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169 of 180 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here's the deal with S&M..., March 18, 2000
If you've ever considered buying any Metallica album, get this one first. It's essentially a greatest hits collection (which they never have officially released) with two new songs, -Human and No Leaf Clover. This album is simply incredible. The orchestra (conducted by Michael Kamen, who helped Metallica design "Nothing Else Matters") and the band sound great together; saying anything less than that would be an injustice. Highlights from the album include "The Call of Ktulu", an instrumental epic ballad based on an old H.P. Lovecraft story (check Amazon's book search on it), which is followed by "Master of Puppets", another 8+minute classic which is arguably their best stand-alone single ever. Another terrific performance is done on "The Thing That Should Not Be", another Lovecraft-inspired work that should be listened to in complete darkness. For whatever reason, Metallica left out an entire stanza on this song, which, considering the outstanding lyrics on this one, is quite a shame. "Fuel" is probably the best it's ever been and ever will be (and James knows it); the symphony really rocks here. "Hero of the Day", one of the band's fewer "slow" songs, also sounds excellent, as do the next two ballads, "Devil's Dance" and "Bleeding Me". Disc 2 also has its share of hits; "Nothing Else Matters" was just begging to be symphonized, and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" just plain rocks (though I wish they'd kept the bell rings at the beginning which made the song famous). "Wherever I May Roam" sounds brilliant with the symphony, and is probably the best orchestrated piece on the album. "The Outlaw Torn" is another song that is improved dramatically by the symphony. "One" is the pseudo-climax of the album, and done with such emotion that you feel as if you're actually at the concert- a fantastic piece of music, both lyrically and instrumentally. Again, I cannot overemphasize the sheer brilliance of this album. It's a shame that "mainstream" fans and critics can't see past Metallica's often-notorious reputation and witness the band's true genius. It's a great album, in any and all aspects. If you enjoyed this album as much as I did and want to here more of Metallica's work, I suggest the following albums: "Master of Puppets" (often considered its best) to hear the band's early sound; "Metallica" [Black Album](the best-selling) to witness their transition from 80s metal to 90s rock; and "Load" (probably the most maligned one) to see the "final product" Metallica evolved into. Only after listening to these three albums can you really decide for yourself whether they "sold out" or not. "Kill 'em All", their debut album, may sound too gritty after listening to S&M; you can probably skip "Reload", since the all the good stuff from that is on S&M; "...And Justice For All" is a well-formulated album that is ill-represented on S&M and deserves more recognition. There are other albums, of course, but I personally wouldn't buy those without sampling the songs first (the quality level fluctuates dramatically). Hopefully, Metallica will do another album like this with a different set list. Can you imagine how great "The Unforgiven", "Orion", "...And Justice For All", or "Harvester of Sorrow" would sound with a symphony? Anyway, that's all. Buy the album - you won't regret it.
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST HAVE INVESTMENT FOR ANY TRUE METALLICA FAN, February 21, 2000
This boxset rules! There's no two ways about it! First of all just the box it comes in is killer. Two it comes with the S&M cd recessed in the first layer of the box which looks amazing! C, it comes with a deck of playing cards in which each ace has a characterature of a member of the band on it. Fourth, theres a nice poster, a black T-shirt with 'S&M' on the front right brest and on the back it says 'SOLOIST'. It also comes with a desk calandar which has all the lyrics to each song on S&M on each page. The box is also lined with a white satiny cloth which just completes the mood of the symphony. This set is a must have for any true MetallicA fan! Only 1,000 we're made.
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How did they do it?, November 23, 1999
Quoting the words of James Hetfield, "Did you hear the one about the rock band that wanted to play in a symphony?" Better yet, of all the possible choices, can you imagine that band being Metallica? A year after releasing Garage Inc., the boys from San Francisco are back with their first live album since the Binge & Purge set. S&M - get your mind out of the gutter - brings us a compilation that no one could have expected. Just how do you put the voice of lead singer/guitar James Hetfield, the amazing solos of guitarist Kirk Hammett, the head-banging of bassist Jason Newsted, and the thumping of drummer Lars Ulrich together with the strings of the Michael Kamen's San Francisco Symphony? Forget about how it was done - just prepare to be amazed. The album was recorded back in April when the two groups met for a performance in Berkley, CA and contains material from the band's previous albums including Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and One. The group complements these classics with two brand new songs, No Leaf Clover and Minus Human, both highlighted by great melody from the symphony. The first of the double-CD set features an opening with Ecstasy of Gold and The Call of Ktulu, featuring a great instrumental performance by the symphony. The `Tallica boys soon turn things up with Master of Puppets, Hero of the Day, Fuel, and The Memory Remains, along with other familiar tracks from Load and Re-Load. In the second half of the set, we are treated to classics like Wherever I May Roam, Sad But True, Nothing Else Matters, and One. Other works from the self-titled album known as Black, Load, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for All of finish off the performance. S&M will satisfy both long-time Metallica fans, as well as the newer ones. There may not be many new songs, but the performance with the symphony shines a whole new light on the classics.
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