METALLICA

Originally released in 1993, 'Live Shit: Binge & Purge' is an audio and visual tour de force of live music by Metallica. During the absolute peak of their world tour for 1991's 'Metallica', they released a monstrous box set featuring three different concerts, two on video (later DVD, thankfully) and one on three CD's.

Having become worldwide megastars with their 1991 self-titled release, the band would go on to tour the world, multiple times for over a staggering three years. Which brings us to the CD's and the first DVD; the live album part of it is from a show in Mexico City, whilst the DVD is of a similar show from San Diego. Both concerts are fantastic, with excellent performances, sound, and in the case of the DVD, great picture. However, one major downside is the endless "noodling" and messing around between songs.

Yeah, it's come to be expected, and is pretty harmless enough, but there's so many random solo spots, messing around, jams, and countless other bits of shameless banter, that after a while, it does wear a bit thin. At one point, there's 20 minutes of tomfoolery before they start another song, and during 'Seek and Destroy' James interacts with the crowd for over ten minutes. It's fun at first, but after repeated listens, it does get quite boring fast.

Then there's the second DVD, filmed in Seattle and taken from the bands 1989 tour in support of '?And Justice For All', and this is a fantastic concert. This was a great time for the band as they were still "on the way up". The playing is incredibly tight, the sound and picture are excellent, especially given the age of the footage, and with a great set list to boot, this random addition to the box set makes it totally worthwhile.

Everyone performs brilliantly on all three concerts. Even Lars, bless him, far from the best drummer in the world, but his boundless enthusiasm and excitement is infectious, and Jason Newsted's copious amounts of energy makes me sad for how things turned out for him. With around nine hours of content, 'Live Shit?' is certainly not for the faint of heart, but overall, any detriments aside, this is an absolute beast of a box set, and truly belongs in every Metallica fans collection.

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!

I loved 'Load'. I loved 'Reload'. I didn't mind when they did a covers album, or played with an orchestra. And I was one of the 17 people (including the band themselves? maybe) who actually liked 'St. Anger'. But with 'Lulu', Metallica (and Lou Reed, for that matter), have finally achieved their goal of making one of, if not THE, absolute worst album in music history.

The collaborative project between musical giants Metallica and Lou Reed, 'Lulu' is a 2011 concept double-album, and while the project initially sparked people's interest, the results very quickly became the subject of universal criticism.

And rightfully so.

I always give every album a fair number of listens, even ones I don't enjoy, hoping that something might just click or pique my interest after multiple listens. I listened to 'Lulu' three times, and it's been the three most tedious experiences I've had to endure. The songs are boring, the lyrics are awful, and the mash-up between Metallica's heavy metal and Lou Reed's weird style of talk-singing, or sing-talking, just don't work.

Musically, the album COULD have been okay. If James Hetfield was singing and this was another Metallica foray into alternative or art rock, it might have been listenable. But it's not. There's lyrical gems like "I would cut my legs and tits off when I think of Boris Karloff", and a song where Reed spends eight minutes asking "why do you cheat on me", and the whole time I hearing this, I'm picturing Lars Ulrich at some art gallery, trying to be all deep and introspective. But in reality, this is all an absolute pile of nonsense.

Nothing can redeem this album, and the only reason I have to keep it in my collection is because it's Metallica, and I have some rubbish OCD collector thing going on, that makes me need to keep it. Just don't even bother.

Pretty standard Metallica live DVD here. Great set, fantastic sound and visuals, and the band all on top form as always (even Lars does alright!). The metal legends, touring to promote 2008's 'Death Magnetic' have gone back to their old- school way of having the stage in the middle of the venue, kind of making this feel like 'Cunning Stunts' all over again, except, ten years wiser and more mature. And while they may not have the same drive and ambition as they did in the 90's, it's clear to see that this is an alcohol and drug-free band, who are just having the time of their lives up on stage.

Featuring all the hits you'd come to expect, such as 'One', 'Enter Sandman', 'Sad But True', 'Broken, Beat and Scarred', 'Battery' and a whole host of others, including some "bonus track" surprises, such as 'Turn the Page', 'Holier Than Thou' and 'Breadfan', this is a great DVD that may not stand out in the bands discography as much as previous releases 'Live Shit: Binge & Purge', 'Cunning Stunts' or 'S&M', but is still plenty worthwhile owning, and certainly enough to satisfy any Metallica fan.

Regardless of the results, I'll always give Metallica credit for not being afraid to try new things. Going from thrash metal to alternative rock, playing with an orchestra, side projects with Lou Reed and now this? a concert movie?

And the results here, as expected, are pretty mixed. The actual movie aspect doesn't make much sense. With a daft storyline interspersed with the concert footage, and at times tying into the show itself. Sometimes with the band actually even doing little choreographed bits on stage, this all comes across as a bit awkward at times, and is probably more of a detriment than anything.

However, the concert footage itself is absolutely gorgeous! The visuals are fantastic and the high-definition video really gives it a crystal-clear picture, with some very cool camera angles and some awesome close-ups. Along with all the usual Metallica pyrotechnics and on-stage stunts and props, this is like 'Cunning Stunts' on steroids.

But sadly, that's pretty much the only highlight. There's a whole hoard of extras, including behind-the-scenes documentaries, Q&A sessions, trailers, music videos, and a whole bunch more, but it's mostly all pretty bland and generic, with the only saving grace being that live footage. I wish they'd just done an entire concert DVD recorded like this, because that part, really is THAT damn good!

All these years later, and this still ranks as one of Metallica's best DVD's. The cleverly titled 'S&M', released in 1999, sees one of heavy metal's greatest bands teaming with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, to unleash this sonic assault on the senses.

Taking place prior to all the drama at the turn of the century (do some research if you're unsure what I'm referring to), the band are on top form here. James Hetfield's vocals sounded absolutely fantastic around this time, and the band play phenomenally. Great sound, great picture (considering the technology of the day), lots of great camera angles and especially great performances, including Lars! This whole show was spot-on.

With Michael Kamen and co. backing them, Metallica's music just seems so much more vibrant and alive, evident on so many classics such as 'Master of Puppets', 'Battery', 'Enter Sandman', 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' (which sounds incredible), and 'One', which is given a whole new sense of rising tension and dread thanks to the orchestra.

Chuck in two new tracks, both of which are absolute bangers, a 40-minute documentary, and the ability to hear the concert back isolating just the band or the orchestra, this is an incredible DVD, that holds up well today and belongs in the collection of every Metallica fan.

'Francais...' is one of three Metallica DVD's that all seemed to pop up around a close time-frame of each other (the others being similar concerts from Mexico and Quebec). Released in 2009, it features Metallica touring to promote their fairly new release, 'Death Magnetic', from the previous year. On this concert DVD, the set list is solid, the playing is fantastic, and the visuals are excellent. The setting is an old amphitheatre that looks absolutely beautiful as a music venue. The only setback was that this lacks a lot of the pyrotechnics and effects that their arena shows afforded them. So unless you're a huge fan, it might get a bit boring just sitting here and watching them, well, just play for over two hours.

Still, it's a great DVD, and the band is on top form, with boundless energy and enthusiasm, we even see quite a few songs that hadn't been played live in a long time! And with a few added extras (interviews, extra footage etc), this makes for a worthy addition to any Metallica fans collection.

I know CD singles are obsolete today, but regardless, this one is pretty damn good. 'Sad But True' is a kickass song, with its heavy groove and catchy lyrics, it's one of the more memorable tracks from 1991's 'Black Album'. There's an acoustic/orchestral version of 'Nothing Else Matters', an insanely energetic live version of 'Creeping Death' (honestly, the energy in this recording is crazy), and finally, a demo version of the title track.

A pointless frisbee for most people, but for collectors, this is everything a single should be. Title track, alternative version, live track, and demo track. Spot on.

Nice little collectable here. Recorded live at Wembley Stadium at the famous 'Concert For Life', in honour of the late Freddie Mercury, this single, featuring three cuts from said concert, was released with the intention of all artist royalties going to charity.

'Enter Sandman', 'Sad But True', and 'Nothing Else Matters'. Short and sweet.

These are songs we've heard countless times, from countless other recordings. The audio quality is good, and you can feel the energy from the band. But ultimately, I feel this isn't really a CD single meant to be scrutinized and judged. Its sole purpose was to raise money for charity. It's nothing new or unique, so just like, buy it and enjoy it for what it is, a addition to the collection for all die-hard fans that need to own everything.

Decent enough CD single, let's see what we have here? 'Wherever I May Roam' is a great song. Heavy, grooving, with a nice tasty riff and some big vocals, singing about life on the road, or whatever typical nonsense you'd imagine a metal band singing about in 1991. There's no denying it though, it's a great song.

Then there's a live version of 'Fade to Black', which, again, great song, although this could easily be one of the thousands of other live recorded versions of this track and I wouldn't know the difference. And a demo of the title track, despite the very rough sound, it's a nice touch, although listening to James Hetfield 'na na na' his way through the song is humorous for a one-off listen, but once is enough, thank you.

Overall, can't really complain. It's a harmless enough CD for collectors, but music fans today generally don't really care for CD singles, do they? So yeah, one for the collectors.