Well, got those 2 fancy shmantzy Metallica lp 45rpm 4lp boxsets, here is my thoughts. Images will follow later
Through the Never - Blackened Records/Warner. Excellent presentation package with hand painted blood sleeves? You also get a full sized stencil, also handpainted? The stencil reminds me of the one that came in the Binge & Purge boxset though a different design. Heavy vinyl plays pretty quiet, mastered well and in nice and flat. Outer packaging superb, mine is red stamped 186/4000. I give this a 5 star recommendation if you can score one while they are relatively cheap. These are numbered of 4000 sets made so it has good collector value as well if you keep it clean. This one is staying in the very kickass Soundstage Direct mailer box, best style I have seen. Wish I could buy them in bulk
The Black Album - Warner Records. Outer box heavy but not as nice as the Never boxset. It's the cover of the Black Album so it's black anyway LOL. This one looks like it would be very suseptible to wear so it should probably be kept in a marked mailer also. Records are VERY heavy but not very flat. I dig "My Friend of Misery" which is on the last disc and was immediately blown away buy the quality of the sound once the music started HUGE. Basically like a CD loud. However, the record is noisy in quiet passages and tarck leadins. Though the record is immaculate, it groove jumped three times just during that song. I tried two other V15 carts tracking at 1gr to 1.25gr and it still jumped. The tonearm was moving around a lot also. The individual heavy sleeves are cool for the lp, just not that extra coolness factor like the Never set, blackish LOL. You get a semigloss cover sheet as well. Only because of the pressing flaws, I would unfortunately NOT recommend this set to anyone. This is why we buy records, to hear them, not look at the. It will be traded back for something else hopefully. The guy I got it from is a friend from AK. I am quite sure he never listened to the set in it's entirety, it looks mint