METALLICA

S&M 2

BLACKENED

San Francisco’s thrash titans revisit their symphonic landmark

for risk and a commitment to innovation stand as the defining characteristics of all great artists. It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that Metallica sit comfortably atop the heavy metal pantheon as its most successful sons. Not satisfied with pioneering thrash metal and selling tens of millions of records along the way, the San Francisco-based quintet have spent the ensuing years ever-experimenting with their trademark sound to dramatic and often polarising results. On one side sits the commercial juggernaut known as the and to the other. In 1999, they performed a set of Metallica classics accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony (SFS), which they released later that year as . Sceptics be damned, the show was a towering success. The performances pumped invigorating freshness into the originals and not only were additional shows added in New York and Berlin, but the release sold more than five million copies.