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.

Simply put, this is the best box set I've ever owned. Granted, I'm a huge Metallica fan and I'm probably inclined to fall in love with anything they release. But Metallica rips it live, and this box set showcases over eight hours of that. On both the CDs and DVDs (a Mexico City show on the CDs, and full Seattle and San Diego shows on the DVDs), you hear a completely different side of the band. While their studio recordings are tight and emotional, their live set conveys the sense that Metallica have fun when they play live. There is a certain leaning toward improvisation that makes listening to these tracks a blast.

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.

I'd missed out on the chance to see Metallica live during this tour in support of the band's eponymous 'Black Album', so Live Sh*t: Binge & Purge is probably the closest I'll come.

This former boxed set is now available in two formats -- a double-CD case and a DVD-style longbox. As far as I can tell from their descriptions, the contents are the same, and typical of Metallica, they give you loads of material for a pretty good price -- three live CDs and two concert DVDs for only a little more than the price of two DVD movies.

The good points:

- The three live CDs span a broad range of songs from the band's history, rather than obsessively focusing on the Black Album.
- The sound quality of the CDs is quite good.
- The performances, especially James Hetfield's vocals and rhythm guitar, are searing.
- The DVD concerts are pretty well shot, if a little bit rough on the editing front. I'd always had reservations about getting this set because I was worried the concert footage would wear thin very quickly, but the band's fiery performances, the inventive staging (such as when Lars Ulrich runs across the stage in the middle of "The Four Horsemen" and jumps onto another kit at the other end) and multiple cameras helped make the viewing experience engaging.

The bad points:
- No booklet. I think they should have made the package a little bigger, a small boxed set, and included the booklet.
- The sound on the DVDs is horrible. I've never heard a professional music-DVD release with so many volume fluctuations and bad sound cuts. It's like listening to a live CD with the engineer whipping the faders up and down for no reason. The vocals are muddy, the lead guitar mixed too far back, and all of the tracks on the DVD sound like they have foam in front of the speakers.
- The format I'd bought, the double-CD case, is just not enough to hold five discs. They should have designed a special Digipak, or used three double-CD jewel cases.
- The live CD contains far, far too much crowd noise, banter and moments of waiting for the music. In a concert setting this might be okay, but as a listening experience, it's dreary to listen to a solid minute and a half of war sound effects before "One" can begin. They should have been more diligent with editing.
- No bonus materials. The videos from the Black Album, and especially the legendary music video for "One", would have made very enticing bonus materials for this set.

Despite its shortcomings, this was the last major official release from Metallica before it entered its bitterly contested 'Load/Reload' phase, so as a document of the band's history, this set is invaluable.

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!

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