An unexpected bit of enjoyment.
Chris R. Dow | Central Valley, CA USA | 09/25/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"My Tastes: Reading a review of an album like this, you ought to know something about the reviewer. I am a Metallica fan. Not so big on Load and Reload, and I thought St. Anger was a musical turd. My favorite Metallica album is ...And Justice for All.
I am also a big time Celtic Music fan. Seven Nations, Great Big Sea, Gaelic Storm, and Amadan are some of my favorites. I like both traditional AND fusion arrangements, but tend toward the trad. side of things.
The Celtic Tribute to Metallica: You know, I suggested something like Metallica's live album, S&M, a long time before they ever did it. I heard the classical influences (I'm also a classically trained clarinetist) in their music, and I thoroughly though it would meld well with a symphony. I never....ever saw this coming.
If you're simply a Metallica fan, and are interested in just another tribute album, this one might not be for you. This album does not shred. You can't headbang to it. (Well, I suppose you COULD, but would you WANT to?) Lars' drums are a large part of Metallica's sound, and these guys don't bother trying to recreate them, which is a good thing in my mind. (Not a drum set in earshot on this album!) These guys add jigs and reels into the songs that do not fit in the original songs at all, but which a trad. fan might be quite comfortable step-dancing to.
To my mind, this is a great album for traditional Celtic Music fans who also happen to be Metallica fans. The songs are clearly Metallica songs for the most part, until the jig or reel section of nearly every song. And what's more, these guys picked some great instrumentation. Celtic trad. musicians are used to picking up any number of instruments even within a single song, and these guys to a great job. The choice between using a mandolin or a guitar really makes these renditions quite good.
I'm listening to Enter Sandman off this album, and this is one of the songs I feel they did the best job with, since the reel section of this tune uses the familiar guitar riff from this album throughout.
It's not all Metallica, to be honest. They used the tunes, and some of the arrangements, but they really did make it their own with the reel sections. Metallica fans with no interest in traditional Celtic music ought not bother with this. Celtic Music fans who are also fans of Metallica will likely appreciate the thought and work that went into this album. In addition, as modern Celtic music, it stands on its own quite well.
So why the 4 stars? Well, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Hero of the Day, Mama Said, and Until It Sleeps lend themselves to various mellow instrumentations, in my opinion. It was less of a challenge to them to pick these particular songs. Seek and Destroy was interesting, but not my favorite. One and Enter Sandman were Celtic-ized quite superbly. Fade To Black was quite a bit of fun. (The reel section had some excellent fiddling.) I would have liked to have seen some of the thrashers in here. Battery, Dyer's Eve? Those would have been a true challenge, but given that they weren't as successful with Seek and Destroy as I would have liked, it's likely they steered clear because they knew they could do a better job with what they chose. If there's a second tribute from the Boys of Country Nashville (the True Artists of this album...c'mon Amazon. Says right on the back of the album), I'd love to see some of these harder songs given an attempt.
I never expected to see this album. When I saw it, I wasn't sure what to think. Had the potential to be cool. Had the potential to really stink. I think these guys really did achieve the unexpected, and it was very enjoyable to listen to. If you like celtic trad. and Metallica, take the plunge. I think you'll enjoy it. If you are a Metallica fan and don't have an aversion to Celtic music, why not? You might enjoy it. If you're looking for hardcore Metallica thrash, you won't find it anywhere here...keep looking."
This is an original and fantastic tribute to Metallica
James M. Stange | Detroit, MI | 11/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Take the time to preview this CD. If you like what you hear, then buy it. I'm glad I did."
Traditional Celtic Metallic Fusion
Sean M. OBrien | Chicago, IL | 03/06/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I know I'm biased since I love both Metallica and Celtic music so this was a natural for me. I have many of the unique covers of Metallica including cellos, violins, blue-grass, etc. and this CD does a great job of being totally Celtic and yet the Metallic is ever present. Great disk."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1