First off, I just want to say that S&M is probably one of my favourite Metallica releases ever. Those tracks were all improved by the backing of an orchestra, making them sound ever more massive than they did before, and I’ve always wished they would explore that sound even more.
So, needless to say, I was pretty excited to hear that the band would be performing at the Grammys alongside classical pianist Lang Lang, who is apparently a very big deal in classical circles. The two parties performed ‘One‘ and footage has been floating around on the net, which you can hopefully watch below:
Unfortunately, results are a little mixed. At times, it sounds great, especially around the 4 minute mark during Hammet’s solo but at other points the piano sounds incredibly out of place, especially the twinkly higher register notes that pervade throughout.
It feels like everytime I talk about Metallica lately, it’s just to whine like a 12 year old, so I’ll let you make your own mind up on it. But, it’s a real shame this didn’t turn out to be great.
– DL