept
Yawn. AC/DC without the subtlety. Adding an orchestra only makes it sound even more pompous.
I'm sure it's a very good album but 135 minutes of a genre I'm not keen on was too much
Im not sure that Metallicas S/M symphonic album should be on a list of the 1001 albums one must listen to before they die. I’ll bet it was one of the best live events to attend, but it doesn’t translate as an album.
Really interesting concept but I hate the execution of it. The orchestra feels forced and on most songs doesn't compliment the music and stands out in an odd way.
I was willing to hang with this for the first couple tracks, the grandeur, the bombast -- it didn't strike me as different in spirit from a lot of metal. But after 15 or 20 minutes I had had my fill.
For all the love I have for Metallica, this doesnt really fit Like Metallica + James Bond + Disney... A lot of great musicians in this, but it just feels weird
First, I don’t really like Metallica’s whole thing, second I don’t think the facts it’s a live album help my enjoyment any, third it was probably awesome to see live but over two hours of Metallica just in the ears is too much
The album that should not be.
Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 🎼🎸💡 Production: 🎆🔊👍 Music: 🎸➕🎻🟰🙂↔️ Rating: 🎻🎻(🎻)/5
I didn’t know Mannheim Steamroller could rock so hard. Oh, wait …
Another marmite album. A strange mix of metal and symphony orchestra...doesn't really work for me
Meh.
From ecstasy to Metallica. That's a steep decline.
Very few of these songs were improved by the addition of the orchestra
Mixed feelings on this one. The symphony is a cool touch and there are a lot of individual tracks that are worthy of being on the list for sure. On the other hand this is a 2+ hour long greatest hits live album and that's just too much.
Looking back on it after all these years it feels a littke cheap and unnecessary. I think maybe two or three songs were actually complimented by the orchestra, on the rest the orchestra just kind of got in the way.
This one clogs up my intestines.
Band and orchestra do not fit together.
WAY too much going on with this album.
Wow. This made the cut? I had a copy of this CD, back when I didn’t know any better, and heard “No Leaf Clover” on KBPI and liked it. It’s a decent song I guess. I had my time with Metallica, but it wasn’t listening to the early stuff (the good stuff? Still haven’t listened, I assume that’ll come up eventually), I was into the pop radio stuff, like the Black album. This sure is Metallica with a Symphony all right-ah. Yep. If that’s what you want, you sure got it-ah. Master of Puppets, pulling your string quartet.
I like Metallica but I do not like this remix 2/5 for me.
Nope. Just not a fan of Metallica and this seems sooooo unnecessary. There are also just too many live albums on this list
tönt ein wenig wie soundtrack bei einer verfolgungsjagd im film. spannend.
The biggest compliment I can give is that the orchestra and Metallica don't step on each others toes. That said, it's way too long and the whole premise is kind of lame.
I just couldn't do the whole thing. It was stressing me out
Look, I'll give Metallica credit for doing this, and it's an interesting take on a lot of their great songs. But, it's not what you'd want to hear every day from Metallica if you're rocking out in your van down by the river. 2.25/5 for some awesome string arrangements.
I can listen to Metallica while I run or walk.
This is #day303 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… yeah, this is cinematic, epic (or, so they say), aka the last record to feature James Newsted, and all that, but I'd swap this for Ride the Lightning any day. More than two fucking hours of symphohic heavy metal live is merciless. The orchestra sounds very out of place to me. I didn't feel like going through the whole thing. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day304.
6 of these songs were covers of songs by the same band already on this list. How many songs are duplicates in this 1,001 list? How many duplicated by the same artist? Probably Neil blooming Young... Very enjoyable though. Although I'm only ten minutes in. An hour in and I'm starting to flag ... multiple pauses to do something else ... It is attention demanding, but not actually interesting enough to hold my focus. Maybe in 1999 this would be more striking and original. I think this is definitely an album for Metallica fans who want more.
The symphony aspects makes it feel quite cinematic, but the live performance/audience makes it feel out of sorts. Interesting enough to be worth a listen, but 2 hours is far too long!
I appreciated getting something different here- this was a combination effort of Metallica and the SFSO to recreate 21 Metallica songs with the orchestra added in. It was a live album, recorded from a concert performance. My biggest issue with this effort is similar to what I find irksome about most live albums: you miss out on half of what makes them worthwhile because you don't get the visual experience. Performers at a show aren't just recording music; they're entertaining the crowd of people in front of them. The whole time I was listening, I was wishing I could see the band and orchestra performing together. The music alone was fine, but didn't seem all that special even with the unique composition. I know plenty of Metallica songs, and to be honest I like the regular versions of them better than with the orchestra combo. Comparing the two versions is weird since I've only ever heard recorded versions of those and the live version of this. I've heard plenty of orchestra-accompanied rock songs that are great, but those came from a studio setting. I think this really needs to be its own thing without the comparison to the regular versions, but that just brings me back to the missing visual component. I can only imagine what an experience it would've been to see it live, but even a video of the show would've added a lot for the listener. I think one other issue I have is that the orchestra kind of mellows it out. Metallica is not a "sit down and enjoy" band, but a "get up and rock out" band. With the orchestra, a number of the songs lost that vibe for me. The ones that kept the energy made it clear why it's a cool idea that can work, but the majority of songs didn't come through. When the album is 2+ hours long, it needs to succeed more than this did for me to be satisfied. As a result, I'd be much more inclined to revisit certain tracks rather than the whole album. I liked this conceptually, but was disappointed by the result. I think I would've liked it a lot better if I had been able to see the performance instead of just hearing it. Overall: 2.25/5
They made the mistake of just adding the orchestra to the band without altering anything else. They didn't take the opportunity to create a fusion between the classic symphonic orchestra and a metal band. 2 hours wasted.
Не понимаю, зачем (это здесь), но допустим. Лучшая песня - No Leaf Clover.
Spinal Tap level Pretentiousness
Sinfoniaa. Pelkät soittimet. Oikeastaan aika huonot sovitukset paikoin mitä alkuperäisiin tulee.
Genuinely impressed by the atomic mass of this album - just doesn't resonate with me super strong.
6:30AM on a Sunday morning is entirely too early for this nonsense, but I bet it would have been pretty epic to see live.
det är ju bombastiskt och ganska fett emellanåt men för det första så är jag ingen stor fan av metallica och för det andra så är det 2 timmar långt.
The most over indulgent live album since Houmous & Chutneys controversial 2nd studio album in 1959 ‘Houmous & Chutney: Live & Over Indulgent’. An album where they used 14 philharmonic orchestras to create a sound so massive that it actually inspired Phil Spector to create his wall of sound! 2.1
☀︎bro c’est 2h j’écoute pas ça au complet ☀︎j’ai pas écouté ça au complet
I’m sorry Metallica heads. Bringing in a symphony was a good try, but I just don’t enjoy this
??
Nah. DNF
21 tracks and 2 hours — this will surely influence my year-end wrapped.
This is everything that I dislike about Metallica distilled into a live album that is waaay too long. I really just don’t enjoy this combination of symphonies with thrash metal songs that clearly were not written with anything like this in mind. It makes my brain feel like I’m listening to two different songs playing at the same time, and honestly I find it kind of overwhelming. I’ll continue to enjoy “Kill ‘em All” and “Ride the Lightning” while ignoring pretty much everything else Metallica has done. 2*
pretty music. the symphony orchestra is very grand. If this isn't 2 hours of BS though. I made it halfway through which is about the length of a real album, so good enough to get a vibe I think.
The orchestra doesn’t fix what’s shit about Metallica. James is a terrible singer and he’s not improved by a live recording. This experiment is way more interesting in theory than reality and two hours of it is just too damn much.
ok i am absolutely not listening to all of that. it’s nominally more bearable than the other metallica shite because of the orchestral elements and lack of vocals* but it still sounds so boring and cheesy to me. it sounds like the score of a really stupid action movie. obviously the orchestra involves skill but it’s just STUPIDDDDDDDDD. *nope i just got to the third song and the vocals kicked in so that killed any of my remaining enthusiasm. his voice does sound better here than on the studio albums though.
Не
This is alright for a while, the combination of symphony and heavy metal is cool and the orchestra does create a new element to the songs. I'm not enough of a Metallica fan to still be enjoying this after 2+ hours though. It sounds a bit samey after a while and I was resolutely bored after about 13-14 tracks Kind of a weird inclusion for the book, considering the critic reviews weren't even that great, and they could've easily added another studio album from the band instead. Anyway I won't listen again
Metallica for the mainstream. Maybe they needed the money.
I was really excited to hear a side of Metallica I never have. My god, what a confusing mess. This might prove that it is possible to have too much instrumentation in music.
I kind of like Metallica okay in small doses, but this was way too long.
This is a collection of mostly great songs, but outside Of wolf and man and No leaf Clover, this album is non the ideal way to listen to them, I didn't like James Hetfield's performance.
# Album Name: S&M # Artist: Metallica # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Honestly, i like metallica but this was not a good album. It felt like an infusion of two complete opposites - which is kinda what it is. However, its not done well. The orchestra pieces doesnt go well with the majority of songs. It just doesnt fit. When i think of great symphony/rock pieces i think of songs from Paul McCartney or Guns n Roses. Metallica also have examples of this in their back catalogue. And it works for the odd song here and there. I get what theyve done and tried to push the boundary. But it just didnt work for me. Overall a poor album. # Top Tunes: None # Would I listen to it again? No
It was a very long album to listen to with more than 2 hours. This kind of symphonic metal music is not my cup of tea, it's just too bloated, too much. It wasn't completely unlistenable, but I didn't like it either and I won't listen to it again.
En jaksanut kuin 2 biisiä. Levyllä toi sinfonia ei toimi
Two hours of Metallica. Half-hearted yaaay. I was hoping I would at least get a metal/classical cover of Ennio Morricone's magical opener here but no, it was obviously just for the band to walk out to. I enjoy orchestra/ rock crossovers and generally find them interesting. I generally find Metallica mostly uninteresting. I am unfamiliar with at least half of these tracks. Inauspicious. Fair play, the Cthulhu instrumental is pretty good, and doesn't feel overlong. The same can definitely not be said for Master of Puppets, which is everything I dislike about Metallica - woo look how well I can play this instrument, who cares about the tune - and I think is still going on now, whenever you are reading this. Much of the rest just blurred into one long bludgeoning. It's often hard to properly make out the orchestra which is a shame and sort of defeats the object. I hope it was a better mix for the fans in the room at the time. Tracks that did actually stand out - Fuel, Bleeding Me, Wherever I May Roam Not really clear why this is here given the band are already well represented. If you want to include an orchestra/band crossover then why not John Grant and the BBC Philharmonic, that was absolutely majestic. Can totally understand how some Metallica fans would be all over this. Will I ever listen again? Almost certainly not.
Still think they are overrated and the drummer stinks
The closest you'll get to the sound of a Dad who's put The Incredibles (2004) on for his kids so he can go drink in the garage for 2 hours at 10 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. I understand the desired reception to putting an orchestra over rock/metal is "this is EPIC", but I'm yet to see an instance in history this has ever happened. What a way to start this fucking list...
Because this is (unfortunately) an album consisting of an entire live performance, I am going to avoid rating this harshly based on it being "too long", though this was an absolute struggle to finish, I won't lie. This thing honestly got off to a good start, until I heard violins trying to replicate the Master of Puppets intro is when it all started going downhill. The song selection here was good (though I don't think 2.25hrs was a very nice thing to do), and for once (thank God), Lars' drumming was actually not too bad considering how terrible he is usually. Unfortunately Hetfield sounds like he smoked a carton of Chinese Double Happiness cigarettes before singing on here. Horrendous voice. My main gripe here is the symphony. Don't get me wrong, I love a good symphony/rock band mesh - go listen to Alter Bridge @ Royal Albert Hall Man if you want to hear it done right, because the symphonic arrangements on this record were actually dogshit. Nothing meshed at all. It's like they took the SFSO and got them to play a completely different arrangement in a completely different key to the band. It doesn't help that most of the members of Metallica are generally talentless so working with them would have been near impossible, but come on man, Jesus Christ. There are, I will admit, a few songs where there are exceptions to the above like The Thing That Should Not Be, where the orchestra and the rock actually mesh well, but those are few and far between. I genuinely think this would have been better off if the symphony wasn't there and they just stuck to a long ass live album. I would have enjoyed it a lot better, and I LIKE orchestras playing with rock bands, but this is just terrible. PLEASE STOP INCLUDING LIVE ALBUMS ON HERE THEY ARE SHIT AND BORING (except for u sam cooke love u) tldr; too long, orchestra is shithouse and doesn't mesh at all, hetfield singing is bad, this thing sounds like watching lawn bowls at a rugby game 2 hours of this has genuinely rotted my brain
I could not finish it. If I wanted to hear alcoholics screaming over orchestral music I’d go for a walk in the park near QPAC.
If you want a mixed orchestral live album just go listen to unpeeled by Cage the Elephant. No joke its way better, this just feels like the lamest guy you knows idea of "cool". It's not and neither is your Dragon Ball figurine, maybe if someone else owned it, but not you. 3/10
2.5
The orchestra is more enjoyable than Metallica. The arrangements are hit and miss, but not the worst thing ever. 2.5 stars
Uhhhhh. Maybe the last Metallica album I care about. Afterwards I only get roused slightly by the insane Lou Reed collab, but this was the last light before Metallica stopped mattering to me. Could’ve been amazing, and I admire them a lot for doing it, but unfortunately this is over 2 hours and more than half of it is re/load sooo solid 2.5/5
No! More! Live! Albums!
very rarely do i not listen to an album in full, but i’m six songs in, and i can tell this is going to be one that i don’t finish. i just don’t care. if you’re a metallica fan, i’m sure this is great fun. otherwise i’m not sure why it’s on the list.
No. 2 stars
113 minutes....I listened to this straight through. May have benefited from a set break, but who knows? It all just really feels unnecessary. The orchestra is doing their thing, but I don't see it adding a whole lot of value. People ARE singing along on the call and response thing, so I'm guessing this wasn't a totally hoity toity affair. But how many Metallica heads HAD to have this?
A one-trick pony that lasts over 2 hours. When it works it's pretty cool. When it doesn't it all sounds like an extended riff on Live or Let Die. Too much Load and Reload.
Come on man
freu mi gar nöd. wenigstens fönds mit morricone aah. aah ktulu time. es passt scho irgendwie zeme ebe. so orchester im filmmusig-stil und metal. ha eig no e gueti ziit. aber da isch etz lang gange da lied. meister der puppen. de lars spielt huuere guet do? sicher nöd eifach mit orchester und dirigent. ich ha am james sini stimm scho nöd soo gern. waldhorn uf master of puppets isch seeeehr geil. fuel isch etz recht langwilig gsi und the memory remains au ehner. wemmer gnau anelost macht s orchester immmer cools züg aber s isch schochli es mues. nothing else matters nervt mi hert. er tönt noch autotune??? outlaw torn isch etz no nice. aber najaaaaa. juan isch no e cools riff. ich mag nüme. one isch en coole song. enter sandman isch ihren beste. oh mein gott ich hass wiener YEAAH seit am schluss.
Poor abused orchestra:)
Look, I love Metallica. But this just ain't it man. A couple of songs in and I was loving this. Thrash metal with orchestral arrangements too? Hell yeah. However, already by virtue of the fact that it's metal, it's not something I want to listen to for 2 straight hours. And as cool as the orchestral aspect sounds at first, it quickly becomes very annoying and overly theatrical while not actually being all that interesting after just a handful of songs. There was potential here, but the combination of the insane length, lack of light and shade, and the orchestral arrangements quickly becoming annoying really hold this album back a lot.
A naff gimmick by a band, who after their four album deal with the devil expired just could not escape naff-ness
This sounds really muddy and busy to me. Of the songs I like, I like the originals better, and the whole thing just stinks of them sniffing their own farts
I listened to this in two parts. The first, hungover, grudging, trudging to the shop to get a paper, was truly abominable. The second, running through the streets the following day feeling fresh and sprightly, only quite bad. The album begins with about 15 minutes of instrumental. As it's live and with a large string section, that's not totally unpleasant. Soon, the shouting starts though. Cheer up mate, it might never happen. The band are really tight, and the strings do actually add something to proceedings, but it is so, so, so long and every song follows an identikit format. The best known songs probably fare best here, because, regardless of my own distaste for it, it's always nice to hear a crowd going absolutely beside themselves with joy.
Arrgghh. Not another 2 hours of Metallica.
No, thanks. These songs are better without the orchestra.
Heavy sinfónico? Metallica con una orquesta completa? Un disco doble de grandes éxitos en directo? Todos los clichés y adjetivos que le queramos poner... pero es un disco que tengo y de los que más escucho de Metallica, aunque no es ni de lejos de los mejores de su discografía (Master of Puppets, Ride The Lightning y …And Justice for All o el álbum negro). No parece que conjunten demasiado la banda y la orquesta (tampoco es que hubieran ensayado mucho), pero con ese set list hasta la tuna podría tener éxito. Venían de años un poco dispersos, con el pie cambiado: Load, Reload y Garaje Inc. Al mando Kamen, que no era precisamente un novato en el rock (Comfortably Numb, Who Wants to live Forever?, y trabajos con Aerosmith, Bowie o los propios Metallica). Lamentablemente falleció muy poco después de publicarse el disco (ya había sido diagnosticado de Esclerosis Mútiple años atrás). Tuvo una estupenda segunda parte, tanto o más recomendable: S&M2
This is the ultimate example of how shit the list is. The orchestrations don’t fit at all. I have a friend who’s a huge Metallica fan and he said the album is amazing if you use the option to turn off the orchestra on the live dvd. Pointless shite
This album is like when you fancy a burger, but you buy one that’s totally pimped up; say with a portabello mushroom, onion ring, 3 types of cheese (one of them most likely Monterrey Jack, which literally no one has ever eaten solo outside of a burger, wtf does it actually look/taste like? I digress) some kimchi and a bit of bacon. It’s kind of alright but it’s messy feels overindulgent, and the burger which is supposed to be the star of the dish was a bit lost in the whole thing.
This was so intensely silly and boring at the same time. I needed WAY less Hetfield and WAY more symphony orchestra. At least the first few songs had long stretches where it was clear Kirk Hammett was having fun, and that helped to redeem it a little. 1.5
I think this is the first album where I agree why it's necessary to have a live album. Symphony parts were cool and it was cool to hear them in comparison to the studio versions, but idk, I'm not the biggest Metallica fan. 2.5
Epic and so dated. The symphony backing rock gods. Cool. Couldn’t get through the whole thing.
Conceptually, it makes sense. Metallica were always the band of the grand statement. But it does jump the shark, doesn't it?
UGH. Flat vocals. Sounds like cover versions by some bullshit Emo band. I understand that its an interesting idea to combine the 2 styles. I just feel it falls flat.
It was a good idea but it just feels so bloated and thin. It comes across more of a novelty than a cool fusion.
I'll start with the fact that I've never been a huge fan of live albums. Parts of this are Metallica at their best. Fast, well played guitar. Great song writing and composition. The orchestra was often a great add-on to them musically, and I've always felt a lot of modern metal is similar to classical music in the technical requirements of the piece. It's also Metallica at their worst. This album proves that Lars is just not a good enough drummer to play with the SF Symphony Orchestra. James' voice is not great. Too many of their songs are just too long, and 2 hours of Metallica is more than anyone should be forced to listen to in a go.
I think i prefer no orchestra. 2/5
I don't like live albums. I like some of the orchestral stuff but the metal sucks like normal.
Not getting this unfortunately, wanted this to be great...but I think I prefer my Metallica without Symphony, and my Symphony without Metallica.
I expected this to be a lot better than it was. The idea was great, but they didn’t adjust any of their songs to tastefully fit the orchestra. It just sounded like an orchestra trying to play in the same room as Metallica. Also, Lars just blows. He sucks so bad
First listen. Ok I guess.
I'm sure this would be fun if I at all liked Metallica
1. gold - 1 2. ktulu - 1.5 3. puppetz - 3 4. uuolf - 1 5. thing - 1 6. fuel - 2 7. memory - 1 8. clover - 1 9. hero - 1 10. dance - 1 11. bleeding - 1 12. matterz - 2 13. zleepz - 1 14. bell - 1 15. human - 1 16. roam - 1 17. outlauu - 0 18. true - 1.5 19. one - 1 20. zandman - 3 21. battery - 2.5
like S&M this is painful, Nothing Else Matters saves this from being a 1 star
Look I get it, millions of people think Metallica is a great band and most of those people probably agree that this live record from 1999 is an album you must hear before you take your final breath. I simply am not one of those people.
Ughhh
Like jazz, looks/sounds more fun to play than to listen to. Turgid rock music with icing sugar classical topping. It's all just a bit obvious.
To me the orchestra doesn’t add anything, the arrangements feel more like a film soundtrack
Chili und Vanillepudding gehören einfach nicht zusammen.
Although I respect Metallica as musicians and the great stuff they’ve put out, I’m neither a fan of live recordings or hour-plus long albums, both of which this is. The moment to moment music is great, but it’s so long that it ruins how listenable it is as a whole package.
Never really been a Metallica fan and, unfortunately, the addition of a symphony did little to change that. I didn't feel a synergy from the two playing together. I still enjoyed the same singles I already like and the rest of the album was...fine. Fav Track: Master of Puppets
Could be better. Metallica, great and all, to easy for me
This is so fucking cool on paper, and when the band and the orchestra hit they hit HARD. The problem is this is Metallica and James Hetfield fucking sucks as a lead singer and there’s so many of his little vocal inflections that ruin everything. If his vocals were replaced with a string or a wind or a brass section, then this would rule, but like. His dumb voice takes it out. There was this time an orchestra played live while Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantel wrestled. This is the auditory version of that. Except the difference is Jeff Jarrett didn’t sing like an asshole. There’s an album the Royal Philharmonic did of Elvis songs, and if fucking Elvis is outshining your vocals then Jesus.
I’m not a Metallica fan so this felt waaaay too long for me. Also they made me wait until the end for “Enter Sandman”. 2.5/5
i guess its interesting but its also not very good. i mean, why bother?
Sorry why is this over two hours long. go away okay Call of Ktulu is banging I'm enjoying this more than I thought I would But it's very long. Flagging just near the end of disc 1. Want to have a break but worried I won't go back to it! Starting disc 2. not in the mood unfortunately actually it's fine. mostly just feeling like background noise I listened to the whole thing and god, I hope I don't get another long album for a while 2.5/5, rounded down to 2. it's my ratings system I can do what I want
Ovaj album sam dosta puta preslušao kao klinac tak da mi nije novo. Al s ovim odraslim ušima, isse, dalo bi se svašta reć :D Uglavnom, na pola sam i sumnjam da će mi se komentar promijeniti. Pjesme Metallice, ok, to su šta su, meni to više nije zanimljivo. Pustim si ih jednom u 2 god za nostalgiju. Svakako je značajan taj format orkestra i metal benda. Iako ideja nije bila revolucionarna, obilježilo je žanr kao moment in history i to definitivno mislim da zaslužuje respect. AAAALI... KOLIČINA JEBENOG AUTOTUNE-a na vokalima (nije auto, nego vjerojatno studijski speglano, sejm shit)... meni je ovo jedva slušljivo. Pogotovo jer je metal bend i pogotovo jer se ne može baš reć da Hetfield ne zna pjevat. Jednostavno nemrem to peglanje slušat :D Ima svoje mjesto, naravno, al mislim da mu tu nikako nije. Kladim se da se lik mogao bolje uvježbat pa ne bi bilo potrebno. Ili su ga producenti sprčili. Nisam očekivao da ću posrat aranžman orkestra, ali često zvuče kao da samo trkeljaju i ne uklapaju se u pjesmu. 3.5/10 - fora trenutak u povijesti metala, ali izvedba i aranžman su mi očajni
Meh
Ingen af de her sange lyder bedre end de plejer her, men det er da en meget sjov ide og nogen af dem lyder ret cool! Havde været bedre hvis det ikke var 2 timer +. Man sku nok ha været der.
Første gange jeg hører hele pladen. Man kan godt mærke at symfoniorkestrets stykker er skrevet på bagkant af sangene. Det virker ikke til virkeligt at højne niveauet af sangene. Lidt en lang plade, men med sådan et setup og så mange gode sange, så spiller man vel også bare det men kan få lov til.
The blend of their music with the orchestra is alright, but what really ruins the album for me is the heavy use of pitch correction on the vocals. Hard to overlook. It’s especially glaring when he holds a high note or runs thru a few notes with his voice quickly. I’m firmly of the opinion that imperfections in a vocal part sound better than a vocal that’s fixed in post production. And it’s not really about the fact that it’s “cheating” or whatever, it just adds such an annoying fake quality to the voice. The vocals on their first few studio albums are much nicer to listen than those on here
I can't see this in the list - don't think the orchestra adds anything of substance
Albumi #30, 27.08.2024 Metallica ei muuttunut paremmaksi sinfoniaorkesterin säestämänäkään.
#325. Gimme foo, gimme fie, gimme zabbadabbadie, ooh reaheah! Ok, ok, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself from mocking Jemes Hetfield's weird bullshit. He and Lars Ulrich are peak fucking cringe. And this weird ass shit was right at the height of it. I was like 13 when this came out, and even then I was like what the fuck is this. From the top floor of Cringe Tower, Metallica vomited this nonsense upon the world. And then about 5 minutes later they started suing their own fans, so they definitely can get fucked as far as I'm concerned. I honestly don't know how these are the same dudes that made all that good music in the 80s, were they always this retarded, and they just used to be good at hiding it or something? Who knows. All I do know is this shit is shit. 2/5: Good initiative, bad judgement.
Bastante decente pero... ¿dos horas y diez?
Super cool idea, but also never listening to this again.
A little intense for a Friday at 8 AM. Also, I have a coworker that has hitched his entire identity to Metallica...he kind of sucks so I am not really listening through an objective lens.
God, that was a slog. Some songs were ok fun - but a whole 2 hours of it was just too self-indulgent, repetitive and plain boring for me.
What's a wildly successful group of men with small penises at the height of their career to do, but to hire an orchestra to add the missing layer to their pretentiousness. The Ecstasy of Gold was really good though. Ennio forever! (I listened to the whole thing, I swear!)
Too long
Not my fave Metallica record. I typically enjoy live sessions with a full orchestra but something about this recording just doesn’t match up for me
I usually enjoy orchestra-enriched rock, but this cooperation doesn't seam to work. They sound disconnected to the point that I had the feeling I was listening to some Metallica live recording while watching the old Mission Impossible series. I can't recommend it 4/10
by far the album ive rolled so far that most makes me question the methodology of this godforsaken list. i can accept western and guitar music-centric bias and that that means some bands are gonna be over represented but man are u serious lmao. the actual album is kind of an interesting reflection on the most popular metal band thats Ever Been, bunching together material from all over their timeline with extremely non-revelatory orchestral backing (and it rly is just Backing, its never mixed with any of the same amount as importance as the band) and james' new alt rock voice. it feels to me like metallica's songwriting (at least past kill em all) is way more rooted in the rock idiom then the metal idiom (in other words, has an evolutionary line pointing more towards RnB then the blues), which gives their music a sort of comforting familiarity to a mainstream audience no matter how aggressive and heavy they made it. it also highlights the ugliness of metal bands attempting to over-emphasize their roots in nonblack music, as if taking from classical is a fundamental part of the genre and not something that was popularly grafted on after the genre was already formed. more then anything tho, over two hours long! james is kinda loose and audience participationy on the first few tracks but then drops off the face of the earth, esp in the second set where i dont think he says a word. theres like One crowd sung line on wherever i may roam and it feels like a jumpscare. disappointing lack of showmanship here all things considered
Starting out covering the great Ennio Morricone? I guess to show off the symphony and not Metallica itself? Not a big Metallica fan, but I do usually like symphony covers of popular songs. This wasn't quite that, but I did like classical spin on the songs, but it was just okay overall to me. Not sure I would choose to listen to it again.
The cover of other songs are just that songs, but with a rock filter and they don't have a Metallica style (It seems they didn't want to dare). In the others songs the orchestra don't fit so much, needed more study
very cool idea obviously ... but i just cannot get into heavy metal or metallica i cant and this album was TWO HOURS of that . its just exhausting ..... and not interesting to me and i dont even know why it just isnt
Question – are Metallica a good enough live band to warrant a live album? Another question – are Metallica good enough live to stay in sync with an orchestra? S&M is a cool idea. Metallica have always been closely linked to classical music, particularly thanks to Cliff Burton’s compositions. But the concept ignores the big issues of Metallica, particularly of a Metallica circa 1999. While the symphonic touches are cool, in every instance, I’d rather just hear the original material from the original album. And actually, I frequently found the orchestral elements to be too much on top of the band’s live tone (a tone that is….certainly a choice). Hetfield is not giving his greatest vocal performance, either, and frankly nearly ruins a lot of these songs, although there are a few bright spots, such as “Hero Of The Day,” “Bleeding Me,” and “The Outlaw Torn,” although I might just like when he goes into his lower register. On the other hand, Lars is always going to be an ✨interesting✨ drummer, and while he keeps it mostly together here, there’s still ticks, and those ticks are heightened when he’s forced to actually play with good musicians. Kirk’s as good as always, but his tone is also as take-it-or-leave-it as always, too. The best part of this record is Newsted’s bass, but also, isn’t that the issue with this era of Metallica? Like, isn’t he how we got to Metallica Goes Classical™️, because these other three grown men just couldn’t unpack Burton’s death and did weird shit as a result for about a decade? Also, not to be this bitch, because I normally hate this complaint against other albums on this list, but…I really don’t need 2.25 hours of Metallica Goes Classical™️. The one saving grace for S&M is that half of it is material from their peak era, and even though I’m not the biggest Metallica fan ever, those songs are still peak metal. To play my own Devil’s Advocate, though, the other half is made up of songs from an era where Metallica were quickly devolving, and while it’s not quite rock bottom and some of those songs are pretty good, none of them are what anyone would classify as peak metal. If I wanted seminal symphonic metal, I’d just listen to Nightwish or Within Temptation. And if I wanted Metallica, I’d listen to their first 5 studio albums. The problem is, I rarely want either of those things, so S&M and I were already starting off on bad footing. It’s then unfortunate that actually listening to S&M only made things worse. Again, it’s saved by the sheer strength of the original material from the band’s heyday, but it’s only barely saved. Even with its inherently strong material, S&M is an exhausting listen, one that numbs your brain to its problems by just throwing too much material at you that is only tolerable if you’re already a huge Metallica fan who likes both their peak era and their declining eras. If that isn’t you, you won’t enjoy this, and if you try to actively engage with it, you’ll only see problems. And that isn’t me, and I didn’t enjoy this, and actively engaging with it made me angry. So angry, you could even call me St. Anger. (Also, let’s be real, if Dimery is going to skip over Ride the Lightning in favor of S&M, then he could’ve at *least* include Lulu on this list.)
An odd album. It doesn’t reach the mark of good classical music (sounds more like a soundtrack looking for a movie) and stifles Metallica.
Not that bad but way too long
By the end I was just like please god make it stop. This is the only music I’ve listened to all day. They r good at metal and the live album does them really well but like two hours of this was wayyyy too much and I just did not enjoy it.
4/10 - I feel like if this album was half as long it would have been a 6 but its just so long. I had to break it apart into different sessions otherwise it would have been to much of the same thing. Overall it has some decent moments but it was not very enjoyable due to its length. The orchestra was kind of cool tho. It was the worst version of enter sandman I have ever heard.
Dumb stupid fucking 2+ hour metal album. At least the symphony makes it interesting because I don't know what I would've done if it was just 2+ hours of Metallica. Album was still dumb and still doesn't need to be on this list. Metallica can actually fuck off
You'd think Metallica are the perfect choice to add a Symphony Orchestra to and maybe they still are, but not on this. Metallica are definitely one of the most composer-ly bands. Their songs sound like they were written with real thought and direction particularly on the 'Master of Puppets' and '...and Justice for All' albums. Themes develop, songs have different sections, there is light and shade and changes of pace, reflective soulful moments are contrasted with fathomless heaviosity and then galloping pace. So perfectly suited to be backed by an orchestra well versed with Shostakovich, Mahler and Wagner? Nope! the arrangements are pointless and mismatched to the band, and we are horribly exposed to Lars Ulrich's blundering inadvertant free-jazz take on timing. The orchestra are just whining and brassily farting in the background while the other 3 contend with bridging that and Lars. Also this made me listen to loads of songs I'd missed post Black Album and frankly it's country-pop nonsense. You never got this shit from Motorhead.
Does not mix. Does not work.
not for me; plain and simple. Screaming and yelling and blaring. I get it
Definitely a fantastic metal band. But how is this one of the 1001 albums?
não gosto da ideia de misturar o rock com a orquestra. É questão de gosto. Mas, tirando isso, um show muito bem executado. Todos muito bem afiados.
"Бля, пацаны, я тут восьмую симфонию Чайковского недавно послушал, чем мы хуже епта?" (С) Джеймс "получил пизды" Хэтфилд 5/10
Like Metallica, don't like the live shows on spotify
Metallica was good until the black album
Surprisingly boring. A couple of good moments, but I only made it four tracks in.
Symphonic metal? More like Metallica muzzled.
I would rather just listen to the studio versions of all these songs
I'm sure it was a great concert to go to but who is this album for? I think only the most hardcore Metallica fans go for this one over any of their studio albums. Folks that don't like Metallica probably won't like it either. Plus at over 2 hours long it's just fatiguing. I couldn't finish it
Metallica + symphony. Could be cool - it works nicely to elevate the music in some places and less so in others, muddling it up a bit or just not adding much. Really enjoyed The Call if Ktulu, but just thought it didn’t hit as well with Master of Puppets (except in the bridge section). Works well in One. It continues that way throughout. I never really explored Load/Reload, so those songs weren’t as interesting to me (other than Fuel). Cool idea with decent execution, but it doesn’t always land. A Metallica enthusiast might love it (might also not…) because it’s best if you know the songs well to better grasp what the symphony contributes. Would have been much cooler in person. Appreciate the attempt and it just makes me want to go listen to other Metallica albums.
Not a big fan of any band getting an orchestra involved with backing their hit songs. Ian Anderson did this and it's like old-man-ifying your hard worked masterpieces. 2 stars. Maybe this was fun for long time fans to witness live...
Sounded like 1980s movie soundtracks? Not bad, not interesting.
Das Orchester macht die paar guten Songs nicht besser, sondern verschleimt sie mehr. Nicht mein Ding.
Mahh... I didn't like it.
Really torn as I enjoy both Metallica and orchestral music. And it’s a cool concept. But although the differing music sounds great together and really elevate each other, the singing was a MASSIVE distraction. The only songs I enjoyed were the ones with no vocals, of which there were few. Some of this is the inherent difference with live albums - it’s a performance for the live audience and doesn’t translate well to recordings, since the whole visual/atmospheric show is missing from the experience. Unfortunately, gotta give this one a low score, not only for being disappointed in the product but also I don’t feel a hits compilation has business being on the 1001 list
Questo album mi era già uscito tempo fa, quindi per questa recensione mi baserò su quello che mi ricordo (anche perché non morivo dalla voglia di riascoltarmi tutte le 2 e passa ore di album). Sinceramente la scelta di inserire questo live album è per me una fonte di perplessità, dato che nella lista sono già presenti tanti album dei Metallica. Ricordo che il primo album in assoluto a uscirmi fu proprio il Black Album, e sinceramente ho un po’ storto il naso quando mi sono ritrovata ad riascoltare anche in S&M quelle stesse canzoni, di nuovo. Ok, va bene, in S&M c’è la particolarità degli archi che si mescolano ai live instrument della band, ma era davvero necessario riproporre dei doppioni di brani già ampiamente rappresentati nella loro versione originaria? Ma soprattutto, sono davvero necessarie due ore? Appunto, l’idea di per sé è molto interessante, e ci sono state cose che ho davvero apprezzato, ma la mia frustrazione (che sento ancora viva dopo ormai mesi dall’ascolto) mi dice che non posso dare più di 2 stelle.
Does an orchestra make Heavy Metal better? Yes. Does Heavy Metal make an orchestra better? I’m going with no. For too repetitive, I accidentally listened to most of the first half of the album twice and didn’t notice until the geezer said he would return. Some good songs but far too much between them that all sounded the same.
I don’t think I’m a Metallica fan…
Fascinating idea for an album. I still didn't like it, and it was simply too long.
pandering longevity from metallica
“No leaf clover” was new for this album, and it’s a highlight for me. And I appreciate the challenge of this. But it’s not a good result.
I say this currently on vacation in Florida and wearing a Metallica tank top. I like that this happened, but I don't think any song they did was improved by being at the symphony. Call of Ktulu is the song I thought would best lend itself to more orchestration, but it was still less good than the album version. Granted I didn't listen to all 2 hours, but I think I got the gist. This is also an era well after I think Metallica released anything good. Album cover: C-
Masters of puppets, pulling the strings (!!!!) Truth is I was mostly waiting for it to be over. It's also true that I'm not as smart as I think I am.
Interesting collaboration. Very repetitive sounds and not something I think I'd listen to again.
Highlights their average less. I should listen to their first 3-4 albums because they apparently were innovative, but this shouldn't be on this list
it was okay but I still don't like this music
Morricone-intro, MoP ja Until It Sleeps ois riittäneet mainiosti maistiaiseksi tästä kokoonpanosta. Tällaisenaan tämä oli ylipitkä räpellys joka ei tuonut esiin parhaita puolia Metallicasta eikä sinfoniaorkesterista.
Aiight. Like, really aiight. But just aiight.
Better than most metal, but still too heavy for me
HardRock & Symph.Orch. live, 1999, -> 2
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.
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
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
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…
Overwrought and overlong.
No comment.
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.
I love Metallica, but always struggle with enjoying these live performances for just about any band. The 'Ecstasy of Gold' is fantastic though.
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.
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.
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%
why is there a live album on this list?
Holger Czukay was different than what I would normally listen to. It was ok
Live met een symphonie orkest, dat maakt het allemaal wat luisterbaarder en muzikaler, maar nog net geen 3 sterren.
who asked for this
meh
Might work if you're a Metallica fan. I'm not.
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.
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.
Way too long
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.
If not for the orchestra I would've turned this off immediately, so +1 for that! Stop trying to make me like Metallica please
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
Just far too busy did not ebjoy
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rough
2 hours and 13 minutes. What the hell. The Ecstacy Of Gold was cool. Besides that meh.
self indulgent toss
i don't like metallica at all. the orchestral stuff is cool when it works though.
This album made me realize that I actually hate Metallica.
La sinfonica de San Francisco lo hace algo más llevadero. Sólo salvo el.primer traca, y es gracias a Morricone
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 immensely but still managed to be a relatively boring show
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 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.
I didn’t want to like it, but actually thought it was okay.
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
Its 2hrs and 13mins.
Live metal album with an orchestra. Interesting enough but not sure why it made this list.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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!
This album wasn’t really for me. Too dark and I didn’t really think the orchestra fit into the type of music. I would be curious to listen to another Metallica album, but this one wasn’t for me.
Interesting idea, but I didn't like this.
This is not my preferred listening experience for Metallica. This is jarring and oddly fused in the worst possible way. My ears, mind, and soul reject everything about this. It's like I'm trying to listen to Metallica while my husband is watching a movie using the same sound system for the audio at the same time as me. These two disparate layers of sound are not complimenting each other the way everyone involved in this project convinced themselves they were. I'm glad Metallica are open to exploring other avenues of their artistry, but like dude, nobody wanted this. And it's over 2 fucking hours loooooong. Omg. It was painful. Respectful 2 star rating because I love Metallica and can't bring myself to 1 star them, even if this is the stupidest album concept and execution I've ever experienced.
Liked: considerably more epic than anything ever released before. Added instrumentation and score definitely unlocks a different sense of feeling a purpose by this music. Hammetts solos are actually tasteful. Hetfeild's voice was at its peak. Disliked: Most songs run over 5 minutes, and dilute in essence what Metallica was a hard and fast metal band. Lärs drums suck again, no surprise there. Trujillo is lost completely in the mixing and mastering. And thats about it bud.
Metallica is very same-y aside from the hits. The live band was cool
I didn’t need this. Prefer the originals
should not be that long
Meh, I don’t really like live albums unless I really love the artist/songs. They sound pretty good if you love Metallica.
Congratulations to Metallica for playing together with an orchestra 30 years after Deep Purple did it. The Who actually wrote a rock opera to be played with an orchestra around that same time. I'm sure there are others. Nothing groundbreaking here.
I will disclose that I do not like Metallica. I know many of their songs well enough I could sing them at karaoke, but for some reason their music has always made me feel uncomfortable. (I like other heavy music so it's not the style either). It took me four days to get through this album. I liked Metallica even less with the orchestra. Sorry. Listens: 1 Fave Track: Nothing Else Matters Rating: 2
Amazing how James Hetfield’s vocals manage to extract what little melody Metalilica manage to craft and eradicate it. Never my cup tea. Adding an orchestra doesn’t change that.
Eh not much to say
I remember when this first came out and everyone ragged on it, but I never gave it a listen. Now that I have, I can officially declare that it's not very good. The symphony only detracts from Metallica. To my ear, it makes all the songs sound slower than their original recordings, and when you're listening to a thrash metal band, speed it kind of the key. I do think something like this could work, but in order for that to happen, the arrangements would need to be seamless, like they were always meat to be there. To me, this ain't it. A lot of the time, it sounds like movie background music.
Too heavy
Classical infused with metal is something I didn’t know I didn’t want. Like seriously, the genre fusion isn’t good. It’s ok at times, but it is VERY out of place with the metal sound. It’s been done better. It has its moments, but the live songs just don’t compare to the studio versions. Bad live album.
Everything that’s bad about Metallica is amplified, and the orchestrations behind the songs give them a grandiosity that strips them of any grit. Perhaps I’m jaded because metal bands playing with symphonies isn’t novel now. Was it in 99? If so, points for that. Of course the orchestra is great, it just doesn’t make any of the songs better. So, why add something if it’s not adding anything? James’s corniness is amped up to 11 and so much seems so contrived (like the maniacal laughs in The Thing That Should Not Be). Newstead was maybe the most soulless bassist they had, and it’s on display here. This performance could benefit from a little less self-seriousness. I couldn’t get through it and ended up picking the hits. But, I just simply don’t like this and see it as nothing more than a novelty. It gets a 2 because it all sounds fine and I can’t bring myself to give it a 1. I’ve grown to like Metallica after long criticizing them. There are Metallica pieces that are important. This is not one of them.
Not the biggest Metallica fan but at the time incorporating metal with an orchestra was a big deal and something that a lot of bands eventually strived for in their peak/finale live show type of setup. For that it's memorable on its own. I don't think the orchestra adds anything specific to the songs other than this sort of faux pretentiousness of other forms of music recognizing metal as a valuable genre like so many seem to seek out.
Between a 2 and a 3. Loved the orchestra, felt like Evanescence for men. Really enjoyed listening but can’t give it a 3 as I wouldn’t put it on again.
It was enjoyable and I would return to it. Not in a rush. 2 stars.
I don't like new Metallica. This is new Metallica. So overrated, so boring, and so irrelevant since the 90s. Just go away. 2 stars because it is not noise and it is not country
I can’t believe it’s over 2 hours long
man i’m usually okay with metallica but the level of ego on display here is absolutely unreal
This took originally good music and made it annoying. And horrendous length.
It was a moment. Reminds me of playing twisted metal on PlayStation.
This is... fine. I remember this coming out. I didn't have much interest in it then. It feels similar now. There are some caveats to my feelings: 1. I think Metallica is absolutely stellar up to their self-titled ("Black Album", 1991), and then there are gems here and there an obviously legendary songs from them, but few that I get excited to sit down and listen to (Load was good). 2. I'm not a huge fan of a live album, but this is a decent twist on your standard (though, it's certainly not the first symphony + rock album, nor the last). I don't know that anybody _must_ hear this. It's aggressively long. I bet it would've been fun to be in the crowd. The symphony is obviously super good at what they're doing. It's just kinda blowhardy. Overall, I'd rather have spent my 2 hours and 13 minutes on something else.
Metallica isn't my favorite to begin with, but these performances are as competent as Metallica always is. I'm left wondering, "Who asked for this?" The orchestra doesn't elevate Metallica to something more highbrow than it is. The strings add little to the drama of the band's music in the first place. In this context, with the way they're mixed, the strings sound like a synth anyway. Nobody asked for this!
1.5
The concept is great, but the execution not so much. It feels like the symphony orchestra is added after a live concert of Metallica. I think the music would be a great fit for the bombastic, overdramatic sound of an orchestra, if Metallica would have embraced it more and didn't stick to their own versions this much. Also, not every song is a great fit.
Not sure the orchestra is really an addition to their music, just felt a bit more like there's more stuff going on but guitar music with an orchestra has been done better by other people (Steve Vai) for example. Besides that it's a bit too long
A Metallica album for people who don't like Metallica. The symphony smooths out the rougher, edgier elements of thrash that is necessary to truly enjoy this band.
I will never understand this band
i don't like it
I like quite a few of Metallica's songs but I've never listened to a lot of their discography. So this is a live album with orchestra in background?? Hmm, could be alright. I'm actually excited to hear what the songs I know sound like in this setting. Ok...wait...so there's no vocals on this entire 2 hr long album?! I thought there would be!!! Oh no there are vocal, still not sure I'm enjoying it tho, maybe would be the best thing since sliced bread if you were a massive Metallica fan but idk it just doesn't hit right for me. It's loooong and boring and blends into one and it's not stimulating my brain, it just becomes background noise after a while. I actually ended up only listening to the songs I know (not following rules I know) but the rest I just didn't enjoy and it had no meaning for me. I did like the ones I did know but I would rather just listen to the OG song.
dit is echt niks
I’ve never been much of a Metallica fan, but tried to go into this with an open mind. But over 1hr into this 133 minute album, I’m wondering if I can slog through to the end. It doesn’t suck, it just that too much of it is essentially the same to me, kind of a a constant beating drone. Not enough melody, lots of head banging wall of sound. I like the symphonic part, but that loses its novelty pretty quickly. “Hero for the Day” is a nice change of pace, and the symphony is really good on that one. Likewise with “Devil’s Dance”, with it’s “Kashmir” inspired strings. But I had to wade through over 45 minutes of wall-of-sound to get to those. It doesn’t help that I’ve never liked James Hetfield’s vocals, just not my “thing”. I can see why lots of people love Metallica, but I’m not one of them. I guess that summarizes the whole experience. I’ll finish disc 1, and give myself a break before disc 2. Which isn’t much of an endorsement. 2/5
A two plus hour live metal concert with classical backing (which feels like overkill) to start the day? Okay... Actually found myself enjoying this at one point about an hour in. But the whole inescapable overblown silliness of it wins in the end.
i was intrigued by the idea, but the symphony seems artificially added on top of the music and i’m not sure adds to the experience. if i want to totally thrash out to Master of Puppets, i’m going to go to the og recording, not this version
This is the type of music that I expect men listen to. I appreciate the energy but the vaguely biblical lyrics with the cheesy orchestra gives it a real megachurch vibe.
This is probably better if you’re already a big Metallica fan. It’s not as interesting a take on the songs as I hoped. The songs all sounded too similar, like music for end credits of a Transformers movie (not a compliment). At the same time a lot of them sounded so much more restrained than the normal album cuts. I’ve heard and even seen live other bands do something similar with the LA Philharmonic that I enjoyed a lot more than this.
If you’re a Metallica mega fan, you’ll love this album; it feels like a celebration of the band. As a semi-fan, I kinda just want to hear the songs I like as I know them. The orchestration doesn’t really feel like it adds much to a lot of the songs, with a couple exceptions for some mid-paced songs.
Might be to some people’s tastes but I thought it was just awful
+1 for real instruments (lots of them). -1 for being way too long (2 hours). The songs all started to sound the same. The symphony contribution could have been more creatively used. It worked great on some songs but not on all. And I admit I did not listen to the whole thing.
As a previous reviewer put it best, "Like hockey and baseball on the same field at the same time." Interesting attempt I guess but Metallica and the SFS had no reason performing together, and the end result shows that.
Love Metallica and I love Classical Symphony, the two don’t mesh well and work for me.
Lyssnade igenom en stund men 2h o 13 min är alldeles för långt. Allt jag hörde i de första 5 låtarna var dock asfett. Favorit master of puppets
yeah, not my thing
i'm sure this is fine but this is really my first exposure to metallica in full, and i don't know if i appreciate the symphonic aspect of it considering i know that a lot of these songs just don't have it. so to me, it is, at the same time, unnecessary flourish because i know this isn't how the music usually is, but also the only way i've heard most of these songs. so i'm not really sure what to make of this, as someone who is unfamiliar with the source material. it was fine but really was just lost on me.
Som fotball og håndball på samme bane, samtidig
2 hours is crazy. Second star was for the Orchestra themselves.
ummm okay metalli-cheese. the symphony is the best part of this album. and i get thag its live, but fuck this is bloated and long. shiiiittttttt.
This is, by far, my favorite Metallica album.
Video game music
Wanted it to be cool but the orchestra choices are kind of cheesy and at times distracting. Better orchestration might’ve saved it but as it is, not the best.
It’s Metallica, it’s not bad. The idea was interesting. The symphony does seem to just be incoherent, ruining parts of songs multiple times I’ve noticed already. Idk this was probably really cool live, that doesn’t make it a good album though.
I'm not much of a Metallica fan. There's a handful of their songs I quite like, but this live album is them at their worst in my opinion. Can't stand the orchestral backing to metal music. Every track sounds too similar. Not for me this one.
Cool idea, but I wish it had been a studio recording because I really don’t enjoy live albums
i dont mind metallica, i even like some of their songs, but this shit all sounds the same and it's 2+ hours long.
Too overloaded. No leaf clover is a stand out. It’s the only track where the orchestra adds something transformative to the heaviness. Otherwise it’s too much of everything all the time. For me the orchestral power doesn’t translate to record easily. I am not much for the grandiose. But in a live setting it sure can be powerful.
En serio? Por qué?
I would place this album with the TransSiberian Orchestra or whatever. I like some orchestral music. I like some metal, but some fusion experiences aren't great. I don't like fish and ice cream. That's kind of where my head is at on this album.
Metallica's S&M is perfect for Trans Siberian Orchestra fans who don't enjoy Christmas music.
Cool idea, but fell flat for me. I don't like Metallica that much to begin with.
Not as good as each component. It has some highlights, but I’d rather be listening to just Metallica or just an orchestra.
Not for me. I still don’t like Metallica and I probably never will. I didn’t even make it through the whole record
A live album? Why? I am not listening to a Metallica (strike one) live (strike two) album that is over two hours long (strike three). Oh, and it's called 'S&M'. Strike four (apparently this stands for 'Symphony and Metallica', but the connotations are still there). I do like a good orchestra. It has to be said. And they could be heard instantly on the first track! OK, this first one is actually very good. Probably because Metallica had no hand in it! (Obviously, I have watched 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'). Oh, I'm not bothered. 2/5 for having an excellent orchestra perform (honestly, if it was just them, I'd be willing to give 10/10, but there are sadly no classical albums on this list). But I'm not bothered with the rest of this.
This just feels like them disappearing up their own arses. Although that seems to be the case for a lot of band + orchestra albums.
Not sure if a live album should be included in a top 1001 albums. Neat concept: Heavy Metal meets Classical Orchestra, but not a big enough Metalicca fan to appreciate their songs as an arrangement.
I think this was better in concept than in reality. Metal and Classical should go together like chocolate and peanut butter, but the composition and performance of these songs just seem kind of slapdash. Sometimes it sounds like the orchestra has just been shoehorned into the song. Rather than a 2-hour live performance, I can't help but think this would have made a stunning hour-long studio album by cutting the filler and getting James Hetfield's vocals and Kirk Hammett's guitar into a proper studio. A+ concept, C- execution.
I went into this album open minded but must admit I'm not a massive metal fan. I find it totally ridiculous in a Spinal Tap way. A stupid venture in all areas. 2
Fuck this. It belongs no where near this list. I love Metallica, but live albums just fucking suck 90% of the time. 2 hours of this shit didn’t help either. 2/5
Interesting concept...way to long. Probably wouldn't listen to again. 2.5/5
Mediocre and uninspired orchestral arrangements hastily layered over songs that were not originally composed with a symphony in mind.
It’s ambitious, but it takes the part of Metallics that I think we all love, the metal, and washes it out with this disjointed accompaniment of strings and horns. The thought was likely that you take the grandness of an orchestra and it would somehow expand upon the large sound of Metallica, but it has the opposite effect. Nothing really stands out. It’s boring. A for effort, D for execution.