Metallica – S & M 2 – The Movie (DVD) Review

It’s hard to believe that it has been 2 decades since Metallica issued the original S&M show as a DVD and CD set.  A brave experiment and the brainchild of Michael Kamen, this time around sees a lot more of band involvement. 

The audio portion is being taken care of in a separate review. This is just for the movie portion. 

The DVD/Blu Ray that accompanies the audio CDs is a new band cut of the show. Having not seen the theatrical version, I can’t actually tell you what is different. What I can tell you is that it is visually stunning. 

It’s beautifully shot, the editing is sublime and the use of split screen is outstanding and the sound is excellent (either PCM stereo or DTS)

The bonus material is a bit scarce compared to S&M1 as there’s really just a quick overview of how this all came about and a promo video for the track All Within My Hands.

The way the concert footage is presented, you get a feeling of almost being front and center of the show. It helps that the stage is round and the circles that encompass the moving back drop above the orchestra and band. 

The San Francisco Symphony are put through their paces with a blistering set and as the camera sweeps around the orchestra with frequency, you can tell that they are having an absolute ball with this material.

It would be remiss if I didn’t mention the elephant in the room that is the Cliff Burton bass solo which is performed by Scott Pingle.  Scott had spent hours getting the electric bass setup and pedals right and learning the solo for Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) and it shows.  There’s no other word for it BEAUTIFUL. Such an amazing tribute and is definitely the highlight of the concert film. 

To watch Metallica and the symphony perform in a round is sublime. This time around the orchestra plays more of a part than Metallica.

It wasn’t just the orchestra that was put through its paces, Metallica were also set a challenge to learn  2 classical pieces ( Prokofiev’s “Scythian Suite, Op.20, Second Movement,” which was followed by a performance of Alexander Mosolov’s “The Iron Foundry”). The audio CDs don’t do it justice.. IT HAS TO BE SEEN.

If you’ve seen or even just heard the original S&M, you’re going to be blown away by this. 

Everyone was flying by the seat of their pants and you can tell that they enjoyed the danger of doing so judging by the amount of smiles on each orchestra members face.

Divine
Score 9/10
Set List
The Ecstasy Of Gold
The Call Of Ktulu
For Whom The Bell Tolls
The Day That Never Comes
The Memory Remains
Confusion
Moth Into Flame
The Outlaw Torn
No Leaf Clover
Halo On Fire

Intro To Scythain Suite
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite Op. 20.
Intro To The Iron Foundry
Mosolov: The Iron Foundry, Op 19.
The Unforgiven III
All Within My Hands
(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth
Where I May Roam
One
Master Of Puppets
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman