MASTER OF PUPPETS

There's a lot of problems with this release; the only saving grace being that when all is said and done they're still covering a fantastic album. The first, and maybe the biggest pitfall, the production, from the start ruins about any enjoyment one could extract from the album. Many times the hooting and hollering of the crowd overwhelms the performance. I understand this is a bootleg, but it sounds as if its a bootleg of a gig played out of a basement. The bass is inaudible, and the drums are far from any positive adjective. Next come the vocals which sound as if LaBrie is singing through a walkie talkie. James LaBrie tries to imitate James Hetfield instead of singing naturally. He does a poor job of capturing Hetfield's attractive rasp, and instead his forced screaming takes away any magic the vocals of the original had.

Dream Theater for the most part, except with some ridiculous mistakes such as in "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", plays the material correctly (and note for note), but I gladly would take the raw aggression of Metallica over Dream Theater's finesse which only takes away from the material.

Master Of Puppets deserves nothing less than 5 stars. However, Dream Theater's performance sucks out all the life and allure of Master Of Puppets. They could have at least had the courteousy to practice the songs before they played them live. Don't buy this album.