live DVD

Immortal – Live At Wacken 2007:The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh

Having an Immortal at Wacken DVD is a real treat for me because I know that I’m going to get a concert that actually looks and sounds like a live show. No ridiculously quick cuts or overly obvious tricks, no overdubs, nothing. The stuff that comes out of Wacken Open Air is consistently awesome and this is definitely no exception. The show is shot beautifully, the editing done flawlessly without making your head spin, and the band plays a solid set.

The Acacia Strain – The Most Known Unknown DVD

The Acacia Strain have the dubious distinction of being one of the original ‘deathcore’ bands, spawning a whole load of crappy imitations over the years. Thankfully, The Acacia Strain are still head and shoulders above all of their competition and live they really shine. Yes, the editing is quite jarring, but at the same time I think it gives an accurate feeling to being at one of The Acacia Strain’s shows: loud, hectic, and effectively putting the viewer off balance.

Megadeth – Rust In Peace Live

“Originally released twenty years ago, Rust In Peace easily sits in the same revered place as true metal classics like Piece Of Mind, In Rock, Ace of Spades and Stained Class. It is the type of album that you pull out when a curious friend wants to know what the best metal albums of all time are. It is the culmination of the early formative years of Megadeth, which betters the already impressive levels the band had reached previously on Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying a few years before.”

Sean Palmerston reviews the new blu-ray disc release Megadeth – Rust In Peace Live.

Meshuggah – Alive

In less talented hands, the 90 minute concert film that constitutes the centerpiece of Alive would come off as a sloppily arranged mess, but director/editor Ian McFarland’s footage is so well-shot and so tastefully edited that we can’t help but forgive him for making the whole experience a touch disjointed.

Adrien Begrand reviews the brand new live DVD/CD collection by Sweden’s technical death metal innovators Meshuggah.

Blackfield – NYC: Blackfield Live in New York City

Originally released as a DVD only, it has now been reissued as a two disc set, with the entire performance now also available as on CD too. The band sticks pretty much to Blackfield material, playing everything but one song from their second album II and also including nearly all of the first album too. The performances of these songs in a live setting don’t differ greatly from the studio versions. If you have those records already you may not need this collection unless you are an absolute Wilson-aholic that absolutely needs everything he does (and I know there are a lot of you out there, that is for certain).