Year: 2020
Total Time: CD 1: 01:07:27, CD 2: 01:16:00
Label: Blackened Recordings
“S&M” may not be the first time a hard rock/metal band has collaborated with a symphonic orchestra to present a different perspective on their tracks, pioneering DEEP PURPLE with the 1969 London Albert Hall Symphony. But “S&M”, with its huge success and impact, showed how beautifully these two music genres fit together, inspiring many bands after METALLICA and to this day, to do similar experiments. Characteristic of this influence is the range of representatives of different branches of Metal who, some successfully, others not so much, attempted their own “S&M”. Indicatively, in the very successful efforts, ACCEPT and DIMMU BORGIR in WACKEN and of course our own SEPTICFLESH in Mexico.
METALLICA themselves, the ones who restarted this whole symphonic experiment for hard sound, twenty years after their “S&M”, decide to repeat their very successful experiment, having as companions, who else, the same ones they had the last time, the amazing San Francisco Symphonic Orchestra. But with a very big difference. A big and important absentee. The orchestra is no longer conducted by our well-known Michael Kamen, who left us in 2003. But he definitely enjoyed “S&M 2” as he did the first time.
The new “S&M” was recorded on September 6th and 8th of 2019, at San Francisco’s Chase Center. It consists of twenty-two tracks, but unlike its predecessor, none of them are new and several of them, such as “Nothing Else Matters”, “Call Of Ctulu” and “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, were tracks that were also presented at the first “S&M”. All are well-known songs, from the whole range of METALLICA’s discography so far, all their studio albums are represented in it. Their performance is majestic, as it befits such a release. METALLICA, on stage, as expected, knowing as always very well what to do, and the symphonic orchestra, under the direction of its new conductor, as before, lives the experience of sharing the stage with METALLICA to the fullest. This time, the stage is set up so that the musicians surround METALLICA, who are in the center of the stage in an elevated loft and not in the foreground with the musicians behind them, as is usually the case. Apart from the conductor and the younger members of the orchestra, however, the experience is unprecedented for Robert Trujillo as well, since in the previous “S&M”, METALLICA’s bass was owned by Jason Newsted, in his last release with the band.
When we talk about METALLICA, we know from the beginning that some people will come out and accuse the band, discrediting every effort of the band, simply because METALLICA does what they want and not what their accusers want them to do. Something similar might happen here. All the rest, enjoy a unique concert and an experience that I do not know if it compares to the first or if there is a reason to compare, but it is definitely wonderful.
Rating: N/A
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: METALLICA – Official Page
