Metal meets classical with awesome results (S&M - Metallica)

Member Name: voodooyoo1

Product:	S&M - Metallica
Date:	05/01/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All the great Metallica tracks with added beauty and power of an orchestra

Disadvantages: Likely to offend harcore metal fans

I listenened to this as someone who was not a massive fan of Metallica to begin with. This, it seems, is advantageous. Because a lot of true Metallica fans were left isolated by this record, especially coming not long after the Load/Reload records which were already seen as selling out their metal roots in favour of a softer, more commercial sound.

The sound generated on this live performance with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra is absolutely stunning. Pairing an orchestral sound with guitars isnt an entirely new concept- but is still not a match you would expect to work. And on some tracks it doesnt. But for most of the performance, the orchestra beautifully supports the power of the band. On the more ballady MEtallica tracks, the stringed orchestra beautifully probe around the music, adding their own riffs and subtly enhancing the melodies. On the more powerful tracks, Maestro Michael Kamen gets immense sound and drama from his musicians, matching the immensity of the band's playing.

I absolutely love this peformance, being a big fan of both classical and hard rock. If you are not a died in the wool metal fan and enjoy both the power and subtleties of both forms of music here, you must give this a try.

Summary: A brilliant combination of evolving metal and awesome orchestral power