S & M

The idea of having Metallica's generally raw and energetic music combined with an entire symphonic orchestra is an amazing concept, to say the least. In theory, the added dimension would shed a whole new light on the music the band composed and created.

For the most part, it failed to meet much of my high expectation, which is a real shame, because something really amazing could have been done here.

For starters; while Michael Kamen is undeniably a musical prodigy as far as arranging and conducting goes, alot of the symphonic arrangements here really don't do much to make the songs better, they just overlap a bit thoughtlessly, except for the occasional moment of brilliance, such as the gorgeous opening to 'Battery.'

While I've never been a fan of James Hetfield in any capacity, he really seems to bug me here. His vocal inflections and constant addiction to throwing in a 'hell yeah!' into every break gets on my nerves. Some may constrew that as being 'showmanship,' but it doesn't pass me as being any more than irritating, and it really seems to make the performance lose some of the class it could have had.

While I can understand that the live performance was recorded during the bands 'Load/Reload' period, I wish there could have been less songs from those albums here. Symphonic touch- ups do not make for a good replacement in contrast to good songwriting.

There are some good parts on the album though. The epic 'One,' 'Battery,' and 'Master Of Puppets' are all done well. The highlight of the album would probably be the instrumental 'Call Of Ktulu,' which actually works suprisingly well with orchestration.

Despite the high-points, it's not great, and while I am very tempted to give it three stars, there's far too much dissapointment here to warrant it. If you're looking for something along these lines (rock/metal infused with symponic orchestra) then turn to Pain of Salvation's 'Be' record or Nightwish's 'Dark Passion Play.'

This could have been so much better... Like many great concepts, this one is executed poorly.

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