S&M

I don't really understand why this is on a best album list? It's a greatest hits with an orchestra? If I wanted that I would have listened to an apocalypica album. That being said I've never listened to this on principle but it's well done... Greatest hits album.

I like Metallica. I only liked Metallica once they "sold-out" and went "mainstream". "Nothing Else Matters" with an orchestral arrangement is a think of absolute staggering beauty but "Enter Sandman" is a mess.

I like it, but can't help feeling it could have been more somehow.

I'm really on several different thoughts with this album and I'll try to put them in line.

The Good:
- It's a great collection of Metallica material. Some old, some newer, but all good songs.
- The band and orchestra are in superb form! James' voice is clear, Kirk never loses control anywhere, we can actually hear the bass and even Lars keeps rhythm.

The Bad
- It sometimes feels if the Band and Orchestra are more in each others way than playing together and other times the orchestra steamrolls over the band
- Not all songs benefit from this supersizing. A lot of these songs really didn't need an orchestra fill and become bombastic due to it.
- If you make an album with an entire symphony orchestra, why not write new material instead of rehashing everything? Or do it half/half?

Apparently this is a good introduction into metal for a lot of people. But for me it was too full with filler.

I couldn't listen to much of this. Got about three tracks in before abandoning. The Ennio Morricone opener got me hopeful, but once Metallica joined in it went downhill. I can't imagine listening to all 2+ hours of this.

Interesting concept...way to long. Probably wouldn't listen to again. 2.5/5

Right off the bat it has two strikes against it from me, simply for being a live compilation album, and for being way too long. It is also comprised of a fair amount of their more forgettable material. Being a live album you have to listen to all of James Hetfield's ad libs throughout, which completely pull you out of the moment each time "Thank You Baby! Yeah!" And did they really have to mic the fucking audience?

Check out those professional reviews listed on Wikipedia. This was NOT critically acclaimed in any way. Everyone knew this was a self indulgent stunt made as an entertaining stop gap during a creative nadir. It's a novelty, not something for the ages. The success of that novelty is certainly subjective, but to my ear it just makes them sound laughably melodramatic.

And feast your eyes on that album cover. It looks like they paid $30 to someone on Fiverr for the design.

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.

Schlockingly bad.

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.

I don't understand this album at all. The symphony does nothing, and even if it could, it's pushed so far back in the mix you can't hear it most of the time. Essentially you're left with a bad Metallica live album with some annoying symphony things you hear occasionally.

This is not good.

Een muziekvriend van mij zei altijd. "Een muzikale basis is goed als het ook overeind blijft in een heel andere uitvoering". Test geslaagd. Dat is duidelijk.

Toch vraag ik mij af. Zou Metallica ook zo groot zijn geworden als ze de nummers direct met orkest hadden uitgebracht? Ik denk het niet. Natuurlijk is dit een leuk en knap project. Tof dat dit gedaan is. Maar het is niet dat de muziek van Metallica iets miste. In deze uitvoering 3,5 ster.

Äh ei jaksa kyl kahta tuntia Metallica-pippelöintiä. 2/5 miks tää on listalla.

I am very familiar with Metallica, and this album. I have listened to it many times before, and can't wait to give it another spin today!!

This album is a collaboration between Metallica, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Kamen. Many people would be surprised how well orchestras and thrash metal fit together. I watched a documentary one time called Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. It traced the roots of metal music back to opera and classical music, and notably, composers such as Vivaldi and Bach.
They had the same flare seen in many metal bands today to make louder music, and provide spectacle for the observers. Some composers even used cannon fire to amp up the bass sections of their operatic pieces!

The melding of the overreaching operatic performance, laced with the heavy, fast, traditional Metallica sound is amazing. This is a double live album, so the run time is quite long (over 2 hrs), but it is an amazing listen all the same. If you want a better experience, watch the live film of the performance. It would have been amazing to have been there in person to experience it!

Overall, a phenomenal album. I've loved it for years, and still love it. This made for a fantastic Saturday!

Favourite songs: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, Battery, No Leaf Clover, Of Wolf and Man, Hero of the Day, Master of Puppets, Sad But True, One, Fuel, The Memory Remains, Enter Sandman

Least favourite songs: The Ecstasy of Gold, The Call of Ktulu, Outlaw Torn

4/5

On paper, live metallica + full backing orchestra is a hilarious idea, but also symphonic metal is absolutely a guilty pleasure of mine, so I was excited to hit play on this.

Even though the runtime on this one’s over 2 hours, it’s pretty fun overall. I stand by my original complaint with Metallica, though--every individual song overstays its welcome by half

I could only get about halfway into 'Master of Puppets' before I literally could not handle it anymore. My physical reaction to the cognitive dissonance was just too intense. I can see how this idea would've piqued music executive interests enough to back it, but the end result is as awkward as an arranged marriage. I really wish I had never heard this album.

METALL!

A match made in heaven — or hell. Metallica's overblown songs meet Kamen's OTT orchestration. Ridiculous fun and hugely impressive technically and logistically, hits its grunty nadir with "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

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.