Rating: 
Summary: Metallica at its best
Review: I am a Metallica fan, but the first time that I heard the S&M CD, I didn't like it because it wasn't the pure sound of Metallica, you know, sometimes you try to be a "purist". A friend of mine gave it to me as a birthday present, well, a couple of months after that I bought this EXCELLENT DVD.The sound in 5.1 is completely great, like being there, and the songs selection is great too. I really recommend this DVD/VHS to anyone who likes, even a little, this great band. I promise that if you can't feel tuned with it at the beginning, you will love it in a very short time.
Rating: 
Summary: Muddy production?!?! What?
Review: I think the excellent production of this DVD is probably its strongest point. With the obvious exception of "The Ecstasy of Gold", the cameras (and the sound mix) do tend do overshadow the orchestra by showing the band too often. The band had no little or no input into the scores or arrangements and they seem to lack serious effort and motivation. The doco isn't nealry as good as the "Year & a half in the life of.." docos; as unlike then, they are now used to the cameras and 'play' to them. Despite what they say on the doco, im sure it would have been a much more emotional and important peformance and experience if they didn't mostly sit back and let Kamen setup everything.
Take for example the brlilliant 1999 Deep Purple with the LSO. That performance was mostly written by John Lord (DP keys) INCLUDING of course the entire orchestral arrangement for the mighty masterpiece "Concerto for group and orchestra" as well as others. Now THIS is rock group/orchestra concert pairing that is.....exceptional!, the concert blows S&M away but the production is not as good.
Another main complaint i have about this is the choice of songs, like on cunning stunts they like to forget most of their classic songs of old and try to promote their new stuff, this album is there best work since the black album, but thats not much too say.
With all that said i still think their are some great moments on these discs, a highlight being the climactic transition between ktulu and puppets -still sends shivers doen my spine. As well as the end pieces. Get it if you still want a 'metallica' dvd as it mostly is. thanx for reading,
Dylan
Rating:
Summary: incredible
Review: separate tracks for the symphony and metallica, or you can listen to them together- the product details is slightly wrong (says stereo sound, but its actually in dolby digital 5.1). if you're a metallica fan -- or even if you aren't but enjoy hard rock with a twist -- buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Sonic Experience
Review: As an owner of many concert DVD's, the sound on this is amazing. Metallica sonically shine on this DVD. It will knock your socks off with or w/o a Home Theater System. Metallica play with emotion and they are captured beautifully with inventive camera angles that seem to coincide with the music especially during the opening of One. The making-of documentary is a treat for fans as it shows the band at their most honest. I'm sure Metallica's other DVD's showcase that aspect better but I thought it was interesting. Everyone has something to say on track selection here, so I will add my two cents as well. Devil's Dance, Fuel, Memory Remains all sound good with the symphony but aren't very good songs, especially with the early catalog of Metallica's music. Songs like Fade to Black, Unforgiven, Sanitarium, could have been incredible additions and could have made this concert something special. Fuel is too fast for the symphony and just sounds odd. The 2 new songs are OK but nothing groundbreaking. However, the 2 tracks that make this DVD worth owning are Master of Puppets and One. These are incredible songs on their own but coupled with a good symphonic arrangement and perfect sound and a gutsy vocal performance, these songs flat out pound your audio system and are visually impressive. Enter Sandman is another concert staple and sounds great as well with the addition of the symphony, however, the guitars are a bit muted. An honarble mention is the hyper-fast Battery. A long favorite of mine from the PUPPETS album, it quite possibly sounds better here, than it does on the remastered album. Metallica play with guts here and in my opinion, sound incredible with the symphony in most cases. All in all, worth owning to wow your friends if you have a nice sound system and if you are a fan. My only gripe aside from track selection, is the somewhat muddy production and the average picture quality. The Eagles DVD has a much clearer picture. Highly recommended and worn your neighbors because it will shake your room.
Rating:
Summary: Back to their Rocking Roots
Review: S&M is a rocking set! From "The Call of Ktulu" to "Until it Sleeps", from "For Whom The Bell Tolls" to "One", this 2 CD set brings new life to many songs from past albums, as well as the latest albums. "The Call of Ktulu" is absolutely dynamic, "Until it Sleeps" has dramatic use of strings, and each song is complimented by the orchestra. Many songs became even more powerfull versions of their still powerfull original recordings. The best music from Metallica since The Black Album.
Rating:
Summary: Will turn anyone into a Metallica fan
Review: Before I watched this DVD, I was only a casual Metallica listener... until S&M blew me away. Combining with a symphony was definitely an excellent choice, as the different orchestra sections combine with the rock sound of Metallica to create a truly unique experience. I have watched many of the songs being played over and over again and still pick up nuances of the performances each time. Whether you're a die-hard Metallica fan, or just someone who likes both Rock and Symphonic music, buy this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: S&M Rocks
Review: Anyone who is looking at this page I am assuming is a fan of MetallicA. This is a DVD of their performance of the live album S&M. If you have ever heard the album before then you know that it is very different from any other album they have ever made. I am not sure if this is for all MetallicA fans, the name S&M stands for symphony & MetallicA, yeah they play their songs being backed up by a Symphony. The DVD is just the performance being taped. It definitely helps the music if you can see Lars out there beating on the drums, instead of just imagining it all the time.
Rating:
Summary: Great buy for even the slightest metallica fan!
Review: This DVD is amazing. Even for the price it can't be beat, it features 2 sets with the SSO (san fran. symphony orchestra) and you can select different music channels ie. Band alone, Together, Symphony etc. The sound quality is nothing short of amazing, and the video angles for some songs are a great feature. When seeing the choice between the double CD for five bucks less than the DVD, and the fact that the DVD has full concert footage made this a very VERY sound choice.
Rating:
Summary: Great job by Metallica
Review: The great and leyendary Metallica play amazingly great with the San Francisco Symphony not that they need 50more musician's to be an amazing band. Every work that Metallica has done has been amazingly great. But don't think that the symphony take's away Metallica's rough hard core metal sound , the mix of the two makes an amazing concert for any Metallica fan.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing and Fun
Review: Metallica S&M is simply brilliant! Just think a metal band playing with a symphony. It was excellent, the only downside for me was they played too many songs from LOAD and ReLOAD. The two new songs, No Leaf Clover and - Human, were awesome. The lighting effects on One were really amazing. It was great seeing the classic Metallica songs being played with a symphony. It was very fun and exciting to watch. I would recommand this to any Metallica fan! I have the video and it was awesome I can't imagine what it's like on DVD!! BUY IT!!! METALLICA RULEZ!!!!
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