I was very torn rating this album. I wanted to find something to like here and to see why this album made the list. At times there were some rumblings of something interesting happening that made me think upon further listens I might find something to like here. Unfortunately I am only listening to each of these albums once and giving my initial gut reaction for rating them and I could not find it in me to rate this anything higher than a one. The album drones on in a very monotonous way throughout the duration of its run time with fleeting glimpses during the albums climax at what could have been had they decided to try anything different. I can appreciate that it is wholly different from anything I’d ever seek out to listen to and that there may be something appealing about it to someone but that someone is not me. Entirely boring, utterly forgettable.

Full album not available on Apple Music or Spotify due to region lock.

Very inoffensive but also doesn’t try anything too daring. Sounds like it would be right at home in an outdoor setting like a block party or small town festival.

This was one of the more difficult albums for me to rate thus far. I liked a few of the tracks on this album quite a bit, however, the tracks I liked tended to be ones that were then repeated later in the run time of the album. My main issue with the album lies in the run time and repeating of tracks. After about an hour in I felt I had heard everything the album had to offer and the next hour felt like an inconvenience more than anything. To say it overstayed its welcome is an understatement. I listened to this album on a road trip and had planned on catching up on some of my backlog of albums during my 4 hours in the car. I got a phone call in the middle of the album causing this one album to then take up a majority of the drive. I know that’s not the albums fault, however when the last half of the album contains a number of different versions of songs heard on the first half of the album it begins to be a bit fatiguing and feel as though it’s wasting my time. I really wanted to give this at least a 3 maybe a 4 but cannot justify that given that I was angry with the album by the time it had finished. I’m giving this a 2 only because I feel as though the musicality on display here was good, albeit nothing special. The album isn’t objectively bad enough to earn a 1 but also overstays its welcome to the point of genuine frustration.

I was very torn rating this album. I wanted to find something to like here and to see why this album made the list. At times there were some rumblings of something interesting happening that made me think upon further listens I might find something to like here. Unfortunately I am only listening to each of these albums once and giving my initial gut reaction for rating them and I could not find it in me to rate this anything higher than a one. The album drones on in a very monotonous way throughout the duration of its run time with fleeting glimpses during the albums climax at what could have been had they decided to try anything different. I can appreciate that it is wholly different from anything I’d ever seek out to listen to and that there may be something appealing about it to someone but that someone is not me. Entirely boring, utterly forgettable.

The only reason this album doesn’t get a 5 is due to the length and nature of it being a live album. It’s at its best when listened to in its entirety, however due to the 2hr 13 minute run time the likelihood of being able to do that on a casual relisten is very slim. That being said this is a phenomenal performance start to finish. Metallica has cemented themselves as not only one of the best heavy metal bands of all time but best bands of all time full stop. The addition of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra add a level of cinematic complexity to already technical and punishing riffs and solos that is very much appreciated. It’s very easy to see why this performance made the list. I want to give this a 5 star rating but I can’t justify it knowing I will rarely if ever revisit this album. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be there in person. Metal perfected.

Unsure which version was intended due to broken link with Apple Music. Listened to the base version (no bonus tracks, 10 song track list).

*Original version not on Apple Music. Looked up original track list to make sure I am not listening to the full 3 hr 20th anniversary deluxe edition. - I’m very glad I did because while nothing here was particularly unpleasant it wasn’t really my vibe. I don’t think I would’ve rated this highly had I been made to listen to another 2.5hrs or so of it. Solid 6/10 record.

Unavailable on Apple Music. Will revisit if I can find it on YouTube. It’s a fine album but the listening experience on YouTube with ads is really holding it back. I don’t feel that I can fairly rate this album because I cannot listen to it uninterrupted. From now on if it is not on Apple Music I will give it a 3/5 and move on.

I find this one difficult to rate. While I did enjoy a large portion of the album it felt overshadowed by his work on Pink Floyd which I much prefer to this solo project. I also am not a fan of how the Apple Music links always pull up some deluxe version of the album and I forgot to check before playing this one and heard the same song about 6 different times. I can definitely hear how this may have influenced certain sounds that I really enjoy like Neutral Milk Hotel or even the Mountain Goats. This album crawled so those groups could soar.

Not available on Apple Music. May try to find on YouTube.

Unavailable on Apple Music. Will revisit on YouTube.