One day, you can rely on science, will be found out the chemical procedure with result is the brain activity gloat. That same pleasure caused the moment you understand you not only won, big time, but when the other lost, not only lost - defeated. That's exactly what Kirk Hammett, Metallica's lead guitarist, felt in the two days we spent together. He was in a huge concert, the best after show in the world, and knowing that his loud music squashed the fine classical music. And me? I spent mostly staring at him and the ongoing phenomenon called Metallica.

Because Hammett and Metalllica, with almost 20 years of professionalism in rock metal, are making with their new album, S & M, their new historic victory streak. They took there best songs, those who can move even a classical fan like me, and orchestrated them with the help of fabulous Michael Kamen and recorded with the San Francisco Symphony.

After all the studio work the four "metallists" are going on a world tour where in every harbor awaits a symphony orchestra (I heard them with the Berlin symphony) - lots of musicians regular to play Hayden or Mozart, and all they can do is sit (with earplugs, I saw them myself) and escort Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett with their great hits.

So how those the chemisty between rock metal and a symphony work? "Wonderful, we learn a lot from them", says Hammett with a glazed look in his eye, while he dries with his mouth the purple Lac he put on his fingernails. During the concert, as I watched the classical musicians who did understand where did all this fall on them, I understood the meaning of S & M: the Sado is the "M" of Metallica, and the Mazo is the destiny of the symphony musicians.

The defeat of the classical music, and the turning of it into a Sadomazo slave at the feet of the masculine rock, did not end with the concert. In my opinion, it ended in the amazing after show we were invited to after the concert: hundreds of the band's fans, in the black leather outfits, the long haircuts and piercing roared and drank from the marvelous palace from the 18th century, concured by the dark powers for one night.

A few hours before that, in the velodrom, a hall looking like the inside of the spaceship from "encounters of the third kind", Metallica swept a crowd of 7,000 people in a professional performance. No need to introduce the band to the Israeli crowd who has earned two shows in Tel-Aviv, and will earn it again, as Kirk promised me, in another year or so.

A little before the concert, in the Four Seasons hotel in Berlin, I was with Hammett in his suite. "I grew up as a catholic in a religious school", he told me strait. "When we visited Jerusalem I was amazed. Every corner spoke to me. Mount Olive, the via delaroza - I grew on these places. To be there and recognize them all that was something. My teachers were proud of me then."

Do the other band members have religious background? "Jason has a deep religious background, and James's parents are Christians, so we have a pretty good background." Is your music affected by it?

"I don't see a direct link between music and religion. We don't use religion as a theme to our songs, but the spirituality is the same." I'm not talking about the songs but about the fans. People have a need to belive in something. Don't they come to your concerts like people come to a church? "yes, I feel it. Every one needs to belive in something that's beyond everyday life, something that has the answers to all the questions. What's true is that going to our concerts is like going to church, because so many people gather together to focus in one direction, the band, and the stage, with hope of getting something in return. They get from us energy and pleasure. That's how I feel when I go to a jazz concert." You listen to jazz? You are known as a band, forgive me for the expression, "White Trash"!

"I love Afro American music. The blues is great, and has also affected my playing. And I am revitalized by a good jazz concert. I feel like my mom when she returned from midnight mass. But if we return the point, we are not bigger than Jesus is, but I am aware of the spirituality of our performance. It's not a mystical experience, its escapism, running from reality." Your over 20 years onstage, with a new record out about every two years. Most of your audience was born after you began performing together. How do you explain the continuing success? "We work hard, with great discipline. And we make excellent music, which people continue to listen to after 15 years. Continue to purchase our old albums. It amazes me every time again. Metallica is not bullshit, it dosn't have the empty facade like Guns and Roses at their time. People are aware of that. Besides we refuse to go off stage." Your music is known ahead. The audience buys the album and knows what he will get. Don't you feel like shocking the world and go into totally different directions? "We have done it before, but it wasn't planed. It started a storm, and we were surprised and amused. But that was in the past. In the future, the next album we will work on in the spring, were going to do it on purpose. Get out of our shells and be more instinctive, see what happens. For example, in the technological area we haven't given all we got. We are left with the guitars the drums and the noise, and we all feel its time we dive into new directions." You have responsibility to your fans? Some of it children.

"Not in the moral or social way. Out of music - I have no responsibility to anyone. Although of course I won't say and recommend 'go take drugs'. I just won't do it that's it. But we have responsibility in the manner that we continue to get different audiences, of young who were born when we first went on stage in '81. As opposed to Rolling Stones, for example, that doesn't have audiences younger than 25." You mean younger than 52. "Yhea. Yhea. There stuck in their generation, rock and roll fans in the elderly homes that before bedtime they put their teeth in a glass. After 20 years, we continue to recruit young audiences, and we are proud of that." What do you like to listen to? What do you take with you on trips? "Lots of jazz. Miles Davis, John Coltrain, Dave Brobek. I like Bossa Nova, Antonio Carlos Zo'vim." I expected to hear Deep Purple and Deep Purple. "Yhea, I heard them a lot, and motorhead and scorpions and all the old rock bands. But I love Buena Vista Social Club from Cuba, and ethnic music that today is effecting more and more. Bob Marly, who was always and will be always. I know it's not our image but I love it. I also love classical music: Baroque, Wagner, and Shubert." You connect to that? "Sure. Wagner for example. He's huge. His work is magnificent. I wish we could do that kind of music. He was the heavy metal of the 19th century. Music for two bands at the same time. His music is between aggressive power and beautiful gentleness. If he was alive today he was the king of rock." And here you connect to a symphonic orchestra. Why exactly? "Because it's a new challenge for us. It breaks the continuity of recording performing recording. It's new. The option to record with a symphonic orchestra, it's a great thing. It is in fact not the first time its been done, the connection between rock and a symphony orchestra, but when Deep Purple did it, it was different. Because we take old and known songs, and put them up with the orchestra. They did new things, that weren't necessarily taken well." And this has a new message? A historic connection between classical music and rock? Or maybe a declaration that you abandon the "kickass" way and are moving to a serious discussion about tmusic in the third millenium? "No, it doesn't have that kind of a saying in it except that Metallica will do anything as long as its cool. We don't think if something will be better selling or for new crowds, but only if it's hot. In many ways that's our secret of survival." You are aware of the danger the album will not succeed like the rest of your material. "Yes, but that's only because its sophisticated, complex, without compromise. It's a challenge. No one expected this from us, and we are taking somewhat of a risk. That in its self is a statement of some kind." Where do you like to perform: California, New York, Berlin, Tel-Aviv or north Decota? "Every place is different and there are different reactions. Its amazing to how every place the collective reaction is different." And what reactions do you like the most? "For sure not the reaction in New York. There they are so spoiled, they get everything, the best. In Israel, for example, you feel the thanks and appreciation for coming there. I feel the love from the crowd. In Berlin it amazes us how they now every bit and word of our songs (not only there J). The most we like of course North Decota. It's our home fans. They are worm and humane people who now how to love, believe and give the right rhythm." What are the future plans? "If the world will survive the changing of the millenium and we stay alive - even if not its okay, it will be an exquisite experience if the world will end - we plan on recording the next album this April. And in 2001 we will be in Israel again. Because it's fun to perform there and because there are some things I didn't get to see yet." Such as? "Beth lehem. I have to be there, and on that cliff, looking over the Dead Sea. Well, what's its name. Where the guys killed them selves all together. Metzada. Yhea, yhea. Metzada. I want to go there, and see the Megillah(scrolls in bible) in Jerusalem. I've read about them almost everything, and I know a lot about them, and I have to see them once with my own eyes. Also, Tel-Aviv there are some amazing girls there. No?

This was a free translation so excuse me for the mistakes. And references to I in the text is Eran Tipenbron. Translated by Doron Levi. It took me 2.5 hours!