If Relapse Records offered a "subscription" where for a discount you could get everything they put out, I would feel comfortable going for it...sure some things they put out don't particularly grab me but I don't think there's anything on the label that is flat out bad. And what's really great about Relapse is while you know you're going to get metal, the types of metal you get are greatly varied. This DVD gives a good sampling.
So one weekend Relapse put together a festival of sorts of all Relapse bands. A good concept. The label decided to record and release a two DVD set of part of each bands set, none are complete which I personally would've preferred, but there are time/money restraints so I respect the choice.
General comments first...the sound on here is okay, but somewhat mediocre. My surround sound system is not exactly top of the line so perhaps there are more subtle nuances I'm missing, but I just think the sound is a bit too sterile. Every speaker is used in the mix and the sound is pretty solid especially sitting in the middle of the room, it's just the sterility that often comes with smaller venue soundboard type recordings that I find to be a minus.
As far as video, there are some problems as well. Multiple cameras are used and they're all from varied angles so it's not bad. But I can't say it's all that interesting to watch. That's a problem with concert DVDs...I almost prefer bootlegs because you sort of get an "experience." This just feels like you're in a control room trying to make use of the varied cameras. It seems like the filming crew should've looked at the stage's lighting before filming, because sometimes a red light will come on and the whole staged will just be washed out in a sort of red glow...then the color shifts to green, and then they tone down the color lights and everything looks okay again. This sort of thing works okay live but doesn't really capture well on video.
As far as the menus setup, it's pretty standard you can choose the band or just "play all." No complaints as it's easy to navigate.
I still think this is a worthy buy because just about every band on here is good, the performances are solid, the video is not bad, and the audio is pretty good.
I'll go through this band by band.
Musically, Bongzilla plays pretty straightforward stoner rock...if for some reason you don't know what that means, you need to revisit your old Black Sabbath records. Lots of bands have adopted this sound but what Bongzilla does differently is the vocalist snarls sort of like Jeff Walker in late era Carcass. The band isn't bad and the songs work well, but the vocals really don't fit. It is cool to have a different take on the stoner genre, however. I enjoyed the performance, but I probably won't be buying any of their records.
Alabama Thunderpussy follows...similair sound to Bongzilla, but with the more typical stoner rock, cleanly sung, somewhat Ozzy like vocals. I really enjoy this band so it's good to see some video. The band is tight and do a great job. They play a faster sort of stoner rock and write damn good songs that stick with you...I'd put them almost on the same level as Clutch with their ability to write great songs.
Then we have Cephallic Carnage. This band plays a hybrid of death metal and grindcore with a few added quirky aspects not unlike Dillinger Escape Plan or even Mr. Bungle...they definitely don't sound like Mr. Bungle but the strange sort of effects that Bungle threw into their music were certainly an influence. I like that they do things a bit differently, it's not the constant blast beats of grind or the nonstop assault of death metal...there's variety, some strange time changes, and enough variety to keep it interesting. A lot of death metal sounds the same so I welcome a bit of experimentation. Fans of death metal who would be interested in something with a bit more variety will eat this up.
Mastodon is one of the hot bands in metal and their live cuts definitely tell you why. The band is technical, dead on live, and really have their act together. They're heavy, sometimes sludgy, sometimes they've got a blast, but mostly they're sort of melodic metal that takes as much influence from stoner rock as it does thrash and death metal. The vocalists barks, the guitars harmonize a lot, the drummer pounds and throws in all sorts of fills and the whole things works. Any doubts about the band's live ability are put to rest with this. Something about this that struck me is that while I like them I can't say I listen to them that often...yet as this was playing I recognized every song. That really is a gift and these guys are gaining some much deserve respect and popularity. I wish Relapse would've given a bit more time to the "headlining" bands on the DVD as their segment was far too short.
Neurosis rounds off disc one. I saw this band around eight years ago and hated them. Over time, something about their set just kept sticking out and I heard a few songs here and there on comps and whatnot and they just began to grow on me. While I wouldn't put them in my top five bands, they're definitely a force that should be reckoned with and one that I dare say, if you are into heavy music you need to give them a shot. Either get this disc or get the Neurot Records CD/DVD sampler which you can find for under $10 most places. Neurosis plays a slow and just depressing style of metal and there's something about their music that just makes the listener feel uncomfortable. You hear that on this, the music is slow but completely unsettling. There's no blast beats, there's no break downs, it's slow, sludgy, extremely well crafted, but at the same time disturbing. They're a band almost beyond description...they're not musicians as much as they're artists, the images behind the band seem almost as important as the music, it's a multimedia experience that you owe to yourself to check out. The video of Neurosis' performance is by far the best on here, and I think it actually does a reasonable job capturing the feeling the band is trying to convey. Great job.
Disc two kicks off with Pig Destroyer, one of the best grind bands out there. Pig Destroyer is pretty much nonstop blasting, with the occassional midpaced section and screamed, unintelligble lyrics. This is great in small doses but definitely not palatable over a long period, which perhaps explains why bands of this genre put out short albums. The band is intense and tight, I enjoy them and while I couldn't suggest the band to any random metal person, I would recommend this DVD so they could get a sample. The sound on this one seems a bit lacking.
Burnt By The Sun is next. I don't know why, but this band never really clicked with me. They seem to do everything right, excellent metalcore, growled vocals that are dead on, but for whatever reason it never really worked. The live peformance is adequate, but didn't sell me on the band. I have a couple of their albums and every so often throw them on in hopes that something will finally hit me, but it hasn't happened yet.
Third on the disc is one of my favorites, Today is the Day. Today is the Day is weird, flat out. They're heavy and use all sorts of influences but for the most part they're discordant and strange, incredibly angry yet depressing...every sort of negative emotion you can think of they express. It's not death metal, it's not thrash, it's not hardcore, I don't know what it is...it's spastic, intense, and exceptionally well done. The only negative about this is that I think they are better in the studio if for no other reason, the samples, effects, and layers are more pronounced than in the live setting. This is a band that has to be seen in person, not on DVD.
High on Fire, who feature members of the band Sleep, follows with their brand of stoner rock. They are not unlike Alabama Thunderpussy with a very classic sound that borrows heavily from Black Sabbath. The vocals are a bit throaty, if you will, but very natural and is somewhere between sung and growled. Sleep was classic and this one follows down that band's path. If you are into stoner rock, you won't be let down.
Finally, Dillinger Escape Plan rounds off the set. Dillinger play a very spazzy style of hardcore that is exceptionally tight and well done. Anytime you hear music that's described as "mathy" or even just about any technical hardcore, you are hearing heavy Dillinger Escape Plan influence. They may not have invented it, but they perfected it. There's something about the sound on here that I don't think does the band justice, but I can't put my finger on it. The vocals seem too loud, the instruments seem a bit muddy, I don't know. I like Dillinger, even with the new vocalist, but there's something about this that I don't care for. There are some bands, Mr. Bungle for one, that I've noticed something about....you're better off with an audience sourced bootleg than a soundboard source...I am guessing it's because there's some weird stuff going on that is placed strangely sound wise through the deck that sound differently in the room or what. Either way, I have an audience sourced Dillinger boots that sound great...this does not.
There's some bonus stuff....a couple live songs from Daylight Dies (melodic death metal), 27 (not metal...hell, I'd say this is like Tori Amos), Dysrhythmia (instrumental, not terribly exciting rock but there's potential, I'd need to hear more), and The End (pretentious, though not bad spazzy metal, not to be confused with "End" which is a jagoff who plays with his laptop).
There's also over 30 minutes of behind the scenes footage that I just don't find interesting so didn't sit through.
If you are into heavy music and enjoy any band listed, pick this up...this is a top notch release that is reasonably priced everywhere I've seen it. Pick it up!
