Metallica Album: “S&M [Edited]”

This boxset rules! There's no two ways about it! First of all just the box it comes in is killer. Two it comes with the S&M cd recessed in the first layer of the box which looks amazing! C, it comes with a deck of playing cards in which each ace has a characterature of a member of the band on it. Fourth, theres a nice poster, a black T-shirt with 'S&M' on the front right brest and on the back it says 'SOLOIST'. It also comes with a desk calandar which has all the lyrics to each song on S&M on each page. The box is also lined with a white satiny cloth which just completes the mood of the symphony. This set is a must have for any true MetallicA fan! Only 1,000 we're made.

At first the idea seemed brave, but fundamentally flawed. A symphony orchestra playing with Metallica ? Hmmm, a bit too Deeep Purple ... surely it couldn't be done successfully - after all, many have tried and failed. Would the men in black have to tone down their sound to suit the occasion and perhaps pull a punch or two to keep the high-brows happy? Would they hell! As you know, these 'Metalliclassical' concerts took place last April to great critical acclaim and this double live CD is the official record of the event.

S&M is the sound of two spectacular musical forces working in perfect harmony. The presence of the orchestra has driven Metallica to even greater heights on the evidence of this performance. However, much of the credit for the final product must be due to Michael Kamen who has interpreted the Metallica live show perfectly and scored it with imagination, flair and ingenuity.

At times the orchestration fits in so well you hardly notice it. Which is not to say the San Francisco Symphony sound timid. Not in the slightest. In fact on those tracks you might expect them to take a frightened backseat, such as 'Fuel' or 'Battery', they really make their presence felt. On the former they quite simply rock! To single out individual songs is pointless as the whole set is awesome. Suffice it to say that on those songs which allow them the space to work the orchestra sounds magnificent.

Metallica's performance is virtually flawless. The enormity of the occasion has resulted in a supercharged set. Each and every one of them play out of their skin. It's as if they had decided that no orchestra was going to eclipse them on the night!

Just a quick word on the sound quality which manages to bring the classical and hard rock disciplines together without compromising either. Everything sounds clean, clear and bright. The one casualty is Jason's bass which at times is a little muted but Lars' drums sound tremendous. In fact the whole mix leaps out of the speakers, so much so that on first listen it's almost to much to take in.

This release marks a milestone in the band's career and is also deserved of noteworthy inclusion in the annals of rock history - it's that good. No Metallica fan should be without this.

Quite simply, I don't know how Metallica are going to top this one - then again I think I might have said that when they released "....And Justice for All".

I must confess, I'm not a Metallica fan. I am familiar with their music but that's about it for me. With the exception of Nothing Really Matters, I can take their music or leave it. However, I saw the live show on VH-1, I heard Hero of the Day, No Leaf Clover on the radio and I knew I had to have this album. I have a fondness for Classical music. I also have a fondness for "loud obnoxious music" (my term for any music tough and loud with lyrics you can barely understand). After I saw them on VH-1, I knew I had to buy this album. I did and I do not in the least regret it. The mixture of the two types of music is awesome. Its classical music with extreme passion. There is no other way to describe it. It makes the heart pound and your pulse race. What better way to experience music than that? It does get a little too "heavy" at times but that's easily remedied using the fast forward button on the CD Player. Regardless, I love the album and highly recommend it. And I can now say that I own a Metallica album. :-)

From what I heard on the radio and television (thankyou VH1!) I love the new Metallica and Symphony work. It perfectly blends my classical tastes and my craving for live heavy energetic metal. Who does rock better than Metallica? And the symphony itself lends itself fully to the music, I don't think Metallica could've done anything more for their music outside of playing with this symphony. I'm glad (vaguely) classical music is getting some recognition among rock fans, if you listen there are a lot of parallels. By the way, and I don't know how appropriate this is, I suggest looking into a band called Apocalyptica, as they are a cello quartet that does Metallica (and others) covers. Their first CD is good, and their second is truly excellent. If you like the S&M album, and you should, then definately invest in Apocalyptica. Good job San Francisco symphony! Well done!

This CD was given to me by a Metallica fan knowing that I am more conservative in my music tastes and a big fan of classical music. I reluctantly listened and was hooked from the second track to the end. The blend of the biting rock with the orchestration was superb. The singing style of Hetfield was a perfect match with the complexity of the philharmonic background. This was a true joy to hear and a huge surprise to me. As a matter of fact, I have since purchased 'Metallica', '. . .And Justice for All' and 'Load'. This is hard to say for a 40-something professional man, but Metallica rocks!