10 Live Albums That Are Better Than Studio Albums

In the grand spectrum of musical genres, classical music and heavy metal feel like they're practically night and day. Those looking to hear Beethoven's symphony are probably not as in tune with the likes of Slipknot, and chances are most Pantera fans aren't really up on their Tchaikovsky either. When these two paths did intersect with one of the greatest metal bands of all time, no one was prepared for what came next.

Which is strange because Metallica were not the first ones to consider the S&M collaboration. Beginning in the mind of arranger Michael Kamen after he saw them performing One live at the Grammys, the rest of the band took some time off after the Load era to work with the San Francisco Symphony to bring it to life. Though not every classic Metallica song is accounted for on here, the theatricality of the symphony brings an added sense of drama to these tunes, making One an even sadder experience than it already was and turning Cliff Burton's iconic bass line from For Whom the Bell Tolls into the raw sounds of Hell.

This wasn't just something that Metallica were looking to do as a bit of a cash grab either, with the new songs No Leaf Clover and -Human having a firm grasp on the medium. For all of the different avenues that Metallica had already gone down by the late '90s, hearing them sound this refined is something that we would probably never see again.