(Rated this album with 6 out of 10) Reviewed by
hippie_smell
from Brooklyn
This review is coming from a listener who during the 80's and early 90's thought that Metallica was the greatest thing to happen to this planet since the Beatles. I used to have Cliff Burton shrines in my locker, and I used to learn Hetfield's riffs for the guitar. This album offers a strange mixture of the once subterranean kings of under ground music to the high falutin sound of the San Francisco Symphany. Now if you don't believe me that it's high falutin, I used to do temp work for the SF symphany and I was there on one of the Gala nights when scum like Willie Brown and CEO's of investment banking companies would pay thousands for front row seats. This goes well with a band who's initial start was to take an anti-establishment stance and say 'kill all record producers'. It's also true, that Metallica doesn't owe a former fan like me anything and I acknowledge their freedom as artist to grow and change. Just don't expect all of us to follow. That being said, the sound on this album is a great sound board recording. State of the art in fact. The admixture of Strings and crunching rhythm guitar goes well over classics like 'One' and 'Wherever I may Roam'. It almost has a sinister baroque sound that gives each song a new flare. However, other tracks suffer and sort of fall short. The crowd noise also kind of disrupts some of the finer listening moments on this album. In my opinion, I would say stick with the first five albums and if you're in the need for more turn here. After all, Hetfield always sited classical composers as a major influence and here the to worlds collide with heavy metal coming out on top! Long live rock!
