Metallica Album: “Cunning Stunts”

Say what you will about Metallica, but one thing you can't deny is that they always put out the best home video releases, especially when it comes to them playing live. Cunning Stunts was recorded before "ReLoad" was released, and features the boys at their best. "Fade To Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Creeping Death", "Nothing Else Matters", "King Nothing", "So What", and "Sad but True" are all brought to life live great, but there are a few minor gripes. Kirk does mess up a bit on the solo to "One", and on some of the older songs (like the Kill/Ride medley) James seems like he's having trouble remembering his parts. But, the good outweighs the bad in the end, besides the great concert, the DVD features are outstanding, and the picture and sound quality can't be beat; this is how a concert DVD should be done. All in all, this is an essential item if your a Metallica fan, and it is worth every penny.

First off, this concert DVD is for the fans. If you don't enjoy "mistakes" or "fun" on stage, then you might as well go buy Milli Vanilli on DVD. Because this is raw, concert, non rehearsed Metallica at it's best. There are PLENTY of songs on here that sound great [even if Hetfield screeches a few times, you try singing 3 hours a day 5 days a week for 2 years and we'll see how your voice sounds]. I love it. I've always been a big fan, and I've tried to see Metallica as many times as possible. To the fans, this is a great DVD. To people that expect a concert to be perfect, well you might as well just by a CD of Metallica because you're going to be disappointed.

Oh, and to the person that made the comment about the energy being "low" due to the "pause and comment" portions to the crowd, you've obviously never gone to a concert, because that's what a CONCERT is all about. Sure, they could have edited those portions out, but if you've ever seen them live, you'll realize what Metallica made this DVD for. For fans that CAN'T always go see them live. This DVD captures the TRUE concert feel.

And for the price, this DVD can't be beat. Plenty of songs, multiple camera angles, background information on the band and the concert setup, pictures taken while touring, and plenty of great loud explosions and pyro, just like Metallica has been, will be, and always shall be.

This has to be the best concert DVD yet. It is by far Metallica's best. Since it was shot specifically for DVD, the quality (audio and video) are amazing. The intro to "One" has the camera spinning around with explosions and strobe lights all around. In 5.1 Digital this sounds awesome! They play all the songs flawlessly (as far as I could tell), and their stage presence is incredible. The roar of the fans adds to the excitement. If you own anything by Metallica, add this to your collection. It is a must.

This is a great acheivement for the band, and a great acheivement technologically speaking as well! A few random thoughts...

- Metallica is an awesome live band, and some of their songs actually sound BETTER live. Given the complexity of their music, that is pretty damn amazing. So What, Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Last Caress, Am I Evil? and a few others are really enhanced by the extra energy of a live performance.

- James's voice is worn out, but I didn't find it distracted from the quality of the DVD. He doesn't sound BAD, but the wear and tear is clear.

- The best part about concert DVDs is the replay value. I have watched Cunning Stunts several times, so even if you aren't a die-hard fan, it definately pays off to pick up a copy.

Thank you all for reviewing this DVD. I really appreciate the love the fans have givin us over the years. Hopefully we will have another DVD out soon. Once again I thank you all. To end this in a good note, I have this 5 stars. Yea!