The Sexy Symphony Accompany A Certain Metallica, Could Be Good I Suppose (S&M - Metallica)

Member Name: mr blonde

Product:	S&M - Metallica
Date:	05/07/02 (803 review reads)
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When you first think of Metallica, an orchestra is not the sort of thing that springs straight into mind, so, when the biggest metal band of all time combined with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (a mouthful in itself would you agree) to conduct this concert in 1999, there were a few heads turned as they made their attempt at changing the music industry's whole snobbishness towards classical music attitude.

In fairness, that was not the idea behind the concert; the idea was to experiment and to push the boundaries even further still of metal as we know it. I have to say, I know very few people who see the album as anything less than a roaring success, with the odd exception, who generally tend to only appreciate the true old school ruggedness of Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets anyway.

The concert was done over 2 nights, and the CD is basically half from the first night and half from the second. Michael Kamen, the world renowned composer, was the maestro for the two nights, and his superb composition created a concert that was not only memorable, but also allowed he and the orchestra to join Metallica in their status as being one of the best of their era. As Hetfield himself says "thanks to the San Francisco Symphony for having the balls to come out here and play with us tonight", these words say it all, not many people in the world could keep up with the sheer speed and power of 'tallica's music, but the orchestra managed to achieve this, and to make the entire concert work to perfection.

Anyways, on with the tracks:

Disc 1

1/ The introduction to the concert is the instrumental "The Ecstasy Of Gold". Most will know this from the old western movies such as "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", however, it has become quite a popular concert opener for Metallica as the boys hit the stage. This song is performed entirely as a warm up song and an introducti
on for Metallica to make their entrance, and as such, the orchestra performs this song alone. Te song itself is very short by Metallica standards, bearing in mind it is followed by the 9.34 "Call of Ktulu", 2.30 doesn't seem a great deal overall. However, a great song to start this kind of concert with though.

2/ "The Call Of Ktulu", perhaps my favourite track on the album! Although I would not say that as a definite, that honour changes like the wind! I love the whole concept of the technicality of the song, it is enhanced a great deal simply by the presence of the orchestra and it sounds astonishing! The orchestra adds a whole new dimension to an already incredible song! There is not a dull moment throughout the entire 9 minutes of the song, ranging from excellent guitar work, and full on symphony combining with Metallica sections, the string sections of the symphony really do accompany the power of the guitar playing to perfection. Taken from the 1984 Ride The Lightning album, this song is one of the true old school classics for those of us who appreciate powerful music that depicts a tale without words.

3/ ?Master Of Puppets? really is a classic in its own right. Possibly the most renowned Metallica song behind Enter Sandman (Metallica's only UK number 1), and it sounds even better with the orchestra, as indeed many of the tracks that are selected in this concert are. The old school power of this song is still there, however the maturity of the voice of James Hetfield has come on leaps and bounds since the track was originally recorder back in the 80s, and this also adds to the song, his voice is far more powerful, as is the band's playing skills, this is shown in this song, as it is throughout the concert. Hetfield?s voice has obviously matured with age, and since 1986, when the Master Of Puppets album was released, this maturity is apparent, and because of this, the S&M version of this song far exceed
s even the force and ruggedness of the original. Track Time: 8.54

4/ ?Of Wolf And Man? is the song that links the old school Metallica, with the new look, new sound Metallica. Taken from the Metallica self titled, or also known as ?The Black Album?, this is again a progression through the ages, and of course through the maturity of the band?s music, as they started with age to rely on the power chords they have available with their instruments, as opposed to the sheer speed and aggression that their early music depended so heavily on. The song itself is one of the tracks that is strange as far as it?s original album version is concerned, neither extremely deep, or extremely hard metal, as most of the tracks on the album were, this falls somewhere between, and as such provides the perfect complementation to the S&M album. The track sounds far better on this album than it did on ?The Black Album?. The orchestral content of the song adds depth to the instrumental side, and as with all of the tracks, with only the exception of the newer songs taken from the ?Load? and ?Reload? albums, the maturity of Hetfield?s voice adds even more depth to the vocals. Track Time: 4.18

5/ ?The Thing That Should Not Be? takes us back to the old days when the Metallica boys were kicking it old school style. This is not one of my favourite tracks on the album, I feel it is one of the weaker songs, although this version is better than the original. I like the way the ending involves several bangs of the symbols from Lars, and then goes straight into ?Fuel?, a song which I do like! Again, this song is taken from the 1986 album ?Master Of Puppets?, and thus holds a little more substance. The song itself is almost a ballad, involving heavier guitar work, yet retaining the mellow sound that is created in the Disc 1 section of the concert. I do actually like parts of the song, especially the emphasis that Hetfield adds to certain sections of the vocals, such as addin
g things like ?oh my god? to one bit, this in itself just gives the song a little more passion, and creates a more potent sound, this is also evident in the manic laughter that is cackled by Hetfield. Track Time: 7.26

6/ ?Fuel? is one of my favourites on Disc 1, it has a bit of everything so to speak. Even down to the very start of the song, there are several symbol bangs and the words ?GIVE ME FUEL, GIVE ME FIRE, GIVE ME THAT WHICH I DESIRE? hit us, this then leads into the orchestra and the band kicking in, and a much improved version of ?Fuel?, well in comparison to the studio version anyway (Reload, 1997). I like the fact that the pace of the original has been duplicated in this concert, and in fairness to the orchestra, they cope easily with the energy of the song, although in later tracks in the concert, on some of the faster songs, they seem to be able to cope with the speed of the music quite well, although I feel that vast amounts of rehearsal and the guidance of a certain Michael Kamen aid this greatly. Track Time: 4.35

7/ ?The Memory Remains? is a fantastic song in its original form on the 1997 ?Reload? album, and although this version is also fantastic, I feel that it really does need the eerie echo of the na na na na na na that Marianne Faithfull provides in the original. I do feel that the song itself is a hell of a strong song to use on the album, and I am indeed a big fan of the track, it is a little bit slower than ?Fuel?, yet it still provides great substance, I just feel that without the lady in white, it just doesn?t feel the same. I like the way the song cuts out half way through as the audience attempts to make up for Marianne?s absence with it?s own rendition of na na na na na na, and the Hetfield?s voice returns as he retaliates with ?AND IT FEELS RIGHT THIS TIIIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEEE?, that particular part of the song is better than the album version, but overall it does still need Faithfull to make the song complete. Tra
ck Time: 4.42

8/ ?No Leaf Clover? is ?just a freight train comin your way yay yeah?! This is a superb song. It makes the first Disc maintain some of the true Metallica spirit, and I feel that Hetfield and the guys know this. It is almost as if his ?YEAH? at the end of the song do reflect the movement of the crowd as he starts to move into the ?real? Metallica, I suppose is one way to define it, and they play the first of the two new tracks they have in store for the crowd (Minus Human being the second). The song itself as already stated is a little bit heavier, a little faster paced, but as a mark of things to come from Metallica on their upcoming album (3 years on from S&M), they are still maintaining their use of power chords over their old thrash style, something that I feel is of great benefit, as they have been slated as ?sell out?s? with their last two albums, and if they maintain the heavy feel of this song, and keep with their newer more sophisticated style of play, then I feel that the critics will have absolutely nothing to complain about because the album will have everything. Track Time: 5.43

9/ ?Hero Of The Day? is perfectly suited to this type of concert, so much so in fat, that if you listen to the original on the 1996 ?Load? album, you would almost say that they had intended this song for S&M even back then (this could reflect the desire that Metallica have stated that they had for this type of Orchestra/Metallica concert for a number of years). The song itself is remarkably mellow by Metallica standards, and once again tells a story, as so many of their songs do! Hetfield?s voice is not as different to the original version as it is with some of the other tracks, which I feel is something that is intended for the simple reason of, although his voice has got even stronger since 96, this song does not need too much ?tinkering? with in order to make it suit the Orchestra, and this also applies to his vocal work! Track Time: 4.4
4

10/ ?Devil?s Dance? was the song I loved the most off this entire album for a long time when I first bought the CD. I love the whole bass idea at the beginning (something that is uncharacteristic for me, I normally feel that songs sound better when you can hear the snare drum more than the bass), but this song is just superb. Taken from the 1997 ?Reload? album, I feel it is a great improvement on its studio counterpart. I heard the S&M version before the studio version even got near to my stereo, and I must admit I was none too fussed at the time, however, since then I have listened to the original a fair amount, and although I still feel the S&M version is far superior, I feel that the studio version also deserves ample credibility. I feel that the words that go into this song are extremely powerful, as they deliver the message that you only live once, have fun and participate in the ?Devil?s Dance? so to speak. In the end, we don?t live for long, and this song is basically telling us to enjoy it. Track Time: 5.26

11/ ?Bleeding Me? is one of the longer tracks on the CD at 9.01, it is also the final song on the first Disc. As one of the deeper songs of the concert, it is a perfect way to end the first half of the concert and leave the crowd wanting to move into the heavier second half. The song starts off fairly mellow, however this changes gradually as it builds towards the guitar work of a certain Kirk Hammet taking over towards the end, which again is followed by more vocals. The song itself is not particularly heavy, but the actual vocals are meaningful, which I feel is often a more poignant way of getting a song to work than making it downright heavy. Taken from the 1996 ?Load? album, this deepness is more reminiscent of the older songs of perhaps the ?Black Album?, which had more of a tendency towards deep lyrics, accompanied by deep thoughtful music, such as ?The Unforgiven? which also includes an excellent guitar solo within its
boundaries.


Disc 2

1/ Nothing Else Matters is one of the best songs that is on the 1991 ?Black Album?. The cunning mellowness of the song does not reflect the true power and meaning behind the song. Perhaps classed as a love song, if metal bands are indeed allowed to perform such music, I feel the song itself best befits a rock classic that never quite got the recognition that it deserved thanks to the likes of ?The Unforgiven? and ?Enter Sandman?, however, it is the perfect way to warm the audience back up for the second half of this musical masterpiece. The almost acoustic mellowness of the song from the ?Black Album? is converted on stage to actually become an acoustic song, something I feel that is experimental in itself from Metallica, let?s face it, you don?t see an old school heavy metal band playing acoustic guitars very often, even in this case it is Hetfield, and not Hammett who plays the acoustic hehehe! Track Time: 6.47

2/ ?Until It Sleeps? picks up the tempo a little bit, and possibly leads us to believe that the songs are starting to work up to a true ?heavy? metal climax. I have read other reviews on dooyoo about S&M, saying that they felt there was an almost James Bond type of theme running through the concert, I feel that this statement is incorrect, although I do agree that the momentum of the concert definitely gathers pace as the concert draws on. ?Until It Sleeps? is another of Metallica?s more reputed songs from the highly criticised ?Load? album, on which they were criticised for turning their backs on hard metal, and going commercial (something that I feel they did with ?The Black Album? back in 91). This song is still fairly mellow by the standards set later in this CD, however it does maintain the build up work that Nothing Else Matters starts to create, and the momentum continues to increase with this track. Track Time: 4.29

3/ ?For Whom The Bell Tolls?, the album marches on! Sorry, that w
as a cheap attempt at a pun, however, this is the best track that Metallica could have chosen to create the old school feel that the second Disc needs. ?For Whom The Bell Tolls? is one of THE classic Metallica songs, and something like ?Master Of Puppets?, I feel that it does not get the recognition that it rightfully deserves, although most Metallica fans will beg to differ. Taken from the ?Ride The Lightning? album, it was recently on the ?World?s Greatest Air Guitars Album?, which in fairness did shock me, as I was expecting it to be ?Enter Sandman? that featured, if any! The orchestra adds an impressive dimension to an already excellent song, one of the all time best Metallica songs that there is just got even better with this version. The voice of Hetfield has come on leaps and bounds since the old days, something I feel may be a down side to this song as it sounds amazing with the extra cackle, or grunt so to speak, but the way in which the crowd plays for the song does make the song worthwhile. An important song for the concert I feel as it allows the flow to move to a heavier side of metal! Track Time: 4.52

4/ ?- Human? is the second of the brand new songs, and definitely the heavier of the two, perhaps the reason for the selection being on the second Disc as opposed to the first! A percussion introduction to the song allows for Hetfield and Hammett to kick in with a mean guitar riff. The song is reminiscent of the old days when the boys were the heaviest thing to have appeared from the rock world, only this time, their new style allows them to be as heavy, but to make it look even better! The song itself is the perfect way to follow on from the classic ?For Whom The Bell Tolls?, it offers a potentially new classic to lead on from an already established song! The song is true to Metallica fashion, in the sense that there is purpose and meaning behind the music, but then could we expect anything less from Metallica? The imagery that the son
g creates is fantastic, with lyrics such as ?come squeeze the world and drip it down my throat again?, I only hope that if this song does get released on the new album, it is somewhere near as good as this version. Track Time: 4.19

5/ ?Wherever I Mat Roam? is taken from the ?Black Album?, which is in itself a progression even further to what Metallica are truly capable of in the sense that they are a heavy metal band, and this song although not as heavy as some, is still a step in that direction. The song itself has some excellent riffs, and the old style Hetfield ?grunt? becomes more apparent as he puts a bit more oomph (I cannot believe they have oomph on the spellchecker hehehe) into what was an already fairly heavy song! The orchestra adds more depth to the song, and accompanies the band in making the song even better yet again than the studio version (how repetitive can you get, near enough every song is ?better than the studio version? hehehe). This is one of the songs that when first heard on the ?Black Album? I feel can be a little hard to swallow, don?t ask me why, I just think that, but once you have heard it a few times you begin to realise just how good a song it is, and then when you hear the S&M version it blows you away in comparison! Track Time: 7.01

6/ ?The Outlaw Torn? is a really deep and dramatic song, it is almost a moving cry for help from someone plighted by their own path of life, as the lyric ?and if I start to come undone, stitch me together? suggests! This is one of those songs that just sounds like it is meant for the S&M concert, even though it was taken from the 1996 ?Load? album. The original is ok, although nothing special, however, this is definitely fantastic, the extended guitar solo that carries on for about 2 minutes towards the end of the song is worth listening to the entire song just on its own! At 9.58 it is a long song, and the guitar solo sounds like it is just meant to carry on and on and on (you
are probably thinking ?something like this review?). Although not entirely old school, you would swear that this track was one of the older and heavier songs that they have performed down the years. I feel that this song also gives the perfect base for ?Sad But True? to follow on from as it is fairly heavy without going overboard.

7/ ?Sad But True? is definitely one of the heavier songs of the concert. The song makes its mark early on into the track, and Hetfield uses the true old school grunt he has within his voice, even though he does tweak most of the song in order to suit the music that the combination of the band and the orchestra provides. Te song is a success I feel, however I do think that the studio version was heavier, even though the S&M version isn?t half bad either! I like the version of this that I have heard where somebody has mixed ?Sad But True? (studio version) with the Kid Rock song ?American Badass? (the main music to the song is ?borrowed? from ?Sad But True?, so the mix runs fairly well). This song is one of the most well known tracks from the ?Black Album?, and as suck the crowds reaction to the music aids the band?s performance as they start to really crank the concert up, as they bound towards the finale where they will attempt to raise the roof (I can tell you now that they succeed too). Track Time: 5.46

8/ ?One? is perhaps the deepest and certainly on of the heaviest tracks within this concert. The song truly goes back to the real old school Metallica as the boys quite frankly let rip as they take it up another level and show some signs of what I can only describe as a ?mature? speed metal, yet even though the orchestra adds to this song, the band does not rest on it?s laurels in the presence of an orchestra, which I suppose is a more eloquent type of music, instead they give it the same amount of grunt that they would at any other concert on their tours! In fairness though they don?t exactly relax their intensi
ty of music throughout this concert, so why should they start now three songs from the end eh? A classic metal anthem is brought to life by Metallica and the Symphony, and it is without a doubt an improvisation on the studio version, which was in my opinion, already the best song on ?And Justice For All?, which was one of the early albums, being released in 1988, when Metallica were working towards their peak, which occurred with the 1991 ?Black Album?. Originally ?Justice? was seen as a brash and almost arrogant album from Metallica, almost like they had thrown an album together in five minutes and expected it to do well, I feel this is unfair, and although I think it is the weakest of the current 9 studio based albums, I still feel that there is some excellent tracks on it, which is shown with ?One?. Track Time: 7.53

9/ ?Enter Sandman? is the second to last track that the guys play during the concert, although the build up to the song would have you believe that it is the last! What true Metallica concert would be complete without this song being played! After all, it is the only number 1 that they have had on these shores, and because of that it is a must to have included it in the S&M proceedings. The song, as any Metallica fan will know, is fantastic, and could easily fit into any concert that any band played in the world. This song is the symbol of Metallica, and more often than not, it is the song that is thought of as soon as they are mentioned, with the thumping drumming of a certain Lars Ulrich providing the pulse from which Jason Newstead, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield proceed to lead the orchestra in what is one of metal?s all time greats. Taken from the ?Black Album?, the song is the one track that could be guaranteed to appear on the playlist, although a couple of the aforementioned do also come a close second or third! I feel that this version is better than the studio version, although you could literally toss a coin to decide you
r own preference as both are very similar, something I feel that is intentional because of the song?s reputation, I feel that they must have chose to almost play safe and not risk wrecking the song with a concert that could have either been a major success or a burning flop! No more needs to be said about ?Enter Sandman? the song speaks loud enough for itself. Track Time: 7.39

10/ Battery provides what is an unlikely encore and finale to the evening?s proceedings, it also marks the peak of the concert as this I personally believe is the heaviest song that they play. There is a lot of build up to this song, and for those who have seen either the DVD or the video, they will know that the band actually goes off stage as if that is the end of the show, however, the orchestra starts to play the same introduction that is on the studio version of ?Battery? and after much deliberation the band finally starts to appear onstage with Lars cheekily sneaking back onto the darkened stage and sitting at his drum kit, then when the guitars kick in, the rest move back onto the stage and the performance continues, much to the delight of the fans! The track has the place rocking, just as we all thought that no one had any energy left in them, Metallica produce the hardest song of the night, possibly performing on adrenaline alone, either way, it is a fantastic song, and it suits the finale to the night perfectly. The orchestra once again does not fail in keeping pace with the band, and in fairness the song is once again actually better than the original version, which is partly credited again to the new found maturity in Hetfield?s voice, as the original was the opening track on the 1986 ?Master Of Puppets? album, and since then, although he has lost none of his grunt, he has developed his voice into a far greater instrument than it ever was in the early days! Track Time: 7.24, although there is some banter at the end of the track!

Overall I feel that for such
an experimental album it is a raging success, I thick that CD 2 is the stronger of the two, although I would not discard either! This is my favourite album of al time, and when i bought it, it set me back £22.00, but i feel that even based on the amount of use it has had, the price was justified even then, and now it has been reduced to roughly £15.00 it is even more of a bargain.

Thanks for reading this op, i know it is pretty long, but i feel that this particular album is worth the effort!

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