President of the Glasgow University Celtic Supporters club, editor of "The Beautiful Game"...
President of the Glasgow University Celtic Supporters club, editor of "The Beautiful Game" football fanzine and Open Football Celtic website, regular contributor to "Feedback" rock music fanzine. Also do some boring real IT work when I can fit it in.
Member since:26.06.2000
Reviews:84
Members who trust:1
No, not Metallica's new porn video, this is an audacious collaboration between hard rock's most successful outfit and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. It has been attempted before by others of course, but this seems to be the most successful effort yet.
To be honest, the orchestra often seem extraneous as the power of the band overwhelms the strings of the classical musicians, and it could almost be a straight 'tallica album at times. Certainly tracks like "Nothing Else Matters", "Fuel" and "Master of Puppets" hardly benefit at all from the addition of the orchestra. Others, like "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Wherever I May Roam" actually lose something in the translation.
Occasionally though, the two come together to forge a new blend of classical rock, notably on "Until It Sleeps", "The Call Of The Ktulu", "Sad But True", "Enter Sandman" and "One". The fact that they even managed to record one of their most brutal cuts ("Battery") at all, is a wonder, and the fact that it sounds terrific is amazing. I think it works because no allowances are given from the band - they give it everything and allow the orchestra to keep up with them, which they do superbly.
Opening track is an interesting interpretation of "The Ecstasy Of Gold", from Ennio Morricone's soundtrack to "The Good The Bad And The Ugly", and this instrumental makes a fine start to proceedings. There are also two unreleased Metallica songs included - the excellent "No Leaf Clover" and the almost operatic "- Human".
A worthwhile exercise, if not exactly earth-shattering or highly original. But it certainly grows on you!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
As if to accentuate their fundamental hugeness, Metallica (arguably the most consistently ... more
innovative metal band of the 80s and 90s) stretched yet further into the arena of the titanic with this immense cohesion of the orchestral and the truly seismic. ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
As if to accentuate their fundamental hugeness, Metallica (arguably the most consistently ... more
innovative metal band of the 80s and 90s) stretched yet further into the arena of the titanic with this immense cohesion of the orchestral and the truly seismic. ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: This album offers something to everyone, with great musical talent and support from the orchestra. Disadvantages: I can not think of anything negative about this
darkeye 03.09.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of S&M - Metallica
Advantages: the album is a definate must for metallica fans, its kind of like a greatest hits album but the album is completly live and has a live orchestra in the background, recorded from a live concert (also available on DVD) also songs never released before Disadvantages: the only down on this is that some of the songs sound different with the orchestra in the background, but some people may prefere the version on this album than other albums (i myself do on certain songs)
metallica81 05.05.2005 (05.05.2005)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of S&M - Metallica
Jun 29th, 2000
helpful by (100%):
![Lest We Forget (The Best Of Marilyn Manson) [PA] - Marilyn Manson](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/908/prod_small-5766908.jpg)
![Greatest Hits Vol.1 (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Korn](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/605/prod_small-5878605.jpg)
