Metallica – S&M (1999/2016) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

S&M (an abbreviation of Symphony and Metallica) is a live album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, with The San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Kamen. It was recorded on April 21-22, 1999 at The Berkeley Community Theatre. This is the final Metallica album to feature Jason Newsted as bassist.

After 1988’s …And Justice for All, Metallica pared down its progressive, heavy metal sound. During the ’90s, the band’s studio releases grew slicker and more produced, resulting in mostly radio-friendly, good ol’ boy metal. By the end of the decade, Metallica was established as the pioneer of modern metal, but the band hadn’t done anything innovative, arguably, in ten years. In April 1999, the group performed two concerts with the San Francisco Symphony, and the result was S&M, a two-disc collection of the concerts. Overall, the album successfully pairs violin strings with guitar strings, but it’s no surprise that the best tracks here are the older songs; their multi-layered, compositional style works well with symphonic arrangements. “Master of Puppets,” “Call of the Ktulu,” “One,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” sound richer and fuller with violin, trumpet, clarinet, harp, trombone, and flute accompaniments, but “Sad but True,” “Devil’s Dance,” and especially “Of Wolf and Man” range from haphazard and melodramatic to uninspired. S&M definitely has its moments, and not just with the pre-Black Album material: “Fuel” surpasses the furious pumping energy of the studio version, “Hero of the Day” stays poignant throughout, and “Until It Sleeps” has a wonderfully sinister feel. James Hetfield maintains his madman persona from beginning to end, laughing maniacally and grunting and growling at all the right moments. Overall, the symphony adds a macabre, ghoulish atmosphere – it all sounds like a Broadway freak show or a revved-up Danny Elfman nightmare. Which is exactly what a Metallica album should sound like, even if every song isn’t the best (or most appropriate) in the band’s catalog.

Tracklist:
01 – The Ecstasy Of Gold
02 – The Call Of Ktulu
03 – Master Of Puppets
04 – Of Wolf And Man
05 – The Thing That Should Not Be
06 – Fuel
07 – The Memory Remains
08 – No Leaf Clover
09 – Hero Of The Day
10 – Devil’s Dance
11 – Bleeding Me
12 – Nothing Else Matters
13 – Until It Sleeps
14 – For Whom The Bell Tolls
15 – – Human
16 – Wherever I May Roam
17 – The Outlaw Torn
18 – Sad But True
19 – One
20 – Enter Sandman
21 – Battery

Download:

Metallica1999SM2016Metallica.cm2496.part1.rar
Metallica1999SM2016Metallica.cm2496.part2.rar
Metallica1999SM2016Metallica.cm2496.part3.rar

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