S & M

Not necessarily because of the music itself, but the way that it's approached.

Let's back up then: Cliff Burton, Metallica's bassist who passed away in 1986, always loved the possibility of combining classical music with heavy metal. After all, it makes sense. Just today I saw another article on a study showing that both classical and heavy metal listeners have almost identical personalities, with emotional release being the key feature in both genres. Always looking to do something like that, the group looked at Deep Purple's Concerto For Group And Orchestra from 1969 and decided, "hey, let's do something like that!".

And honestly, I'm glad they did. I'm a fan of Metallica's music, but from an emotional perspective, it's never done much. Thrash metal really just doesn't in general (even though thrash metal fans will now chastise me for saying Metallica and "thrash metal" in the same sentence. Calm down, ladies, I'm trying to make a point). But the incorporation of, not just an orchestra backdrop, but music specifically COMPOSED to accompany these tracks is frankly, pure genius. The man behind the genius, Michael Kamen, wasn't known as a composer, rather a conductor for the San Fran symphony, but since he also did a similar thing with Roger Waters' performance of "The Wall" in Berlin roughly 8 months after the actual wall fell, this wasn't his first rodeo.

And frankly, it's just a stroke of emotional genius. Opening with Morricone's infamous "Ecstasy Of Gold" may be a bit cliche, but it all makes sense with "Call Of Ktulu". Immediately the orchestra presence is known, and adds a crucial extra dimension to what otherwise would've been a straightforward thrash instrumental. The big breakdown section before the main guitar theme reprises doesn't sound very epic in studio. With the orchestra, it sounds like god damn trailer music. The show has literally just started and I'm giddy like a little schoolgirl.

And then once "Master Of Puppets" starts, forget it, I've died and gone to heaven. It's a completely different song. The riffs might be the same, the lyrics are still the same, but the song is completely different. This isn't just an old school mugging in the back parking lot. This is now a battle for the fate of the universe waging high above the planet.

To briefly recap why adding orchestral backing to music is a good thing, let's just summarize to this. Basically, it adds depth to an otherwise stale product. I always use the analogy of adding condiments, lettuce , onions and pickles (orchestra) to a burger (metal). It doesn't mean one overpowers the other, but rather, done correctly, both are enhanced by feeding on each others' unique qualities. The orchestra sounds badass with with some grunt from the metal band, while the metal band feels like they're in an action movie and as a result, the music they make is going to be better.

Another interesting thing I love about this album is James Hetfield's both performance and just overall attitude. Luckily, on a special recording such as this, his voice is perfect, the sound quality is bang on, and the production couldn't be any better. Both the band and every single instrument in the orchestra can be heard, even the far away mallet percussion (go xylos!). Hetfield also just sounds like he's having fun. Considering the gigantic undertaking something like this, you'd expect a bit of pressure on the frontman. Well if there was, you certainly don't hear it. I personally love the "OH YEAH!'s and other little quips during the songs. It shows he's having fun, he's engaging with an audience that's clearly engaged. Both sides win, and no sides lose. It's a win-win, for everyone.

But really, the orchestra makes everything better. "Of Wolf And Man" on Metallica's self-titled sounds probably the grungiest thing on that album. On "S&M", it sounds like music you hear when that really hot chick gets brutally decapitated in that cliched horror movie. It's goddamn terrifying. That dissonance from the high-pitched strings instantly changes the tone and adds that extra element of emotion.

And the beauty is that the orchestra is flexible with each track. "Fuel" is action-movie soundtrack material, a meathead of a good time, as I call it, but it actually makes some of the post-90's Metallica actually sound good! "Until It Sleeps" has a nice interesting, Eastern-culture influence, while "Bleeding Me" and "Outlaw Torn" sound more like stories worthy of concept album status. Literally you could probably use every single song on this album as music for a movie trailer. It's that powerful.

The two original tracks premiered, "No Leaf Clover" and "-Human" were specifically composed for this occasion, and sound it. They're not the biggest production ever (I mean, apart from the use of a full-fledged orchestra), but these weren't written to prove that Metallica had sold out. No, these tracks were written because a) they could and b) they were special little treats that, frankly, wouldn't have sounded good in any other setting or environment.

In short, very few tracks are overlooked, and the ones that are just not very good songs in general (i.e. "Hero Of The Day"), but I do love the fact they ended with some big guns at the end. "Sad But True", "One", "Enter Sandman" and "Battery" makes for an epic close, especially "Battery". Of all the expectations that had been surpassed when listening to this album, I didn't think they could make "Battery" much more epic than the original version, but holy crap, Kamen and the SFO had one last surprise in store, and they did not disappoint.

VERDICT: I know, you're probably thinking "Well, just adding an orchestra doesn't necessarily make it prog". Prog, no. Progressive, yes. You see, adding orchestras makes everything better. It creates a spectacle. McCartney. Fleetwood Mac. Deep Purple. Pink Floyd. Every single one of their projects that involve full orchestras just sound amazing. It just adds that something special that some people just can't describe. To me, it adds texture, it intensifies emotion, heightens sensitivity. It almost seems like it adds on a second story to the one being heard through the lyrics of the original song. No, the timing wasn't always perfect between band and orchestra, but frankly, the music sounds so goddamn badass, it really didn't matter.

Yes, there are quite a few bands since that have incorporated orchestras significantly into their music (gothic bands like Nightwish, Epica and others, [Damnation Angels]), but for some reason, there still isn't as much drama, this much goofy spectacle, this much useless pomp and circumstance just for the sheer fun of it. This album is just awesome, fun and plain awesome.

I also understand that people don't like Metallica, but seriously, if not one song on this track turned up loud got you feeling good, then honestly, you need to see a doctor, because something's wrong with you. And if you disagree with me on this, well, you're wrong.

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