Classical Composer Reacts to To Live Is To Die (Metallica) | The Daily Doug (Episode 281) 

Fantastic reaction as a tribute to Cliff Burton. Thanks Doug.

Been listening to Metallica for about 30 years and the middle of this song still gets me every time.

It's nice to know that Mikael Akerfeld from Opeth once played the clean riff from the middle section at a concert and then told the audience: "if it wasn't for that lick, Opeth wouldn't be around".

James and Kirk’s harmonised volume swells were so beautiful that an actual classical composer thought they were strings.

"To Live is to Die" is a masterpiece, and further demonstrates why Metallica is so much more than a simple thrash metal, but really conquered the summa bonum of metal

9:35 that isn’t a violin, that is actually an electric guitar using a technique called a volume swell. where you use vibrato to let a note ring out then turn your volume on a bit. it gives that fade in and out feel as if it were a violin.

It's a masterpiece. I heard this at 17. I had just lost my mother and father to tragedy. This was one of the songs that helped me through it.

Everyone talks about the beautiful clean interlude, but no one mentions how powerful/breaking is the harmony before and how it kicks in at 8:34. Those guitars are crying, man.

"They're in E minor" - That's how you know it's Metallica. Loved the reaction to the beginning of the interlude. More than 30 years later, it still gives me goosebumps.

The thing is, To live is to Die fades out with this really calming acoustic guitar and it makes you feel all is well but then the album goes right into Dyers Eve which scares the hell out of you. Which it should. You have to listen to the two songs back to back on your own time, it’s great.

There is something magical when James rips out a solo

I know Orion is the shit and Call of Kutulu is haunting but this has always been my favorite instrumental. I always felt it was working the stages of grief. The intro to me always resembled the moments after the news broke of a tragedy....the processing of info, the calm sorrow....then the anger rises, the feeling of betrayal by life, by love, by stealing of your brother in his prime. Then the middle part hits, the lachrimose, the rending of all happiness as the brain finally comprehends that he is gone, it is not a cruel joke someone played, but a bitter reality that left burning gall in the back of the throat. When a man lies, he murders some part of the world,. These are the pale deaths which men miscall there lives, all this I cannot bear to witness any longer, cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home. R.I.P. Cliff

James Hetfield wrote some of the most beautifully composed music to ever be played.

The ending really needs to be heard in the context of the album where Dyer’s Eve just takes over abruptly (and intensely). Yeah you’re right in noticing that.

That interlude arpeggio is the most melancholic melody ever. Play this when you feel like shit and it talks to you, shows empathy to your emotions. As the great Jose Feliciano said, “she just listens to me, her music means more to me from any other woman I had known.”

Metallicas MOST underrated album. I can’t get enough, start to finish.

The slow intro, written in a Spanish style,repeats like an infinite memory - over and over again... The heavier part: A symbol for the loss and aggressions they felt. Solo #1: Kirk's feelings can be heard in every string he hits. The slow part: The slow part which sounds very silent is now including more harmonies - acceptance of the loss and the will to carry on... Solo #2: It is a kind of a laid back and more harmonized solo - It's representing how deep the death of Cliff Burton has touched them. The heavy part again: They tribute Cliff in doing what Cliff would want from them: To carry on with the music. The outro: Exactly the same as the intro - symbolizing that the song (the memory on Cliff) won't ever have an end. The last riff is cut which is symbolizing Cliff's life - cut short at such a young age.

That song is a masterpiece, and going straight into “Dyers Eve” which is a great album closer!!!

And Justice for All is the best metal album of all time IMO. There's not a bad song on that album. And To Live is to Die is an absolute musical masterpiece.

When a song manage to get you emotional without words, it ascends into music Olympus

“Cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home”-the final lyric-is Cliff’s epitaph.

They literally lost a brother the story kirk tolled of him hearing james yelling and crying outside the hotel at night drunk "cliff where are you cliff" and that making kirk breakdown is one of the most heart wrenching story's I've ever heard.

I never understood why this song made me want to cry until I learned the context of its creation. All the stages of grief encapsulated in it, it all made sense then.

Who grew up just staring at the album cover from front to back when you listening to awesome music and let your mind take away?

Metallica has 1 more true instrumental called “Suicide And Redemption” if you’re interested in capping off the 4 Metallica instrumentals. It even features a solo by James just like this one which is rare! Great tune!

This song honestly might be the most underrated masterpiece in modern music history. It transcends genre and time, and evokes the rawest of emotions in the most epic, yet accessible of ways. At the very least it’s the greatest tragic song I’ve ever heard.

Cliff Burton is the main reason I started playing guitar, when I first heard anesthesia I thought it was electric guitar not bass and was blown away that he could create such sound as compared to Hendrix or EVH. He was definitely beyond his time as far as skill, speed and creativity. Gone too soon 😔 RIP

James' solo in the middle is, in my humble opinion, pretty much the best (in terms of emotiveness) solo ever.

The death of my wife at a fatal car crash was very much a shock too. This song encapsulates many of those same feelings that I have now, about a month after the incident. These songs I would listen as a teenager and young adult, come back to me with whole new meanings.

Part of Metallica’s “magic” is the song sequencing on each album. This blasts straight into Dyer’s Eve and you get to hear pure anger from James. Powerful stuff my friend.

That cut to the classical in the middle brings me to fricken tears every time.

I love watching this guy discover the power in metallica. You can just see it in his eyes and face.

9:02 everybody's face, hearing that break... 😲 🤟😁 "To live is to die" is a total masterpiece,,, RIP Cliff ☦ 🎸 🎶 ☦

The Metallica instrumentals really start with Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) from Kill'em all. It is pure Cliff.

I remember the first time I heard that middle section around the 4:29 mark (is the song not this video) as an emotionally fueled teenager it actually made me cry. One of my favorite quotes by James Hetfield “it means a lot to me that my darkness can connect with your darkness, and make it ok”

What it is, is a musical masterpiece that portrays the peace, anger, pain and ultimately the resolution of losing a much loved one. Genius.

This song is so special. You can really feel the sadness, anger, and lament they felt at his death. He was a very special musician, and I’m guessing an amazing friend and band mate. I can only speculate, but you really can’t write such amazing, emotionally connected music unless that person was pretty damn special. This song really hits me in the feels when I listen to it. I’m glad you like and appreciate their music! And this arguably one of their best ❤️

Those strings are actually guitars, faded in (probably with volume knob or pedal)

Beautiful And Justice for All is my favorite Metallica album. Very underrated.

One of the most forgotten songs by them. When i was 13 I wore this out in the cassette player. Lol

One of the most underrated songs of Metallica

Great example of heavy use of guitar harmonies throughout the song, it's something that Cliff introduced to the band when he joined. And damn that china sounds so musical compared to later years of Lars' recordings.

Hands down the best song by Metallica. So many feels. This is a masterpiece.

The “strings” are guitars (bass actually*) where you turn up the volume on each note by hand after the note is plucked.

for the riff that mimics violin, it's actually guitars but with a volume pedal or volume knob being cut in and off softly.

As one of those who commented on that video (and Orion's as well) suggesting this song, thank you, thank you very much indeed. I'm not into "reaction videos", but somehow a while ago RU-vid suggested me your channel and, well, it's not the same when the guy (that's you) talking knows what's he's talking about. Thank you. As a MetallicA fan, I have to say there's one instrumental left most people forget about and that's "Suicide & Redemption" from "Death Magnetic" back in 2008. All I can say without spoiling it for you is that it's a totally different animal (it's 20 years after the song in this video, even a few years more since "Orion" and "Ktulu") and I think you would need more letters than a, b and c to tell its sections apart. Again, it has nothing to do with this "classical trio" of instrumentals but it is, to me, an unexpected gem, as it's their only instrumental for the last 33 years. Again, thank you.

James’ solo is giving me goosebumps every time I listen to it. Been listening to ‘tallica for 35 years. And still. This song is a songwriting masterpeice.

You have to do Dyer's Eve next. Those are the rules.

The “strings” are a guitar technic called "violoning".

To me instrumentals, especially long instrumentals, can get very boring very fast, but the tracks from Metallica's first four are phenomenal, and this one is the king. My God the way it just drops out right in the middle of the song is just magic.

For ove 30 years, I have said this is one of the most emotional songs ever written. Not just Metallica, but overall. And it was only 10 years ago I learned this was a tribute to Cliff. This song has brought tears to my eyes.

No violins...it's a guitar swell. You hit the note with the volume low and turn it up to get the swell sound. This song hits me every time. RIP Cliff.♥️

this song really tells a story of pain, suffering and sadness. it starts off with the clean guitars kind of like he said just everything is as it should be, then out of nowhere everything changes. then around the end of the solo i notice it feels like trying to fight off the sadness and keep the rage and anger alive to keep from being sad but as the second part of clean guitars comes in, that’s when the wall falls. that’s when everything comes caving in and sadness emerges. but it got back up and ended as it started. learning to get through the grief and go on as things were.

I like how you comment in the moment. Many will stop the track and talk, which often is my cue to move on. I love your appreciation and open-mindedness to "music".

0:00 Humble Beginnings 0:55 The Rise in Fame 4:29 The Death 4:56 The News Spreads/Quiet Morning 5:51 The Mourning/When Tears are Shed 6:46 The Anger/Doubt/Acceptance 7:30 The Continuation 9:05 Humble Endings

This song going directly to Dyers Eve is absolutely mesmerizing. Love AJFA.

I love how primal and simple the main riff is, it just feels like raw emotion. Edit: is it possible you could do an analysis of pantera’s cemetery gates? It’s a beautiful ballad with some great parts, I think you might enjoy listening to it.

My favorite Metallica song. I remember the first time I heard that melodic breakdown in the middle, I felt like my whole life was being summed up in that 10 seconds lol. So cool to see someone with musical knowledge talk about this song.

I've been obsessed with that little throwaway chromatic bluesly riff they just casually throw in a couple of times in this song for my entire life. THIS song, along with "Orion," out of all of them, is the distilled, concentrated essence of What "Metallica" Is. And thank you for being able to understand the music just by listening to it.

That classical guitar intro and outro is one of the most beautiful and sad melodies ever composed in my opinion. Been listening to Metallica since mid eighties. That very melody always touches me deeply.

I love the return to the intro for the outro . What really makes it effective is the guitar is now playing alone, whereas the intro had drums and guitar. It really sells the isolation and loneliness of grieving.

I first listening to this album when I was about 10. I didn't have any of the musical knowledge, I just coped with metal a lot through my younger years. This song just always had this profound effect on me that could just make me cry, but a healing sort of cry and I never knew why. This album was one of the only possessions I had and I remember every bit of every song. I even remember the specific drum fills for each track. Its such a strange thing that now I can watch someone else react to such an intimate thing to me personally and watch them have their version of a profound feeling to it like I did. Music is so beautiful and I feel honored that it gives me the chance to have these moments, even with strangers on the internet.

The bridge section to this track is so good words fail me. It's one of the reasons i play music and its one of the few pieces that still raise the hair on my neck after 30+ years. As good or better than any classical piece ever written in the history of ever.

When Cliff died, I was devastated. Your interpretation of this song breathes new life into it for me. Now, I must play along on my Les Paul with it and learn

The ending was abrupt but it doesn't segue into the next song. It's supposed to end completely abruptly, likely as a metaphor for Cliff's life ending too quickly. The next song is Dyer's Eve and it completely interrupts the flow on purpose.

To Live is to Die has always been my favorite Metallica song. Glad you gave it a listen.

i always believed TLITD's sections is basically describing who cliff was. chill up front, brutal as a musician then a loving and caring personality.

Oddly, this is actually my favorite track on Justice.

Most reactors don't do their homework before hand . . You clearly do. Best reactor out there . . Thank you. \m/😎\m/

Doug, you not only analyse music as a muscian, but as an overall artist that appreciates all the sides a song may have, it is wonderful. From a metal fan with respect and appreciation :)

It was beautiful underneath the whole time. Just covered with loud emotions on the surface. MAN.

Mikael Åkerfeldt has once said that without this song there wouldn’t be opeth =)

"Suicide and redemption" is their latest instrumental so far.

I love your perspective. Makes me feel like I listen to metal correctly. I've always listened beyond the head banging and appreciated the musicianship.

To live is to die is on Cliff's headstone. The bass lines were written by Cliff but, no recordings could be used so Jason played them. Only the last paragraph was actually written by Cliff. This is a tribute song they did for him. They never did this song live in it's entirety until they had their 30 year celebration.

Great tribute to the great cliff. Thank you a lot man, really appreciated. Now it only remains the Kill 'Em All instrumental "Anesthesia (pulling teeth)" from Cliff. I think you could also appreciate "the outlaw torn"

although I've never been a fan of this track as a whole, that middle section is the most beautiful piece of music the band has done. Just audible bliss. Wish there was more like it. In saying that, the rarity is what makes it stand out.

'Justice' was my first Metallica Album... as a teenager, to hear an entire album full of angst, anger, energy, melancholy and raw emotional turmoil... and with so many changes of pace, depth, style and detail... I mean,... c'mon... it transgresses genre. Pure musical genius.

I'm 49, been listening to these guys since I was around 13. Thank you for bringing details to my attention! At this point, I didn't think there was anything more to hear

“That must go in to the next song” - and it does. UUUGHH how it does. It allways blows my mind \m/ It is like 2 songs in one for me.

Omggg i clicked the second I saw the notification. This is my all time favourite Metallica song! The gentle section in the middle never fails to give me goosebumps. I'd only consider myself an average Metallica fan but this is their masterpiece in my opinion. Your videos really are a treat, Doug! Edit: The original mix is more brittle sounding, similar to that you weren't so keen on in your Blackened reaction video. This 2018 mix i would argue is more thunderous but less harsh to the ears. The only thing i do prefer about the original mix is that the ending during the soft acoustic reprise cuts off completely abruptly to silence out of nowhere, rather than a rapid fade out and it really makes you say "Woah!".

My brain went right into Dyers Eve at the end. It’s leftover trauma from the first time I listened to the album and To Live is to Die had lulled me into a peaceful state…only to be violently shaken from the opening notes of Dyers Eve 🤣

I've been listening to this album for 30 something years and it still sounds as fresh today as the first time I heard it.

"Cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home." - Makes my hairs stand on end everytime.

Saw Metallica for the first time in 1986 for Master of Puppets tour in Brussels Belgium…..haven’t stopped to adore them since!!! The middle part is really breathtaking!!!!🤟

Одна из моих любимых композиций! Спасибо тебе мужик что разобрал эту песню! Хотя ты наверняка не переведёшь это сообщение, а значит Я обращаюсь к русскоязычным товарищам! МЕТАЛИКИ всех нас объединяет 🤘🤘🤘🤘

9:01 This part gives me chills every time. Such an amazing range of emotions conveyed just through the music. Love your analyses btw! Great channel!

On the album, this song segues directly into a brutal song called "Dyers Eve". It's really effective - you should check it out.

I shed some tears watching your reaction. You legitimately pin point every single aspect of the song. You got the whole thing. Wow

This song is an amalgamation of emotions, I was going to go into this big long thing but as I was typing it out he said exactly what I was typing.. So many emotions, so many feelings and reactions. Who knew a song without words could speak to you in so many ways.

Still gives me goose bumps after all these years.

That break always gets me. It reminds of my grandfather so much, I usually fight back tears.

2:48 Actually, a quartet: Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth), from Kill 'Em All (1983); Call of Ktulu, from Ride The Lightning (1984); Orion, from Master of Puppets (1986); and To Live Is To Die, from ...And Justice For All (1988).

My favorite Metallica song, such an amazing listen. 8:30 will always get me. You can feel the emotion.

To me this is the best song they have ever made.. it's just so beautiful

Love this tune, Newsted is incredibly underrated and of course Cliff is a legend.

This song is an amazing tribute to Cliff. One other instrumental that gets overlooked a lot is Suicide and Redemption from Death Magnetic, it is structured similarly to this song.

Thank you, Doug. I have appreciated so much your reaction and your interpretation. It felt like listening to a song I love with a friend.

James' note selection for solo is just so damn good. I'm sure he cried so hard alone after he went home recording that day.

I feel so sad and peaceful at the same time when I am listening to this song. Also the short poetic lyrics in the middle are so powerful. This is a masterpiece