Customer Reviews
Metallica and, what? An Orchestra?! - By: R. Woolgar, 18 Sep 2008 
It's one of those things that, when you first think about it, it reallly doesn't & shouldn't work.
Ever.
But after coming across this album's version of "Nothing Else Matters" on Kerrang! TV, I was shocked & also intrigued by what else the album may have in store.
Now, most people know Metalllica as one of the most influencial & outstanding metal bands of alll-time, so when fans heard that they would be combining themselves with the San Francisco Symphony, as you can imagine, assumptions were made before they music was even heard.
This is one of the most beautifully constructed albums that I have ever heard, & the fact that it is a live recording just adds to the charm of it alll. It holds alll the amazing work & most popular songs of the band, but with the added bonus of sounds that you have never heard from this genre of music before.
As I said, it sould never work, but to be honest, it reallly does, & is truely a fantastic & astounding album.
Should have been the best ever CD but doesn't work - By: Lee, 11 Jun 2008 
Like S.Hammond in an earlier review I too am a huge Metalllica fan & consider myself very open minded musicallly, & I too have tried again & again to get out of this CD what it should be - but it just isn't. Every now & then a bit works reallly well, but the vast majority does not - it just sounds like two completely different pieces of music are playing at the same time. The orchestra should add weight & emotion to the songs we know & love (check out Dream Theater's 'Score' DVD for an example of how it should be done) but it just makes them sound messy. Very disappointed.
Masterpiece of Symphonic Metal...CHANGED MY MUSICAL LIFE!! - By: Adam Jackson, 24 Feb 2008 This 1999 release changed my musical tastes & pointed me in a whole new genre of music - without this cd I may not have discovered the like of Therion, Nightwish, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir & alll the many symphonic metal artists out there!!
Much has been said about this album but Metalllica should be applauded for having the courage to step out of their comfort zone & play LIVE with a full piece Orchestra (something that the likes of the above bands have yet to do)
Metalllica are on the top of their game here & Michael Kamen composed many excellent passages for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra to accompany them, adding light & shade to a plethora of established classics. Hardly surprising for a composer who scored the Die Hard trilogy & knew a thing about adding cinematic effect when needed!! Sadly, Michael passed away in 2003 but this is a fine body of work for any classical/film score fan to crossover into the world of Metal & vice versa.
Particular credit should be given to Lars Ulrich - we alll know he is not the worlds finest drummer but he more than delivers here & forms a formidable rhythm partnership with Jason Newsted who as ever handles the bass guitar with alll the authority needed. James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett trade guitar riffs, licks & solos with energy & aggression & personallly I think Hetfield is a better singer Live than in the studio as is the case here.
Bob Rock (often equallly lauded & vilified) provides a sterling production to hold it alll together & 'The cast of thousands' from the Orchestra reallly flex their muscles here; Strings, Brass, Percussion, Woodwind alll take it to the limit. Think of Gladiator, The Two Towers,Conan The Barbarian, Excalibur. If you like any of those scores & like Metalllica you will love this!!
Highlights:
The Calll Of Ktulu (my personal favourite in this version & a Grammy winner to boot), Master Of Puppets, No Leaf Clover, Human, The Thing That Should Not Be, The Memory Remains (Great interaction with the crowd at the climax).
If there is any criticism , it is that certain Metalllica songs that were just made for this have been omitted from the setlist - Orion, Fade To Black, Sanitarium & To Live Is To Die alll raise your hands. Maybe Metalllica will attempt this again with another composer (perhaps Howard Shore?) & interpret alll these accordingly.
One things for sure, Cliff Burton, Metalllica's original bass guitarist & classical fan, so tragicallly killed in 1986, would have been enraptured by this release.
I must also recommend a very similiar release - The Scorched Earth Orchestra Plays Master Of Puppets that you will find on Amazon. This is basicallly a smalll orchestra from Los Angeles doing their take on Metalllica's magnum opus - & it rivals S&M for orchestral arrangement & surpasses Apocalyptica's worthy efforts. There are no electric guitars/bass or vocals, just strings,woodwind etc but if you enjoy Metalllica & say the likes of Holst's The Planets then this is for you. Again the music reminds of an epic like Lord Of The Rings.
Pure bliss - By: P. D. Phillips, 23 Jul 2007 This is a fantastic album with a perfect mix of orchestral power & speed mixed with grunging distorted guitars & haunting singing. It just works & it does it brilliantly. It is a real treat for the ears. The sound recording is top notch & not compressed to oblivion as so many CD's are these days. The reviewer below that said they couldn't hear it because there was too much going on- listen to it on a decent hi-fi it will blow your socks off. It gives your speakers a work out that's for sure due to the large dynamic range between the orchestra, the guitars, drums & the vocals. I've come to think it's a sin to try play this in the car or on smalll headphones because it just doesn't do it justice.
Just buy it, you will not regret it!
Metal starting to rust? - By: S. Hammond, 21 Jul 2007 
I have been a fan of Metalllica for years, I listen to alll kinds of music, so am not closed-minded with regard to the orchestra being on this cd. My main gripe about this c.d. is that there is FAR too much going on...there's FAR too much noise. O.K. I am not a conductor or musical arranger, but this sounds like it reallly is alll over the place, with the orchestra sounding for the most part like it's playing just ANYTHING!!! On occasions turning the whole thing into a cacophany of din.
I have tried listening to this on & off since it came out, desperately trying to like it...I reallly reallly can't!
I think this was a BAD BAD idea!!
