Metallica: 10 Awesome Songs NO ONE Talks About
5. - Human - S&M
The S&M concerts remain supremely underrated among the Metallica fanbase. While the idea of classical instruments mixing with heavy metal may have been weird at the time, it's clear that they were onto something amazing once the music hit the stage. Though No Leaf Clover may have been the lead off single for this new experiment, - Human is the dark horse that is actually heavier than it seems.
Coming right after For Whom the Bell Tolls in the concert setlist, the sound of this track feels like it's about to tear your face off from the moment it starts.
Whereas the first single sounded like Metallica were supporting the classical instruments, this is where the orchestra truly feels like a 5th member of the band, as the strings cascade up and down as the riff keeps us on track. As Hetfield tells us to breath and come up for air, you get the feeling of someone stranded out at sea, with no hope of rescue against a Cthulu-esque figure.
This is also one of the heavier Metallica tracks in their canon, featuring guitars that are tuned down much lower than the standards we are used to. Though fans may argue up and down about the sell-out factor that comes from orchestration, the intensity that you get from a track like this can't really be denied.