S & M

Oddly, this was one of the first 'Tallica albums I bought. I was such a newbie on metal by that time. It was 6 or 7 years ago I bought my first Metallica album (and my first album EVER), and it was... the extremely critizised, destroyed, blasphemous (for many, but not for me) St. Anger. That proves the influence a music channel like MTV can have on a child like me, by that time. Obviously, I loved the album, then I got back to Load and then bought this live album, not really knowing what I was going to get. S&M was the gateway to 80s 'Tallica, and that's why this album had a huge impact on me. I listened for the first time to absolute classics, like the concert opener, the instrumental The Call Of Ktulu, the all time classic Master Of Puppets, One, and of course the well-known hit Enter Sandman. Someone told me there was a close connection between metal and classical music. When I heard that, I really couldn't believe it, I thought it was the most un-classical music you can find (I was a rookie too). Right now, this album is the best example of that close connection: the Thrash masters played with a big orchestra, conducted by Michael Kamen, who managed to fit very, very well with the songs. Big examples of this can be the instrumental opener, MoP, or the One intro. Oh, and how can I forget Nothing Else Matters. Even on the rockiest moments, the orchestra doesn't seem out of place (Fuel). After this album, I bought all the studio recordings and realised the repertoire here is great, and well balanced (I know many would prefer an 80s based concert, but it's a great for me, since I like very much the 90s 'Tallica too!). It would be useless to say the band sounds very tight and they play perfectly, the same versions than the sudio, with the enrichment provided by the orchestra. The production is top notch, it's so clear, one of the greatest live productions I've heard so far.

Overall, S&M was a seminal album for me, and it's a damn great live album that could serve as a good introduction to all the spectrum of Metallica music. Four stars, without a doubt.

Rating: 4.1/5