|
Well... if someone
told me 6 years ago that Arcturus
would tour and release a DVD like
most bands do, I would definitely
laugh my ass off. But what do you
know... it's true! After the release
of "Sideshow Symphonies"
the band did lots of live shows, making
us wonder whether they're capable
of reproducing their material on stage.
And for some of you who might doubt
that, a peak from their DVD is all
the evidence you need. Personally,
I had no doubts about their musical
abilities, apart from being great
musicians as individuals they also
perform flawlessly every song you'll
see. My main concern was whether they
could reproduce the wicked atmosphere
of their albums, especially in the
absence of Garm. No doubt he had a
huge impact on the sound of Arcturus,
and Vortex's role as his replacement
is a very difficult one; his performance
plays a key role in the overall result.
Nevertheless, I was quite surprised
with how well he handles the vocals,
both on old and new material. I'd
say his performance really outshines
everyone else's on this one. That
dude is AMAZING! It should be noted
that the show is filmed with a handful
of cameras (I think they used five
of them) so don't expect a superproduction,
but the nice shots of the band and
dancers and the good editing of the
film makes the whole viewing experience
a very pleasant one. As for the sound,
it's just ripping... and it will definitely
remind you of their studio sound (and
of the atmosphere we discussed earlier).
Yes, it's that good... From the first
song till the last one. The only downside
of this release are the extras which
are of poor interest: a photo gallery,
a rehearsal of the band where they
actually rehearse for 10 sec before
this section ends... (and it lasts
less than 3 minutes!), and a video
clip made from shots of the DVD. They
could at least include an interview...
So, I'd say the show deserves a 9.5/10,
but the extras kind of damage the
overall product. Still, it deserves
a...
|
