Reviews (page 9 of 10)
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 somewhat 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.
Orchestra was a good touch to being a certain feeling to Metallica. Think was an interesting mix and was really good in places but some of the time it feels forced. A lot of the time gelt unnecessary. Sot The Call of Ktulu
the live aspect is everything. the band's not my cup but this record is fantastic
Fun at times, ludicrous at others. Also limited by the weakness of some of the then-newer songs. And way overbloated! As a souvenir of the concert, the fans may have loved it, but as an album, I really wish they'd picked the best half of the tracks.
great music, poor execution. no idea what they were thinking.
The original songs are good. I don't really like the mix with the orchestra.
oh god, a live with classical orchestra, decidedly not one of 1001
I’m really really not into live albums, I don’t want to hear audience screaming for 20 minutes. Orchestra is great, songs are classics, but the audience ruined the vibes for me.
i find metallica incredibly one dimensional so this is clearly the best thing they've ever produced because an orchestra has come in with some new sounds. that said i couldn't imagine sticking it out for 2 hours. half an hour was more than enough of hetfield doing exactly the same thing over every fucking song.
What a load of wank.
Not my thing.
Mediocre rock opera
I love an orchestra - they make this almost bearable. I admire thé effort that went into these arrangements, although they teased me with an Ennio Morricone opening which made me think it was going to be better than it was. I quite like some of the melodies, in parts. I do not like the vocals at all. But I absolutely hate 2 1/2 hours of S&M in all senses. They may have thought the play on words was funny, but it just accentuated the torture for me. I’ll just repeat in a shouty way - Two and a half HOURS!!! It really will only be Once in my lifetime - I can’t go through that again.
On the plus side, I'm impressed at how well the instruments are blended. I can't imagine how hard it is to get the sound levels right with electric instruments and orchestral ones. So props on that front. Also, James Hetfield sings really well throughout. On the downside, I don't really see how the orchestra adds anything vital to these songs. Just a lot of bloat. Also, two-plus hours is two-plus hours too long. I really don't see why this needs to be on the list.
White guys wanking their guitars. Ew.
Bit fuckin long
Live albums are basically un-reviewable. In the past I've given them either 1 star or 5 stars, based on what side of the bed I woke up that morning. There are some exceptions. There are songs that are only truly captured live. Things that represent a significant moment in time. But, for the vast number of live albums, they are red meat for fans. They're enjoyable only with the significant context of the band's other music, and this makes them a categorically different listening experience than studio albums of fresh music. Context is half of everything in music, and the context required to enjoy a live album is missing. "Oh, you should listen to their other albums first." Exactly. And to make it worse... this is my first Metallica album I've ever heard! Not a good start for a band that– my loss– I've ignored. This one IS different. It's a genuinely ballsy attempt at mashing Metallica with an orchestra. Sometimes, that's amazing! It's a category I actually love. But the missing context is tying me in knots for this one. Therefore, I must regress to a rough point system: Starting at a neutral 3: -1 points for being over 2 hours long +1 points for sheer enormity of the balls required to do this +1 points for the orchestra being really pro and sometimes really enjoyable to listen to -1 points for many of the arrangements sounding like Super Bowl intro music. (but... what else could they have done?) -1 points for Robert Dimery thinking this was significant enough to put on the list So... 2/5? That's satisfactory. An ultimately confusing listen.
As an album... Too long and a bit over done. Some songs work well.
I like Metallica, Iv already given the black album and master of puppets 5 stars already through this project. But I’m not sure this album needs to be on the list, yeah it’s enjoyable and abut different but I’d rather listen to the original studio albums. Also 2 hours is far too long for an album, appreciate a 2 hour concert is something different. Probably being overly harsh here because Iv already given 2 of their other albums full marks, but the best songs from this live album are on those 2 albums. So this only gets a 2.
Heard it before. Over dramatic per usual.
A perfect encapsulation of Metallica in 1999: bloated and unnecessary.
I don't think I'm going to enjoy this!
Normally I’m a huge fan of Progressive Rock, whose internal mantra seems to be that it must be, at all times, as maximalist and pretentious as it possibly can in a musical sense. And in a way, S&M is prog-adjacent, with the addition of a full symphony orchestra with the heavy thrash metal of Metallica. But I don’t like it nearly as much as any prog record I own. First issue lies in the length (Over 2 hours! “Tales From Topographic Oceans” isn’t even that long!), where the more memorable songs (The epic “Call of Klutu”, with an immaculate segue into “Master of Puppets”) are dragged down by a lot of mediocre filler (Has any non-Metallica fan even bothered to listen to “Load” or “Reload”? Seriously…) which makes sense, given that those were more recent albums that Metallica released. But for once, I maintain that this album could be saved if we “trimmed the fat” and cut down on the sheer amount of filler. If it was the just the hits from the Black Album and before, I feel that many more fellas could enjoy this album. But until then, this album is only worth the first 30 minutes (Unless you’re a die-hard Metallica fan, in which case you’re eating well) until its novelty wears off. The San Francisco Orchestra though, nothing bad to say about them. 10/10 execution and direction, unfortunately dragged by mid-tier songs to fill the void.
Not the best met album
This didn't need to be made, and I didn't need to hear it before I died. Mostly feels like Metallica playing while an orchestra is also playing. There's no real interplay between them. Some cool moments, but... meh. Maybe if it was made in '89. 5/10
Sounded like cheesy film score. The songs were good, of course, but the potential was totally missed. A dissapointing record.
честно, люблю их но епт вашу мать, что с записью?? почему так плохо сведено. Это крутой эксперимент и я хотел бы быть там и послушать вживую, но чет не могу слушать это просто так
Симфоническая Metallica, ещё и в лайве. У меня были ожидания как от Apocalyptica на максималках. Но... Пацаны уже написали, я подтверждаю: что не так со звуком здесь? Пришлось даже бас в эквалайзере убрать. Вдобавок, иногда какая-то хрень со стерео происходила. И показалось, что все низы и середину сожрали электрогитары, из симфонического было слышно только скрипочки и колокольчики. Хз, мне симфонические лайвы Би-2 (кажется, первая российская группа, у которой фетиш на оркестровую музыку появился) намного больше нравятся, чем вот это вот. Может, проблема в том, что Металлике и не нужно ничего, кроме них самих?
Я признаю все величие и влияние Металлики, но если я захочу послушать этот альбом, я сделаю это отдельно. Больше 2 часов не самого качественного лайва не самого любимого жанра это жепа конечно. 2+. (Прошлому альбому 3, я дурачок, соре)
It really wasn't that interesting and the orchestra wasn't providing a ton to the show 2/5
This is definitely for a specific group of Metallica fans
Har aldrig riktigt fattat Metallicas storhet. Med eller utan symfoniorkester.
Goog, hope the rest of the really good Metallicas albums do appear here.
I got this album when it came out in ‘99. Of the two originals on the album I like No Leaf Clover best. Sometimes the orchestra adds something (like in No Leaf Clover), but most of the times I’m quite dissatisfied with the lack of effort by Kamen to actually add anything new to the already existing songs. I really liked the album in ‘99, nowadays I’m more ambivalent towards it.
This feels like a really good idea executed very poorly. Metallica and even the crowd often overpower the orchestra in sound, causing them to become background noise you forget about. Perhaps if it wasn't live this would be a lot more impactful, but the constantly cheering crowd is never not slightly heard in the background, and really bothers the sound for me. The intro with Ecstasy of Gold really feels like the most self indulgent thing ever, too, get over yourself. None of my criticisms are towards the orchestra itself, of course, they did great for what they could, and maybe S&M 2 would sound better, but no way am I trudging myself through another two hours of a live metal album anytime soon if I can help it. I'm sure this was awesome live, but the only thing keeping it from the lower stars, despite my pretty negative reviews, is the rare moment when a song works, or when they do something original to the concert so the crowd isn't screaming all the words.
A good way to experience Metallica. Too bad it's a live session.
There's at least 3 Metallica albums I'd give 5 stars and this is not one. This is pretty bad, like most 90's Metallica. Perhaps live would have been interesting but the recorded version sounds like a muddled mess. 1.5 stars but I'll be very generous and round up to 2.
An interesting concept to have a symphony with Metallica as they play some of their best songs. It feels like it’s trying to be James Bond and John Wick but significantly less cooler. This album is two genres that don’t mesh well and sound better on their own. An interesting concept but poor execution. 4.6/10
That was ill advised. There were only a couple of songs the suited or synced up with the symphonic accompaniment. This album was a struggle
Live-optræden, hard rock, et par bangers, men simpelthen for langt
Kai se on hyvä kokeilla uutta, mutta onhan tää nyt ihan perseestä. 2/5
Tää on ihan ok metallia, mutta onhan nuo orkkasovitukset vähän korneja. Ja ihan liian pitkä tietenkin. Outo valinta listalle.
Äh ei jaksa kyl kahta tuntia Metallica-pippelöintiä. 2/5 miks tää on listalla.
I like Metallica but the symphony was just doing too much
ma de...em nisam fan metallice, em ovo traje do iznemoglosti. u jednu ruku nije loše, ali sad baš da slušam cijelo...teško.
Too long
i find it a wee bit funny that it’s a metallica album immediately after a megadeth album. personally, i’ve never been one for live albums, and this one still doesn’t do it for me. rip jason newsted (not dead, but this was his last album with metallica)
too long
Ouains, Je trouve que l’orchestre est mal utilisé. Le band band joue les tounes comme ils le font habituellement et l’orchestre vient en ajouter une couche et rempli les endroits où il se passe moins de choses. Je pense que le jeu du band aurait du être ajusté également et que tout aurait du être réorchestré ensemble. Sur quelques chanson ça fonctionne tout de même très bien.
whatever
15 years ago this album was on repeat non-stop via Youtube in my room at home. A lot has changed since then, but the sound quality still sounds like someone ripped a DVD and converted the audio track to an mp3 file. The mixing and volume levels are all over the place. Everything is incredibly bloated - I mean, I've listened to Grateful Dead live bootlegs from the 70's with better sound than this. Then there's the setlist which is atrociously bad. Hetfield's voice is very rough on the first handful of tracks, and often time it feels as if the band and the orchestra are playing two different songs entirely. A few tracks like 'Call of Ktulu' and 'The Thing That Should Not Be' actually grow to something else entirely with the added orchestration, and both band members and audience seem to be having fun. Lastly, if this Metallica record is on this list, I will be very disappointed if the first four albums of their discography isn't on it as well.
I really want this to be good. But it just isn’t. Let’s start of with the wrongs. Only few of their early songs really benefit from the addition of a string orchestra and while some tracks off of Load and ReLoad benefit quite a bit, I still don’t really care about many of songs in the first place. Which might be why the second half of disc 1 seems so long. Just an overload of the (Re)Load-era. Who’s honestly happy to see “Devil’s Dance” here? Dishonorable shoutout to a hopeless rendition of “Fuel” by the way. Who got the idea of adding strings to that? I also don’t enjoy the tone the often obvious autotune adds to Hetfield’s vocal. It always feels kinda off. Just listen to “Wherever I May Roam”. Jesus… On the other hand the new song “No Leaf Clover” is among the best post-Black Album 90’s stuff Metallica did - absolutely incredible. The same goes for the S&M-rendition of “The Memory Remains” and “The Outlaw Torn”; possibly one of the most underrated Metallica songs ever. Would I have loved to have been there? For sure. The atmosphere in the room must’ve been awesome. But listening to it at home? Except for a few tracks, I’d much rather listen to the original studio recordings once again.
Meh. Strings cool at first, then just cheesy.
*dæs* Þetta tók sinn tímann. Sko, ég elska alveg margt með Metallica, en þær eru almennt fáar "læv" plöturnar sem ég fíla vel. Oft er verið að draga lögin alltof lengi án þess að það sé tilefni til. Og í þessu tilfelli finnst mér sinfó ekki vera að gera mikið fyrir flest lögin. Best: Hero Of The Day. Og Yeah-in hans Hetfield eftir Battery. Get sjálf framkallað slík stundum. Gerði það einhvern tíman á kóræfingu og kórstjóranum dauðbrá :D
Only the softer songs work with the orchestra (Nothing Else Matters is great). For the harder tracks it somehow doesn't fit or add anything
Nee, Metallica vind ik goed, maar dat orkest maakt het rommelig en minder strak.
Geprobeerd, maar dit kon me echt niet boeien.
Metaliek is nooit mijn band geweest. En zo met een heel orkest erbij wordt het helemaal over de top bombastisch / kitch voor mij.
Het concept staat me best aan; klassiek vermengd met heavymetal. Het is alleen zoveel!
I know this was a landmark album - and a bit like MTV's Unplugged series, would prove influential - but I don't really dig it. I've always been a little lukewarm on Metallica despite being a metal fan. A big part of that is James Hetfield's voice - it's the archetype of what a certain type of person thinks is 'badass'. In fact, beyond the first few albums, I've come to regard Metallica as a bit 'try-hard'. And there is no more try-hard album than S&M, which takes some pretty lean songs and makes them sound cluttered, soupy or downright comical. There's a bit of 'Hero of the Day' that sounds like Alfred Hitchcock going up to collect his honorary Oscar. Metal can be faintly ridiculous, which is part of the appeal. S&M takes itself far too seriously, and ends up seeming even more risible as a consequence. Not for me.
It’s an interesting novelty, but it leaves me cold. The rough edges all get sanded off. It used to be that Metallica’s appeal lied in those edges.
Yeah long as hell. Probably would have been tight live
Fell asleep three separate times during this album. 4/10
Over the top. Too long Cover art 0/5
I feel badly not liking this more. I am a big fan of the original material and think some of it is the best of the metal genre. It is not that the orchestra doesn't pair well. In fact, many of the earlier Metallica releases can be described as orchestral. Nonetheless, this doesn't work for me.
Wondering how to make the world’s most pompous and self-serious band even more so? Add a full orchestra. The crowd noise and singalongs are silly and grow increasingly annoying. Like so much metal this is strictly for fans; non-fans will find it super-samey, a monotony — nay, an eternity — of glug-glug-glug (with the extra ballast of strings) and might be given to wonder how this is anything more than a heavier Mannheim Steamroller. The opening instrumentals are vaguely interesting (likely because there is the least Metallica).
You can sometimes have too much of a good thing. Two thirds of the time this sounds like tuning into two radio stations at once as the orchestra PLUS power chords is so dense. It works best in the "ballads" and Master of Puppets, but this is not one I return to often.
I just don’t like Metallica enough to listen to 2 hours of more boring versions of their songs. Hit a couple and it was fine. Love this concept (Ben Folds orchestra versions are 5 star) but this one isn’t for me
Not an unpleasant listen but the inclusion of this album on this list is somewhat baffling. There are literally DOZENS of examples of "popular band gets orchestral backing". They used to always be the cheap albums at Best Buy. This one gets a bit more credit since it's performed live and with the actual band (a lot of those other orchestral albums are done with cover bands), but it's still more of the same. None of these arrangements are particularly fresh or exciting. They're all very similar to the studio album versions, plus with the mix/master of this album Metallica actually drowns out the orchestra most of the time. So we're left with an otherwise generic live album of what (in my estimation) is a pretty generic pop metal band. This would normally garner 3 stars from me but this album is NEARLY 2.5 HOURS LONG. Sorry boys. That's just not fair.
Well. If I liked Metallica I would probably like this too. But I don't, so that's a waste of 2 hours. None of this inspired me to grab the black Iron Maiden t-shirt and stop washing my hair.
Not the right intro to the band. Will maybe listen back after hearing the originals.
Didn’t like… LIVE albums not the same as regular recordings
It's a live metal album, on the list of things that are not for me this is extremely high, could be ok background music so gets 1.6
Meh
I'm a pretty big Metallica fan. I've stood in line to buy albums and tickets. Buuut.... this album does nothing for me. The orchestra adds nothing. It kinda makes it sound like Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
2.75
Overly self indulgent - some good moments from their back catalogue but wholly unnecessary. It REALY sags in the middle - not to mention it never ends.
I've never been a fan of Metallica and didn't know any of their songs. This was a bit more commercial and smoother than I was expecting, after listening to Megadeath yesterday. Of course, having a symphony orchestra back-up can do that, not to mention the fact that they had been kickin' around for 20 years at the time of this release, well into their U2 phase. Overall I don't mind this LP, though I find the occasional 'scary laughs" by the singer annoying. I prefer Megadeath's full frontal guitar assault.
A long old slog
Definitely better than I expected. Still not my cuppa tho, did not make it through the 2 hours shamefully
Not my era or style of music. Can't give it more than a 2 I'm afraid. Best Track Enter Sandman.
2 hours?! No. The only good part of this album is the orchestra.
I don't enjoy Metallica but I do enjoy symphonies. This was a mess where it sounds like Metalliac had a keyboard that would play a symphony only to be drowned out by their instruments. I found the symphony didn't add to the sounds of the song. 1.5/2
kinda cringe
What the fuck is this shit? After all of the stellar work Metallica did in the 80s, and all of the completely forgettable work that they did afterwards, it's kind of surprising to see an album on here from the very tail end of the millennium. I like the idea of mixing classical and heavy metal music together, since I think the genres have more in common than they are generally given credit for. This album feels mostly like a Metallica concert with a symphony mixed under it. The band's instruments aren't so much integrated into the symphony as they are yelling over it like a drunk guy at a party. James Hetfield's voice has lost a lot of its power, which is unfortunate because it is front and center when it could be strengthened by instruments that compliment his sound. It's hard to tell if this album is just poorly executed or a cynical attempt to make Metallica relevant again after their many poor decisions in the 90s. There's nothing that frustrates me more than a good idea that fails because of laziness on the part of content creators. Even the fucking name of the album is lazy. I'm on the third song and I already want this to be over so badly. There are 17 more songs on this fucking album. I honestly think it would work better to play a Slayer album at the same time as a Beethoven symphony. At least that way when it didn't work I could comfort myself with the fact that it was never intended to 2/5
Not quite as bad as I'd expected. The first track functions really well as a soundtrack to a modern action film. Went downhill pretty soon after that though. Also, it was interminable.
No. No. No. I get the idea, I do. But it just doesn't work that well. The early Metallica stuff isn't made better by the orchestra and the newer stuff becomes cream on cheese, as the material is already cheesy stadium hard rock. And then it's two hours with hetfield on vocals. There are some moments of goodness sprinkled around that saves the project from the lowest score.
Symphonic performance of Metallica songs, accompanied by Metallica. Clunky at best. If it were the orchestra on it's own, it would've made more sense because they can take creative liberties with how it would performed. Instead, you get Metallica playing their usual songs live being back by an entire orchestra, creating a sound that is so cluttered that it's hard to justify. It's like the orchestra is window dressing for the band instead of the focal point, ultimately serving as an ego boost for the biggest metal band on the planet. It's also over two hours long, though split by two CDs. I think this can be forgiven since it's meant to be a grand live performance that seizes a lot of opportunity to utilize the orchestra, but it's still quite a bit overly long for me. Ultimately, I think this set up works well for Metallica's more thematic songs. The heavier picks like Fuel and Nothing Else Matters kinda get the wind sucked out of them by the orchestra, whereas songs like One and The Call of the Ktulu are natural fits for this sort of synergy.
metallica is boring
Hey guys feel like doing a live album with a symphony orchestra? It'll be real classy. Sure. My mum said all her friends who only listen to Mozart will buy the album if there's a symphony orchestra on it. Double bubble! Really though. Not an album anyone could describe as essential. Some good songs, but they gain nothing much by this.
Interesting 🤔
I want to like it, but it's a bit too energetic for my brain.
S&M is never boring, but it does blur at times and plod at others. And that's a shame, because I root for symphonic metal whenever it crosses my radar. Here, the only symphonic effect is that of a middling film score, and no visuals to accompany it for its two hours. The band does drive on a few tracks - One and Battery stuck out. Metallica's lyrics are certainly not the highlight, but they're at their best when Hetfield's vocals are present in the texture. I also learned from his stage banter that I share some speaking tics. This sounds like it would have been a fun live concert, but a great live recording it is not.
So hard for me to rate as there are such classics on here (Nothing Else Matters) but while I like metal, I dont like all of Metallica I couldn't sit through the whole album in one go so has to be a 2, even though some amazing songs
Poor poor show
I've never really been a Metallica fan... I gave them their time of day when I was a teenager, but I soured on them awfully fast. There's a weird sneer to Hetfield's vocals, and they always seemed too well off for their heaviness to be grounded in anything. There was too much pageantry to it. Not always, I guess. ....And Justice for All was stripped down to the point of sounding amateurish. But S&M is super representative of that pageantry problem - if anything, it's the worst offender. It feels less like a concert album and more like a ride at Universal or Disney World. I feel like my chair should be vibrating and I should be wearing some special eyewear. None of this feels like what I want from heavy metal. It's too rehearsed for there to be any danger, any improvisation. There is no audience participation. I doubt beer was served at this concert. It's all of the big and stupid and none of the human.
Part of me hoped that the symphonic element would add something to the table on this live album. Unfortunately, its pretty forgettable. Although, its still not awful to listen to, I feel like other Metallica albums would fit this list better.
Metallica has made great music, but this combination with an orchestra transforms their trash metal music into MOR daddy rock.
Shite. Never liked it.
Imagine giving someone the opportunity to listen to a live album that is over 2 hours long, who thinks Enter Sandman sounds cringeworthy and Nothing Else Matters sounds like a poor man's Stairway to Heaven. I won't fool anyone, after 30 minutes I had enough. Won't give this a 1/5, because I do understand why most music listeners appreciate this. 2/5.
Not a big Metallica fan
It's a live metal concert. Definitely not my cup of tea but probably not bad if that's what you're into
I like classical music. I like some Metallica. I like the concept of mixing the two. It is a live album so the songs are elongated with crowd cheering etc. I am not a fan of live albums. This is album was over two hours and just ugh.
Not the worst. I think the DVD would be more interesting as a spectacle, and I quite enjoyed the songs I knew better from the original (Master of Puppets, One etc)
SO LONG OMG I am not finishing this sorry not sorry
ça disssssone
I like Metallica a lot but this is very pretentious. The orchestral element doesn’t add anything to the songs, quite the opposite. Several times I thought it sounded like the songs had been adapted for a movie soundtrack. A real shame.
2/10 not my vibe
Good as far as it goes, if one were a Metallica fan. I'm not, so it didn't hold a lot of interest for me. I expect I like this version better than I would like the original tunes.
Bland
2.8 - Ponderous, plodding and overdone. A classic case of virtuosity with no taste. The strings add a maximalist, over-the-top element to songs that already lack subtlety. God, and this album is so fucking long!
Lo mismo para sus fans tiene algún valor, pero a mí no me ha interesado casi nada. No digo que esté mal, solo que no me interesa este refrito filarmónico.
music is not bad in some tracks but, god this is cringey as fuck!
En ole erityinen livelevyjen tai varsinkaan äijärockin ystävä. Tämä ei muuttanut mielipidettä kummastakaan.
What in the needlessly baroque, the grotesquely rococo, the please don’t make me do 133 minutes of it is S&M? After an intro section that recasts the plainly onanistic as searchingly profound, we get both a live version of “Master of the Puppets” and an orchestra playing at the same time. Not “together”, just near enough one another to justify an inflated ticket price. Despite what’s suggested by the punning title, there is no catalysis in S&M. This is a negative-sum game, a symphony only of inhibitors. The stinging groove that opens “Human”, deep into the record, serves as a perfect example. Devoid of any extraneous musical ornamentation, it just slaps. Here for all to enjoy – or not, whatever – are the buzzsawng riffs, heavy palm muted chugs, throaty “oohs” and shoulder-popping dynamics that is Metallica. Take them, leave them, it doesn’t really matter. The fact is, you know them. S&M is a failure. Not because it isn’t Metallica. Not because it isn’t a good use of a symphony orchestra. Not because the songs suck, or because either party isn’t bringing their version of 100% to it. It fails because it just isn’t very good. Everyone loses. Ooooh.
Adding Orchestra to The Call Of Ktulu takes the song from "humanity has uncovered its ruin" to "The Rock is wearing khakis racing through the jungle to save the day". That's not an addition to the song. It's not even a reinvention or a reinterpretation. It's just turning it into the soundtrack to an adventure movie, the kind you watch and forget about the next day. Master of Puppets sounds like 2 people playing speaker wars at a party. If there is coherency here, I'm not hearing it. At one point Hammet is shredding the solo, doing a great job. Then he stops and the orchestra shreds. For about two bars. What a wasted opportunity. They could have done a Devil Goes Down To Georgia thing where they shred different parts of the solo but nope, it was just decoration. Halfway through Fuel I was really, really getting annoyed by this. I skipped ahead to For Whom The Bell Tolls. Maybe they could do something with that. I got a third of the way through, and gave up. The vocals sound like he'd had that stepped auto-tune on. The orchestra added nothing and indeed took away. Terrible. I've long said Metallica were good when they were raw. And Justice For All is some of the worst production since the 60's, but it still fucking rocks. This though? The production was super polished but all I could think of was a pair of bedazzled jeans - all that sparkles is not gold, and this was pure crap.
Never saw the point of this and still don’t.
Nope
This is not for me. Not sure who it’s for….
kicks the barely living shit out of the already ailing, crippled husk of Rock and Roll in 1999. a monstrous act and document. everyone involved should be sent to The Hague.
This is not needed, happy for the folks that got to go see this live but don’t pawn off this bootleg as a real listening experience
nah