The sound quality isn't as good as on S&M, probably because these shows were recorded in the early nineties, and the high-budget production of that era falls short of what you can expect of live recordings from the past few years. But it's still great to listen to a different interpretation of their songs. When they play live, their tunes sound different than their studio counterparts, but this is actually a positive thing; there are certain moments when they let things hang, and then pummel the tension whenever they feel like it, which gives the sets kind of a jammy feel. Hetfield's comments to the crowd are left in, which was the only dissapointing thing about S&M; it's great to hear James interact with the crowd. As he pumps them up, you feel energized as well.

The show from the Black Album tour is impressive, but the direction is somewhat choppy. The ...And Justice For All show is directed brilliantly, and their set comes across as very epic and powerful.

Like I said, best box set I've ever owned. And it's loads cheaper than the VHS version, so I'd recommend this to any hardcore Metallica fan, or anyone who loves hearing quality live albums.


Here we go...   December 3, 2002
Salomon Gonzales (Lockhart, Texas United States)
37 out of 39 found this review helpful

Alright, time for a real review. First, of course, I would've given it more stars if possible.So let's get into it physically. The box is the size of a Special Edition type DVD. All the cd's and dvd's are packaged together in one case with a simple tracklist book, Snakepit pass, and a mini "scary guy" stencil compared to the older one from the old box set. My ONLY complaint is how small the book is on the 2nd DVD. Unreadable on most screens if not all. You have to put it in a computer dvd-rom drive and zoom in. Next, both DVD's are filmed beautifully. It has a cinematic type quality to it. The sound is great, but don't expect it to sound like an album of course, these were arena shows.The live cd's....the best live cd's I've ever heard. Period. Put on a pair of headphones, close your eyes, and it's 1992 again. This is worth every penny. I'm just gonna say that EVERYONE who's likes METAL on or I'd even say "hard rock" on ANY level, should own this. It doesn't matter what you feel about Metallica today, or if you NEVER liked them...if that's possible. You will be revived if you have never seen this, or if you haven't seen it in years like myself. I watched the Seattle video first, and suddenly I was 13 again. I hadn't felt like that in years. My hands were shaking and my stomach hurt from adrenaline. I'm not lying to you. Metallica changed my life at age 9, I'm 21 today and my life feels different once again now that I waited and finally have this collection in my possession on dvd. It's THAT good. Amazing. What an experience, just from watching some DVD's.Get this. This is METALLICA.


One Box Set That Is Worth Every Cent It Cost!!   April 5, 2005
Coleen (Down in the alley)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

There is SO MUCH included on the DVDs and CDs that I've had the set for a couple days and still haven't gotten through it all!!
One more DVD to watch! The (all LIVE) music includes songs from KILL 'EM ALL through METALLICA, and it rocks thunderously hard!!!
The DVD quality is excellent. The CDs sound great! A MUST for all Metallica fans!



Metallica at their best!   September 28, 1999
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

If you buy only 1 thing from Metallica- make it this 3 cd, 3 video set!!! 'Nuff said


review of binge and purge   January 24, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Well, I've read through all of the other reviews, and I'm not sure that any of them except for the first even come close to doing this set, no pun intended, justice. First, I'll start off on the Seattle show, since it's the earliest dated. Great quality, excellent stage setup, and they make it fun by slightly altering the lyrics in some songs to make jokes, as in "Seek and Destroy". I personally liked this show a lot better than the others because it was released before the black album and has more of the classic stuff that they never play in full anymore (like Blackened and ...And Justice For All to name a few). Next, the San Diego show. Yes, James playing the drums was interesting, and to tell the truth, he isn't that bad at them. My guess is Lars gave him lessons sometime. Kirk Hammet gives some top-notch guitar solos, including one where he plays it with his butt. You read right, he takes the guitar, puts it behind him, and rubs the strings against his butt. The scary thing is, he actually makes it sound good, like he actually practiced doing that ahead of time. Lastly, the Mexico City show. 3 cds, the longest show in the set, but definitely worth listening to. My only complaint with the collection is how in the San Diego and Mexico city shows, how they cut "Master of Puppets" short, stopping before the guitar solo interlude. Aside from that, a complete masterpiece, showcasing how powerful of a live band Metallica really is. It also contains many of their forgotten classics that they don't play live anymore, such as Fade to Black, Last Caress, Blackened, and Whiplash. If you're a fan of the old Metallica, and for some reason don't already own this set, I highly urge you to buy it, although I recommend the dvd version only due to the fact that it's cheaper. And some of the complaints (pages falling out of the book) have been fixed; the entire book is under the special features in dvd disc 2. Either way, it's worth every last penny that you're spending.