S&M2
Live album by
Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony
ReleasedAugust 28, 2020 (2020-08-28)
RecordedSeptember 6 & 8, 2019
VenueChase Center (San Francisco)
GenreSymphonic metal[1]
Length143:25
LabelBlackened
Producer
Metallica chronology
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
(2016)		 S&M2
(2020)		 72 Seasons
(2023)
Singles from S&M2
  1. "All Within My Hands"
    Released: July 15, 2020[2]
  2. "Nothing Else Matters"
    Released: July 15, 2020
  3. "Moth into Flame"
    Released: August 5, 2020
  4. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
    Released: August 20, 2020

S&M2 (stylized as S&M2) is a live album by American thrash metal band Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. It is a follow-up to S&M, a live collaborative album released in 1999. The album was recorded during a live performance in San Francisco at the Chase Center in 2019.[3] The performance was also filmed and released theatrically on October 9, 2019.[4]

Background and recording

On April 21 and 22, 1999, Metallica, in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Kamen, recorded and filmed a concert at the Berkeley Community Theater.[5][6] The performance was released as a film and a live album in November 1999.[7]

In March 2019, Metallica announced the S&M2 concert. The concert, which was similarly performed in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, was planned in celebration of the 20th anniversary of S&M.[8] The concert was recorded and filmed at the Chase Center in San Francisco on September 6 and 8, 2019,[9] with Edwin Outwater and Michael Tilson Thomas[nb 1] conducting the symphony orchestra.[10] The concert also marked the grand opening of the Chase Center.[11] Filming was directed by Wayne Isham, who also directed S&M.[12]

Release

The film was released in theaters on October 9, 2019. It earned over $1.2 million at the North American box office, and totaled $5.5 million internationally, making it the highest-grossing rock cinema event ever.[12] As a result, the film was shown theatrically for a second time on October 30, 2019.[13]

The live album was released on August 28, 2020.[14] The Blu-ray release included a new revised version of the film seen in theaters edited by the band, with remixed and remastered audio plus behind the scenes footage.[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Clash7/10[18]
Classic Rock9/10[19]
Consequence of SoundB+[20]
Kerrang![21]
Metal Hammer[22]
Mojo[23]
Pitchfork5.2/10[24]
Slant Magazine[25]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78 based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]

Critics generally praised the album as a worthy successor of S&M. Paul Brannigan of Kerrang! gave the performance a perfect rating, writing that the album "stands as a tribute both to Metallica’s growing confidence as players and composers, and an absolute vindication of their decision to revisit one of their most inspired creative outings."[21]

In a mixed review, Andy Cush of Pitchfork felt that the album had the same issues that S&M did. Cush wrote that the songs are not suited to an orchestral accompaniment, writing "Metallica’s best songs, intricate and ambitious though they may be, are not actually well suited for the additional orchestrating they get here, precisely because they are plenty symphonic already."[24] Cush was also critical of the song selection for S&M2, noting that "Of the 20 pieces of music here, more than half appeared in a similar form more than two decades ago on the first S&M."[24]

Commercial performance

S&M2 debuted at No. 4 on Billboard with 56,000 equivalent album units, with 53,000 units of that coming from album sales.[26]

Track listing

Disc 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."The Ecstasy of Gold" (instrumental)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly2:41
2."The Call of Ktulu" (instrumental)
Ride the Lightning9:14
3."For Whom the Bell Tolls"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
  • Burton
Ride the Lightning4:37
4."The Day That Never Comes"
Death Magnetic8:27
5."The Memory Remains"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Reload5:42
6."Confusion"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct6:41
7."Moth into Flame"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct6:18
8."The Outlaw Torn"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Load10:03
9."No Leaf Clover"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
S&M5:30
10."Halo on Fire"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Hardwired...to Self-Destruct8:17
Total length:67:30
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Intro to Scythian Suite"  5:17
2."Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and the Dance of the Dark Spirits" (instrumental)
 3:39
3."Intro to the Iron Foundry"  1:03
4."The Iron Foundry, Opus 19" (instrumental)
 4:16
5."The Unforgiven III"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
  • Hammett
  • Trujillo
Death Magnetic8:19
6."All Within My Hands"
St. Anger6:13
7."(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth" (instrumental)
  • Burton
Kill 'Em All7:27
8."Wherever I May Roam"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Metallica6:32
9."One"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
...And Justice for All9:23
10."Master of Puppets"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
  • Burton
  • Hammett
Master of Puppets8:29
11."Nothing Else Matters"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
Metallica6:39
12."Enter Sandman"
  • Hetfield
  • Ulrich
  • Hammett
Metallica8:45
Total length:76:42
Blu-ray
No.TitleLength
1."Intro (Wherever I May Roam / All Within My Hands)" (medley) 
2."The Ecstasy of Gold" (instrumental) 
3."The Call of Ktulu" (instrumental) 
4."For Whom the Bell Tolls" 
5."The Day That Never Comes" 
6."The Memory Remains" 
7."Confusion" 
8."Moth into Flame" 
9."The Outlaw Torn" 
10."No Leaf Clover" 
11."Halo on Fire" 
12."Intro to Scythian Suite" 
13."Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and The Dance of the Dark Spirits" (instrumental) 
14."Intro to the Iron Foundry" 
15."The Iron Foundry, Opus 19" (instrumental) 
16."The Unforgiven III" 
17."All Within My Hands" 
18."(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth" (instrumental) 
19."Wherever I May Roam" 
20."One" 
21."Master of Puppets" 
22."Nothing Else Matters" 
23."Enter Sandman" 
24."Credits" 
25."Behind the Scenes: Making of the Show" 
26."All Within My Hands Promo" 

Personnel

Metallica

San Francisco Symphony

  • Edwin Outwater – conductor
  • Michael Tilson Thomas – conductor on "Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and the Dance of the Dark Spirits", "The Iron Foundry, Opus 19", "The Unforgiven III" and "Enter Sandman", keyboards on "Enter Sandman"
  • Scott Pingel – bass solo for "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth"
  • Nadya Tichman (concertmaster), Jeremy Constant, Mariko Smiley, Melissa Kleinbart, Sarn Oliver, Naomi Kazama Hull, Victor Romasevich, Yun Chu, Yukiko Kurakata, Katie Kadarauch – first violins
  • Jessie Fellows, Polina Sedukh, David Chernyavsky, Raushan Akhmedyarova, Chen Zhao, Adam Smyla, Sarah Knutson, Yuna Lee – second violins
  • Yun Jie Liu, John Schoening, Christina King, Gina Cooper, David Gaudry, Matthew Young, David Kim, Nanci Severance – violas
  • Amos Yang, Margaret Tait, Jill Rachuy Brindel, Stephen Tramontozzi, Shu-Yi Pai, Richard Andaya, Miriam Perkoff, Adelle-Akiko Kearns – cellos
  • Scott Pingel, Daniel G. Smith, S. Mark Wright, Charles Chandler, Chris Gilbert, William Ritchen – basses
  • Robin McKee, Linda Lukas, Catherine Payne – flutes
  • James Button, Pamela Smith, Russ deLuna – oboes
  • Luis Baez, David Neuman, Jerome Simas – clarinets
  • Stephen Paulson, Rob Weir, Steven Braunstein – bassons
  • Robert Ward, Jonathan Ring, Bruce Roberts, Daniel Hawkins, Chris Cooper, Joshua Paulus, Jeff Garza – horns
  • Aaron Schuman, Joseph Brown, Robert Giambruno, John Freeman – trumpets
  • Timothy Higgins, Nick Platoff, John Engelkes, Jeff Budin – trombones
  • Jeffrey Anderson – tuba
  • Edward Stephan – timpani
  • Jacob Nissly, James Lee Wyatt III, Tom Hemphill, Robert Klieger – percussion
  • Douglas Rioth – harp
  • Marc Shapiro – keyboard
  • Margo Kieser, John Campbell, Matt Gray – librarians

Additional musicians

  • Avi Vinocur – backing vocals on "All Within My Hands"

Technical personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for S&M2
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[66] Gold 100,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[67] Gold 10,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Edwin Outwater served as the primary conductor. Thomas only conducted during the performance of "Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God and the Dance of the Dark Spirits", "The Iron Foundry, Opus 19" and "The Unforgiven III", and conducted "Enter Sandman" before moving to keyboards and leaving Outwater conducting [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Ruskin, Zack (October 2, 2019). "Symphonic Metal at the Movies: What to Expect When Metallica's 'S&M2' Hits Screens". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ Munro, Scott (July 15, 2020). "Watch Metallica's acoustic performance of All Within My Hands from S&M2". Louder Sound. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ Moore, Sam (July 15, 2020). "Metallica announce 'S&M2' live album and concert film release". NME. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ Grow, Kory (October 9, 2019). "Metallica on What They Have in Common With Classical Music: 'It's All an Attitude'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ Young, Alex (October 29, 2011). "Dusting 'Em Off: Metallica - S&M". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ Dangelo, Joe (November 18, 2003). "Composer Who Worked With Metallica, Aerosmith Dead At 55". MTV News. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Metallica's Lars Ulrich Says S&M2 Will Be "An Opportunity For New Discoveries"". Kerrang!. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ Reed, Ryan (March 19, 2019). "Metallica Plot Concert With San Francisco Symphony". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (August 5, 2020). "See Metallica Rock Out in Symphony for 'Moth Into Flame' From 'S&M2'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ Harrington, Jim (August 24, 2020). "'S&M2' conductor Edwin Outwater recalls magical Metallica shows". The Mercury News. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  11. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (August 23, 2019). "Metallica's Lars Ulrich on jamming with San Francisco Symphony, why the band has never been happier". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Hadusek, Jon (October 16, 2019). "Metallica's S&M2 film breaks $5 million at the box office, gets additional worldwide screening". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  13. ↑ Jones, Damian (October 16, 2019). "Metallica's 'S&M2' live concert film is returning to cinemas". NME. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  14. ↑ Dowd, Rachael (September 2, 2020). "Metallica and Katy Perry are battling for the top debut album spot". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  15. ↑ "S&M2 Blu-Ray". Metallica.com. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "S&M2 [Live] by Metallica". Metacritic. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  17. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review of S&M2 at AllMusic. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  18. ↑ Walker-Smart, Sam (August 25, 2020). "Metallica & San Francisco Symphony - S&M2". Clash. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  19. ↑ Everley, Dave (September 2020). "Metallica S&M2". Classic Rock. No. 279. p. 84.
  20. ↑ Hadusek, Jon (August 28, 2020). "Metallica's S&M2 cleans up nicely for home release: Review + Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  21. 1 2 Brannigan, Paul (August 27, 2020). "Album Review: Metallica – S&M2". Kerrang!. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  22. ↑ Daly, Joe (August 24, 2020). "Metallica's S&M2: metal's biggest band changes the game once more on epic live album". Metal Hammer. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  23. ↑ McNair, James. "Metallica S&M 2". Mojo. No. 323. p. 86.
  24. 1 2 3 Cush, Andy (September 1, 2020). "Metallica / San Francisco Symphony: S&M2". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  25. ↑ Theobald, Brian (September 2, 2020). "Review: Metallica's S&M2 Is at Once Rousing and Redundant". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Metallica & San Francisco Symphony's 'S&M2' Starts Atop Rock, Classical Charts". Rutherford, Keven. Billboard. September 9, 2020.
  27. ↑ Grow, Kory (August 25, 2019). "Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich Break Down 'S&M2' Set List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Metallica with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – S&M2". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Metallica with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – S&M2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
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  32. ↑ "Metallica Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
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  36. ↑ "Metallica with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra: S&M2" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Metallica with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – S&M2" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
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  51. ↑ "Metallica Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  52. ↑ "Metallica Chart History (Top Classical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Metallica Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
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