How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
See above .
Disadvantages:
See above .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
This is the final album to be released on the Vertigo label after the recent parting of Jason Newstead from THE BAND. For some swansong work with the rest of Metallica, the fans rejoiced that this release was not just the same old hits bashed out unenergetically. OH NO.
This is a CD where two very different musical styles met. On 'S&M', the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under direction by artiste,conductor and composer Michael Kamen worked with Metallica to bring a very different side to Metallica songs to the fore. Hits such as 'Enter Sandman' and 'Memory Remains' show a very different faucet to their sound.
Kamen and the band worked very closely together on moods, arrangements, melodies, and counter rythms for the different parts of the orchestra. Kamen himself chose which songs to perform, many of which are fairly unexpected.
The 'S&M' CD itself was originally performed to a live concert hall audience, the video and DVD of which gives testimony as to how popular still this rock band are. Such support offered by the audience was not only for Metallica, but this very special combination of forces.
The inlay booklet which comes with the CDE has pictures and some information, contributed by Kamen. This gives a better insight into the hows and whys of 'S&M's creation.
I only have a few niggly points with this product as a whole. The back of the CD with the track listing is very hard to read. Secondly, some of the tracks do not seem to fit exactly within this type of transition. Such songs include: "Fuel, Sad but True, Enter Sandman, Battery".
The two new songs are good, though hardly exceptional by Metallica's standard. My personal favourite out of the two is '-Human', it seems to convey far more than 'No Leaf Clover'.
Overall, I love the flavour of this album. Listen to it with a pair of good quality headphones and you'll hear all of the charm of a full orchestra backing this earth shaking band. Very good stuff. They may not have been the first to do metal+orchestral, but they're certainly one of the classiest.
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How does it rate alongside the competition
Good
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Outstanding
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