Must-have Metallica (S&M - Metallica)

Member Name: readie25

Product:	S&M - Metallica
Date:	17/06/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Concert, unique idea

Disadvantages: Setlist is not perfect, but I'm just being picky!

That this concert is going to be different from anything else Metallica have ever offered before becomes immediately apparent - as the 'Ecstasy of Gold' (the theme tune from 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' that has accompanied a great many Metallica concerts since the 1980s) is played live by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

Call of the Ktulu follows, and one can only imagine just how tremendous the performance would have been to experience live, judging from the CD. However, it is not only the instrumental and 'lighter' songs, such as Hero of the Day and Bleeding Me, that work well with the orchestra - classics such as Master of Puppets and Battery - where the whole of the introduction is played by the orchestra, before the band return to the stage for an encore, also work very well.

Clearly, Metallica have a great many songs to choose from, and so the setlist does not disappoint. Although there is nothing from Kill 'Em All, highlights from Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, And Justice for All, Metallica, Load and Reload all appear, and the orchestra generally adds to the experience nicely. Nothing Else Matters, Bleeding Me and Memory Remains are particularly worthy of a mention, as these really come alive in this performance, and Michael Kamen should take some credit for writing a beautiful score to accompany the guitar parts in these. It is, however, difficult to find a favourite song, given this array of best ever performances of each.

The quality of the recording is excellent, with the orchestra and band levelled very nicely, and it is worth noting that Hetfield's vocal range and tone is particularly pleasing throughout. It has to be said that for the all-round experience, the DVD has an edge here; the wide range of camera shots (including the ability to focus on particular band members for some songs, such as Enter Sandman and Sad But True from just behind Lars) and well-synchronised lighting and effects make the concert even more enjoyable to watch than just to listen to. Other than this, however, the DVD has no real extra features worthy of mention, but personally I would choose it over the CD set any day!

This is comfortably my favourite live performance that Metallica have formally released, and the DVD in particular does it great justice. There can be little doubt that, on either medium, the concert offers an insight into a great piece of Metallica history, and is a must own for any Metallica fan.

I have a similar review posted on ciao.co.uk, under the same name.

Summary: Top-notch stuff