Metallica | S&M | CD

/San Francisco Symphony.
Metallica: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar); Kirk Hammett (guitar); Jason Newsted (bass); Lars Ulrich (drums).
Additional personnel: Michael Kamen (conductor); The San Francisco Symphony.
Engineers: Bob Rock, Randy Staub, Stephen P. McLaughlin.
Recorded live at the Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, California on April 21 and 22, 1999. Includes liner notes by Michael Kamen.
"The Call Of Ktulu" won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Personnel: James Hetfield (vocals, guitar); Kirk Hammett (guitar); Douglas Rioth (harp); Daniel Kobialka, Kum Mo Kim, Kelly Leon-Pearce, Yasuko Hattori, Connie Gantsweg, Diane Nicholeris, Rudolph Kremer, Frances Jeffrey, Catherine Down, Victor Romasevich, Philip Santos, Naomi Kazama, Yukiko Kurakata, Paul Brancato, Chumming Mo Kobialka, Enrique Bocedi, Florin Parvulescu, Bruce Freifeld, Daniel Banner, Michael Gerling, Melissa Kleinbart, Jeremy Constant (violin); David Gaudry, Seth Mausner, Gina Feinauer, Christina King, Don Ehrlich, Nanci Severance, Yun Jie Liu, Leonid Gasin, Geraldine Walther (viola); Paul Renzi, Linda Lukas, Catherine Payne (flute); Sheryl Renk, Luis Baez, Anthony Striplen (clarinet); Pamela Smith, Eugene Izotov, Julie Ann Giacobassi (oboe); Rob Weir, Steven Braunstein, Stephen Paulson (bassoon); Craig Morris, Andrew McCandless, Glenn Fischthal, Chris Bogios (trumpet); Jeffrey Budin, Tom Hornig, Paul Welcomer, John Engelkes (trombone); Peter Wahrhaftig (tuba); Joshua Garrett , Douglas Hull, Jonathan Ring, Robert Ward , Eric Achen, Jim Smesler, Bruce Roberts (horns); Marc Shapiro (keyboards); Lars Ulrich (drums); David Herbert (timpani); Raymond Froehlich, Anthony J. Cirone, Artie Storch, Tom Hemphill (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Randy Staub .
Liner Note Author: Michael Kamen.
Recording information: Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, CA (04/21/1999-04/22/1999).
Photographer: Anton Corbijn.
Arranger: Michael Kamen.
As the strains of Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstacy of Gold" filled the Berkeley Community Theater, metal heads and classical music enthusiasts were both in for a special evening--where many previous rock/classical collaborations had failed, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony delivered the goods.
"The Call of Ktulu," a track that had never before been performed live, was fated for a debut such as this. The epic instrumental, given added depth by the charts of Michael Kamen (who succeeds in putting a new spin on the band's material as he did on Metallica's self-titled 1991 release), is nothing short of bombastic. The same applies to the speed-metal classic "Master of Puppets." "Hero of the Day" works very well, with its melodic tone enhanced by the symphony. Two new songs are debuted on S&M, "No Leaf Clover" and "Human," tracks that will make for an interesting comparison to their studio versions. The anti-war anthem "One" seems as if it had been made for the classical treatment it receives here. The balance among guitar, drums, strings, and brass makes for a winning sound. Chalk up one more for the band that continues to go against the grain.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 09/24/2013