Customer Reviews

S&M

5 star:		(146)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The direction is simply stunning.The director of Metallica's Cunning Stunts stretches more direction muscle here.The editing is also excellent.

Pros:

*It's a Metallica greatest hits concert!

*The San Fransisco Symphony were amazing.I've never seen an orchestra play so fast.

*The lights,editing,direction,effects and the whole setting in general were brilliant.

*Jaymz' voice was so terrific.Sometimes deep(most of the time),sometimes touching(Nothing Else Matters,No Leaf Clover) and sometimes powerful(The Thing That Should Not Be,Master of Puppets,-Human).

Cons:

*Why couldn't we see a lot of Jason in the beginning of "For Whom The Bell Tolls"?

*"Of Wolf And Man" shouldn't have been changed.It's the perfect Metallica song.

*James still hasn't perfected the part "sleep with one eye open,gripping your pillow tight---exit:light,enter:night".It's not the same as the original.In the original,the word "light" seems to be extended,like this :"Eeeeexit liiiiight!".

About the S&M documentary,it's outstanding.The pre-show and post-show doc's have always been so much fun.

My advice: watch the documentary first and then the concert. I regret watching the concert first. Don't make my mistake.

And about the memorable moments in my review of the S&M audio CD,I forgot to add to them Lars' staggeringly fast rolls in "Fuel", "Master of Puppets", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and a lot others.

By the way, was it just me, or was James having a blast performing "The Thing That Should Not Be"? I like it when he jumps.

Also, add to the phenomenal songs, "Battery". "Devil's Dance" and "Enter Sandman" were also very cool.

By the way,I changed my mind:I think that Hammett's original "Of Wolf And Man" solo was better than S&M's.(I said the opposite in my cd review)

If you ask me what's THE most memorable moment of the concert,it's definitely that part of "Of Wolf And Man" where James says "...so seek the wolf in thyseeeeeeeeeeeelf!" with the symphony building up.And the best part in this part is Jason's background scream.What a rush!

Bottom line:this is one unbelievable epic.I can't recommend it higher.

If you liked the S&M CD I guarantee you that you will like the DVD even more. If you have seen the VHS version or if you own it, you might just think it is the same thing in higher quality on DVD, but there is much more. This video has so many great special features. My favorite was the way you can filter the audio to hear only the symphony without Metallica, or only Metallica without the symphony. The first thing I did was listen to "No Leaf Clover" without the symphony. Another really cool feature is the angle changes that you can do on select songs. You can watch certain songs at 5 different angles. The first is the original edited camera views, but you can also watch these songs with the camera focused on one of the four band members, James, Lars, Jason, and Kirk. The DVD also features an excellent behind the scenes documentary featuring interviews with the band and with conductor Michael Kamen about preparation for the concert and how it all came to be. Even if you already have the VHS version, I would still get this DVD if I were you. The video quality and sound quality both greatly surpass that of the VHS version. This is a DVD that no Metallica fan should go without.

Having been fans of both heavier classical music and heavy metal for over two decades, it was positively astounding for us to see those two worlds merge into one in this great video. We have always been partial to The Call of Ktulu, Master of Puppets and For Whom the Bell Tolls, but watching them performed here shed an entirely new light on the musical structure, for the first time bringing to light what those songs actually contain. And the new song, No Leaf Clover - well, you will just have to experience it for yourself. Lastly it must be said that Metallica, in our view, have never in their entire career performed as they do here. They have always been good, on quite a few occasions terriffic - but this, ladies and gentlemen, this has simply to be seen to be believed. A word of advice: please view this on a powerful surround system and a big, quality monitor. To reap the full benefits of this performance, we believe it to be absolutely essential.

this is the LIMITED EDITION 2 tapes . one of them is the live concert and the other is special bonus featuring 40 minutes of behind the scenes footage , interviews with metallica and the symphony . Her you will find the bonus tape funy as hell especialy from JAMES ! must have for a Metallica fan .

This is probably one of the best videos of the year. It's Metallica at its finest. All of their songs that they sing sound a lot more powerful with the symphony. The behind the footage tape has lots of cool footage of the concert. Michael Kamen is simply a genious. This only proves one thing: Metallica will continue to rock.

Reviewing the S&M CD earlier this week, I gave it three stars, the reason being that faster numbers simply did not work and seemed out of sync with the orchestra. This DVD, however, showcasing the same material, is incredible. The DVD audio and 5.1 surround sound brings more of the symphony sound to the front and, if there's any doubt left, you have the option of choosing an "orchestra only" audio track (as well as a "Metallica only" track). In addition, S&M is a visual delight. Combine the majesty of the symphony with that of Metallica and stir in some nice direction and you've got one of the best concert films EVER.

In addition to being an incredible concert film, S&M is also a DVD fanatic's delight. In addition to the aforementioned multiple audio options, S&M boasts the same crystal clear picture as CUNNING STUNTS and multiple angles during several songs. And you get extra songs, documentary footage, and more. Anytime I want to impress someone with DVD's capabilities, I put on CUNNING STUNTS, but S&M has become the new standard.

In short, an absolute must-own for any fan of Metallica or DVD in general and a recommended buy for anyone remotely interested in the band.

In April of 1999 new boundaries were broken yet again by the Rock God's Metallica. Classics like For Whom the Bell Tolls and Master of Puppets tore through the the speakers with a new sound, "a classic sound." Harmonies and booming overtones were given a new meaning, and what a better way to do this than with the San Francisco Symphony. This is the ultimate concert and a definate must have for the Metallica fans and people who like "real music." So if your up for something new and something old this is the Concert for you!

WOW! After watching Cunning Stunts & A year and a half in the life of...on DVD, I thought the boys had done it all. I bought S & M on CD last year and was amazed back then at how Metallica can take such a 'crazy' idea of mixing their music with the backing of a Symphony Orchestra. When I got the DVD, I was even more amazed. Seeing them all dressed smartly was a big shock too! They interact with the crowd as well as they always do, they treat the crowd as if they're all personal friends. Having seen them live in Milton Keynes in '99, I can relate to how the crowd must have felt. The sound is fantastic - 5.1 or 2.0 Band & Orchestra or 2.0 Band or 2.0 Orchestra. They way you can change to just listening to the Orchestra or the band is a brilliant concept and you can see just how much backing Metallica are actually getting. I have given this DVD 5/5 because it is to me, better than Cunning Stunts (altho I give that 5/5 as well!). The wait was definitely worth it. To all Metallica fans, I suggest you get this DVD.I know you'll all love it. One thing tho, turn it up LOUD!

/\/eil.

All I can say is Juan Miguel Pineda review of this is TOTALLY wrong. I have been a metallica fan for quite awhile and to be honest I was a little leary about them performing with the san francisco symphony, but I was amazed when I first heard it. The orchastra fills in some parts of the classic Metallica songs(One and Master of Puppets) that were other wise somewhat dull. This is music at its best. I would just like to quite something I read in a magizine review of S&M, "nothing says rock, like an angery cello."

Wonderful! Totally Metallica! The Symphony adds to the amazing talant of the group. The documentary video that comes with this gives a great insight as to how everything was put together. A true enjoyment for both the metal lover and the symphony lover. This is truely a musical masterpiece!