S&M 2

Here's the sequel of Metallica with the San Francisco Orchestra 20 years ago. The band plays on their central stage with all those classical musicians. It's night and day for the picture quality if I compare both concerts, the high definition makes all the difference. There are more quiet moments in the music than a usual Metallica concert and that is a good thing. There are also some classical pieces to brings things down after the heavy metal stuff. I'm not a fan of Heavy Metal, but I always enjoy seeing a Metallica concert and I have to admit that in this genre, they are on top. They started the show with their most progressive rock song: the instrumental ''The Call of Ktulu'' and after that, it's more than 2 hours of music nonstop with the orchestra that brings a little something to the music. I really enjoy watching this concert, the camera work gets you on the stage with the musicians, it's almost like being in the front row. I assume that all Metallica fans have this already and that I would not recommend this to all the prog-rock fans, so that's why I only give this 3.4 stars.

"S&M 2" is a double live album release (which in the days of vinyl would probably have been a three- or a four album release). The album was released through Blackened Recordings in August 2020. The title of the album refers to the 1999 "S&M" live album, which is a similar collaborative effort with Metallica playing along side the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. While the original "S&M" (1999) concert performance was conducted by Michael Kamen, the concert performance on "S&M 2" was conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and Edwin Outwater. The "S&M 2" concert was also filmed and given a theatrical release in October 2019. A Blu-Ray version was released simoultaniously with the live album.

"S&M 2" features 22 tracks and a total playing time of just little under 2 and a half hours. Needless to say it´s a massive body of music, but since Metallica have written so many instantly recognisable heavy/thrash metal tracks, the playing time doesn't necessarily feel that long. Disc 1 is dominated by post-"The Black Album" (1991) material, although it also includes "The Call of Ktulu" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (and of course a classical orchestra version of "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone, which is always the opening track at Metallica´s shows.

Disc 2 predominantly features "The Black Album" (1991) and pre-"The Black Album" (1991) material, although it also includes "The Unforgiven III" and "All Within My Hands", and a couple of classical music pieces (by Sergei Prokofiev and Alexander Mosolov).

Adding a symphonic orchestra to rock music is nothing new and several other rock and heavy metal artists have done it before (including Deep Purple and Metallica themselves as mentioned above), and with varying degrees of success. Honestly I was very critical of "S&M" (1999) when it was released, and I felt it was like standing in between a heavy metal band´s rehearsal room and a concert hall where a classical orchestra played. I don´t think that recording worked that well and the two parts of the music just never gelled. Thankfully "S&M 2" works much better and to my ears the heavy metal part of the music and the classical orchestra parts now function as a unit, and create a new and interesting take on Metallica´s music.

Metallica are as well playing as ever and the album features a superb sounding production job. Everything is audible in the mix and there´s some great audience interaction from Hetfield (relatively sparse, but it works) and you can often hear the audience sing along, which in this case is really nice and definitely enhancing the listening experience. So all in all I´m much more entertained and satisfied with this second "heavy metal meets classical orchestra" attempt from Metallica. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

Twenty years after the first 'S&M' concerts, and Metallica team up once more with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for a musical extravaganza, as metal meets classical in the ultimate musical collaboration.

Containing two CD's and a DVD of the concert, 'S&M2' lives up to its predecessor, but is as different as it is similar. Besides advancements in technology allowing for much, much better sound and picture (on the DVD), the band have this time, taken the performance from a concert hall to a huge arena, and with thousands of Metallica fans in attendance, the audience participation really enhances the experience, especially on the ending of 'The Memory Remains'.

The differences don't stop there. What's noticeable on the DVD, is that, unlike the first 'S&M', where Metallica were in their late 30's, battling shifting musical trends, addictions, and personal strife, and "taking a risk" with the whole endeavour, this time the band are now all in their late 50's. They're sober, a cohesive unit, and they've done this before, and you can see how they seem so much more relaxed this time around. Conductor Edwin Outwater's visual energy is infectious, and the orchestra musicians are no doubt, absolute professionals, but I can't help but feel like the pep talk backstage was something like "hey, don't worry, just have fun".

If any risks are taken this time around, it's the middle segment which sees the orchestra given time to shine. With classical pieces, a double bass tribute to Cliff Burton, as well as an orchestral version of 'The Unforgiven III', which sees James Hetfield go guitar-less. I don't think this has happened since he burnt his arm in the early 90's?

While sentimentality and nostalgia will always make me prefer the first 'S&M' over this one, the reality is that 'S&M2' is every part it's equal. Featuring classics such as 'One', 'Enter Sandman' 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and 'Master of Puppets', as well as newer songs, 'The Day That Never Comes', 'Moth Into Flame', and 'Halo On Fire' (which sounds incredible with the orchestra), the CD's and DVD make for a fantastic audio and visual experience, and this is as essential a part of any Metallica collection as the first. Will the band still be around in their 70's for part three? Let the waiting begin!