Metallica
S&M

THE REVIEW

The Deep Purple succeeded in 1969 with "Concerto for Group & Orchestra." After 30 years, the kings of thrash metal achieve the feat of combining two types of music different in content, yet similar in emotions.
With the aim of releasing a "best of," the group recorded, between April 21 and 22, 1999, the fabulous concert held at the Berkeley Community Theatre in San Francisco with the city's symphony orchestra.
A great work that reconnects the "old" thrash/speed metal lines and the "new" hard rock to orchestral arrangements, executed masterfully under the attentive guidance of conductor Michael Kamen, who passed away about ten days ago after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.

The effort to unite two different currents into a single work is notable, resulting in something quite interesting. Essentially, not all the songs manage to find the right feeling with the various instruments, creating a somewhat overly gaudy mix. Among these, "Enter Sandman" stands out, where the predominance of guitar power chords annoyingly disrupts the attempt to harmonize the piece. Also somewhat out of place are "Fuel", "Until it sleeps," and "Sad but true".
The concert begins magnificently, with an astonishing performance by the orchestra reprising "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone. The colossal "The Call of Ktulu" is one of the most beautiful tracks on the double CD, evoking the horror atmosphere present in the work of H.P. Lovecraft.
"Master of Puppets," a bit rattled in its compositional line, "The Thing That Should Not Be," and the dark "For Whom the Bell Tolls," a track that fully engages the audience, return with new energy, reminding us of past glories. “Of Wolf and Man” tends to make everyone howl a little. Excellent is "The Memory Remains," in which Faithfull is worthily replaced by the audience and orchestra. Adequate are the two new unreleased tracks, "No Leaf Clover" and "Human."
Much harder than usual is the soft "Hero of the Day," which precedes the well-executed "Devil's Dance," dark and malignant. "Bleeding Me" is rather muddled, one of the few songs to be saved from the unfortunately paired "Load/Re-load," concluding the first CD.

The second opens wonderfully with "Nothing Else Matters," splendidly accompanied by violins. The fascinating "Wherever I May Roam," together with "Outlaw Torn," demonstrates how pleasant it was to attend such a show. The climax is marked by the memorable "One," supported by a sensational intro and exalted by a Hetfield in splendid form. After the aforementioned and less successful "Enter Sandman," we reach the conclusion in the best possible way. "Battery" enters forcefully, involving all present spectators, astonished as their ears are delighted and incredulous at what their eyes are seeing. It begins its march with its usual more than hidden calm, then bursts into the utter delirium that its nature involves. The final standing ovation is well-deserved.

Applause for the performance of the four horsemen, the orchestra, and Michael Kamen, capable of conducting an orchestra with only two rehearsals and of rearranging these pieces in a symphonic key.
"Symphony & Metal"... a good album, also available in VHS and DVD versions.