IRON MAIDEN
The History of Iron Maiden Part 1: The Early Years (2DVD)
(Sanctuary)

While I realize there are many, many videos of Iron Maiden already out there, this one really is worth checking out.  It not only collects live footage from three classic early shows, but there is an extensive documentary that chronicles the development of one of metal's most important outfits in exacting detail.  As this is merely part 1, it focuses on the era from the band's conception up through the Piece of Mind tour.

Let me start with the documentary, as this was the first thing I sat down to.  Titled 'The Early Days,' it runs a full 90 minutes and includes interviews with pretty much every relevant party to the band's formative years.  Though I have often seen line-up trees that show all the early members (when Steve Harris was the only member that would remain by the time the first album was recorded), it was extremely cool to see not only photos of these line-ups but current interviews with the guys.  There were so many points at which others would have just given up, but you can really see Steve's determination as he keeps Maiden going through the darkest days.

The documentary alone would make this worth getting, but in addition you get concert footage from 1981 (Live at the Rainbow), 1982 (Beast Over Hammersmith) and 1983 (Live in Dortmund).  The Rainbow material is familiar to most Maiden fans and showcases just how raw and energetic the band was in the Di'Anno days.  Although the Beast Over Hammersmith footage was apparently deemed not good enough for release at the time, it actually looks quite good to me and the band was really on fire at that show.

There is also a bizarre British TV documentary from 1981 that focuses on the band, definitely an added treat, as well as several of the band's early videos and other archival footage.  All in all, this is a hugely satisfying look at Iron Maiden's early years (my favorite years and I'm sure I'm not alone in that) and a must have for any true metal fan.  http://www.ironmaiden.com
[Daniel Hinds]

NIGHTWISH
The End of Innocence
(Century Media)

Though a lot of DVDs these days seem rushed, there is the occasional gem that really covers the full scope of a band and The End of Innocence is a perfect example.  Although there is some video and concert footage to be found here, the bulk of the disc is a superb documentary that really shows the band inside and out.

Although the documentary jumps around quite a bit, showing the band on the road, in the studio, and just out and about enjoying life, there is a narrative thread tying it all together.  We see mainman Tuomas as he makes a visit to the small Finnish island that his family owns, a peaceful if a tad gloomy place where he takes the time to sit and reflect on everything that has happened since the inception of Nightwish.  An air of melancholy descends over the interview as the sun slowly sets, with Tuomas contemplating the loss the band’s innocence after the second record and how that can never be recaptured.  It ties in nicely with the video title and shows a side of the band that isn’t necessarily apparent from experiencing the band solely through its recorded output.  For a band that is so grandiose and larger than life in their art, it is refreshing to see the very human souls behind that creation.

The concert clips are cool and the promos a bit bizarre, but the documentary feature is really the heart of this release and makes for great viewing whether you're a die-hard fan or new to Nightwish's brilliance.  http://www.nightwish.com
[Daniel Hinds]

DISMEMBER
Live Blasphemies (2DVD)
(Escapi)

I've been a fan of this seminal death metal outfit since first hearing Indecent and Obscene many many years ago and they've never disappointed me since.  This DVD set features one live disc and one interview disc and both are well worth the money.

The live footage is clearly taken from the same show as the Merciless DVD (see review elsewhere), filmed in Stockholm in 2003.  The band's intense, grinding sound comes through loud and clear and I was in awe at just how tight the playing is.  The band is quite active, too, with hair flying constantly, and it is clear the audience is just as enthused.  Song highlights include the grinding "Casket Garden," the more melodic "Of Fire," a ripping, to the point "Misanthropic" and the slightly more thrash-inflected "Skin Her Alive."  The documentary disc is actually longer than the concert and is very well done, though you have to read subtitles as it is conducted in Swedish.  The interviewer leads the band through their entire career from the beginning, with plenty of interesting facts coming out along the way.  Cut into the mix are bootleg quality live clips that date back all the way to their very first show in 1989 and you really get to see the band develop and hone their skills.  Plus, you get to see clips from all over the world, from Germany to USA to Japan.  I wish more interview documentaries on bands were put together this logically and in-depth.

Dismember are very much a defining death metal band and it is cool to see them still going strong and with a great attitude about it.  In terms of getting the full picture of the band, from backstage to on stage, you couldn't ask for more than Live Blasphemies.  http://www.dismember.se
[Daniel Hinds]

FORCE OF EVIL
Evil Comes…Alive
(Escapi)

Perhaps it was simply the massive legacy that Hank Shermann and Michael Denner have built up with Mercyful Fate, but I was a little disappointed by the Force of Evil debut.  There are moments on it that are brilliant, but others that just don't completely work.  Fortunately, the more positive elements of the band come through on this DVD.

The concert footage (taken from their second show, no less) is pretty good and runs close to an hour.  The visuals and sound are both pretty sharp, though the guitars could use a bit more of a push in the mix.  One thing I noticed right away was just how incredibly tight the band is.  Obviously, they are all seasoned musicians, but it was still impressive.  Vocalist Martin Steene doesn't seem to be as at ease as the rest of the band, but he delivers the vocals really well, sounding even better than on the album actually.  As the band rolls through standout tracks like "Demonized," "The Calling," "Mindbreaker" and "Death Comes Crawling," the real draw is the solo genius of Hank and Michael and you get plenty of fretboard close-ups.  Two classic Fate numbers get aired during the show, starting with "Curse of the Pharaoh."  I swear, Hank plays that opening riff slightly differently every time he plays it and it still sounds damn cool to this day.  The set closes with "Evil" which is just plain killer.  Steene does a good job of delivering the vocals without trying to be King Diamond.

In the 'bonus' category you get two pretty interesting interview clips, as well as some rather random footage from the studio.  Two tunes from the band's first concert (in Cleveland) are also included, but are very much of the bootleg quality.

To round out the package, you get a nice booklet with good size photos of each band member.  It may seem a bit strange for a band as new as Force of Evil to be releasing a d live DVD already, but these guys are really legends anyway and this disc is really well put together.  http://www.forceofevil.net
[Daniel Hinds]

KMFDM
WWIII Tour 2003
(Sanctuary)

Even though KMFDM just did a live album and video on the last tour (Sturm und Drang), I think this collection is justified for one reason - the album WWIII is so damn killer and you get to hear just about every track live here.  So if you have to make the choice, definitely buy this one first.

The video proper starts with some video of the rehearsals and setup, then launches into the utterly fierce "WWIII."  The sound and video are both excellent, though the vox are maybe a little quiet at first.  Lucia sounds just as amazing live as on record (and looks damn good in a black and yellow latex catsuit), as she delivers "From Here on Out" flawlessly.  The entire video is intercut with some rather random bits of off-stage silliness, but at least the clips are done between songs and the segues are done well.  Other song highlights include "Light," where Sascha adds a little more intensity to the vocals, "Blackball" and the awesome "Revenge."  "Brute" is good but Raymond sounds a little too restrained for some reason (he doesn't on other songs though).  "Intro" makes for the perfect live track, introducing the band and rocking out simultaneously, and the show is closed with a storming version of "A Drug Against War."

Aside from the excellent concert footage, you also get some brief interview clips, several videos, tour journals, lyrics, and even a whale watching expedition by the band.  KMFDM has had pretty mixed success with their video releases in the past, but it is safe to say they have finally delivered a fully enjoyable package with WWIII Tour 2003 and I can't wait to see them here in Seattle (Nov. 18^th and 19^th).  http://www.kmfdm.net
[Daniel Hinds]

MERCILESS
Live Obsession (2DVD)
(Escapi)

This is a bit of a first for me.  Hard as it may be to believe, I have never had the chance to actually listen to Merciless up to now, so my first encounter with this band is via a live DVD collection.  And believe me, I was more than a little impressed with the band and will definitely be checking out some of their albums (finally).

The live footage comprises the first disc and is shot pretty well with excellent sound.  The cameras all seem to be anchored solidly, making the picture a bit static at times, but at least they used several different cameras and edited the shots together effectively.  The band rips through their classic death/thrash style with the kind of abandon you want from a band of this persuasion, with the vocals raw in an Endless Pain way.  "The Awakening" is just plain brutal and as "Unearthly Salvation" kicks in, it is clear that the riff is king with these guys.  The rest of the tunes keep up the energy, with "Branded By Sunlight" again reminding me of classic Kreator.

The 'documentary' disc that goes with this is a little less impressive.  It features some near-bootleg quality clips from a festival performance intercut with some off-stage footage and a short interview with the band.  A biography and discography are also included but I wish the interview had been more in-depth.  Still, the live footage is the main attraction here and it is solid Swedish death/thrash played with abandon, sure to please Merciless fans (old and new).
[Daniel Hinds]

[various artists]
Monsters of Metal (2DVD)
(Nuclear Blast)

This is a cool collection of promo videos by the entire range of Nuclear Blast artists and beyond (Iron Maiden), covering 50 videos plus a few live clips as a bonus.  As with any comp, the quality ranges a great deal and it is clear some bands had lots of money and some had none, but overall I was pleased with the number of good clips.

On disc 1, the stage is set by the elaborate and entirely gorgeous Dimmu Borgir vid for "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse.  Following this is the more down to earth HammerFall cut "Hearts on Fire" - an example of computer graphics being used to good effect without overdoing it.  Helloween follow it with an example of computer graphics being used very badly and in totally the wrong way with "Just a Little Sign."  Destruction lay down a good thrashy performance clip for "Desecrators of the New Age," with some rather out of place shots of a hot girl that has nothing to do with the song.  Tiamat's contribution looks and sounds like an old Mission U.K., video, while Maiden turn in a surprisingly impressive "Run to the Hills" live clip (from the Rock in Rio disc, I believe).  Perhaps the most unusual clip here is Lacuna Coil's "Heaven's a Lie," as it is the original murky studio video rather than the fancy one that MTV picked up.

On to disc 2, Deathstars start off with lots of promise but end up only providing weirdness, whereas Kataklysm lays down a low-budget vid in the vein of classic thrash/death videos like old Kreator and Napalm Death.  Perhaps the most interesting one here is Therion's "Summernight City," shot to resemble an old movie with plenty of actors and location shots.  Rhapsody on the other hand fall flat on their face with a cheesy video that looks like it was put together by a community college student as a project (a project that ended up getting a C+).  Theater of Tragedy on the other hand has a slick, techy looking clip that perfectly fits the sound of "Let You Down."  The Gathering are captured in their natural environment - on stage - and are as entrancing as always.  Amorphis offers a trippy clip full of symbolism, while Kreator goes for a very brutal, high-contrast black-and-white clip that matches the intensity of the song "Violent Revolution" nicely.

There are plenty of blah videos in the mix, too, but by and large this is an enjoyable collection that really covers a lot of ground in terms of what the metal scene has to offer in the 21^st century.  http://www.nuclearblast.de
[Daniel Hinds]

CANDLEMASS
Documents of Doom (2DVD)
(Escapi)

With Candlemass reunited and several live dates under their belt already, it seemed like a natural idea to release a live video and this is a pretty enjoyable one overall.  The band wisely split it into two discs - one is a full concert from 1990 and the other includes backstage footage intercut with live clips from 1987 all the way up to 2002.

The full-length concert disc is recorded live at Fryshuset back on the Tales of Creation tour and features 13 of the band's classics in an energetic performance.  The sound and video quality are both strong - not perfect but quite good nonetheless.  The band sounds like they are in top form, especially the precise lead guitar work and Messiah's operatic doom vocal stylings.  Each song is executed well but personal highlights for me were "The Bells of Acheron" and the ultimate epic "A Sorcerer's Pledge," which closes the set beautifully.

Disc two is far more chaotic and generally lacking in both sound and video quality, but it no less enjoyable.  There are plenty of backstage camcorder segments with the band that are interesting and amusing (be sure to use your subtitle button to get the full effect!).  The live clips all generally suffer in the sound department, but you get the point.  Clips from the Sweden Rock festival (2002) show off Messiah doing his patented 'doom stomp' but are badly edited and intercut at random with non-live material.  One cool bit was watching members of the band banging away, watching Halford's performance at the same festival.  It's always cool to see a band that hasn't lost their love for the music that inspired them in the first place.  In Greece, the crowd is obviously totally into the band and during "Mirror, Mirror" you can hear the whole venue shout the line, "The mirror of darkness is blind!"  The performance of "Solitude" at Bang Your Head is brilliant, but then again can you do a bad version of such a classic song?  The Wacken clip suffers from a bass-heavy, rumbly sound, while "Demon's Gate" in Oslo is sadly cut short (as are many of the songs on this disc, unfortunately).  Though little footage from their London appearance is included, you do get to see Leif conversing with Martin Walkyier before the show - always a treat to see Martin.

Going back to the 80s, we are presented with several performances, including a fog-drenched "Crystal Ball" taken from the band's "first gig" way back in '87.  Some amusing outtakes include a soundcheck of the band playing their own version of Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" and Solitude Aeternus taking on "Well of Souls."  A couple of cool live covers are thrown in as well, namely Deep Purple's "Black Night" (which has never sounded heavier) and Sabbath's "Faeries Wear Boots."

The way the material on disc two is edited together is a bit frustrating, but at least it is for the most part quite a bit of fun and you get to see some rare moments you would never get to see anywhere else.  That coupled with the quality concert footage on disc one makes this a must-have for any Candlemass fan.  And now… how about a new album guys?  http://www.candlemass.net
[Daniel Hinds]

DARK TRANQUILLITY
Live Damage
(Century Media)

Though keeping a slightly lower profile than In Flames, there is no doubt that Dark Tranquillity had just as much influence on establishing the Gothenburg sound.  After many excellent studio albums, it was time to let everyone experience the band live and thus we have this lovely DVD.

The main attraction here is a concert filmed in Krakow, Poland, back in 2002.  The filming is excellent and the sound quality is almost too good (very smooth).  There are a couple of volume drops, but the quality is pretty consistent otherwise.  The video edits are sometimes a bit too quick, but at least they focus on what they should and give the whole band pretty equal time.  Song highlights include "Hedon," "White Noise / Black Silence," "Monochromatic Stains," and of course the timeless "Zodijackyl Light."  The band seems relaxed and in good spirits during the show, despite the somewhat limited crowd.  The stage seems huge compared to the size of the hall and the light show and stage set are both very professional and effective.

In addition to this concert, there is quite a bit of live footage from shows in Athens, Paris and Essen, though these clips are more of a bootleg quality.  Also, there is a cool interview with vocalist Mikael Stanne where (among other things) he mentions Martin Walkyier's work with Sabbat as a guiding influence in the early days, as well as Mille from Kreator - how cool is that?.  The interview is cut together really badly, jumping between awful close-ups, long shots, shots of Mikael's hands, etc.  It's distracting, but the interview itself is good and interesting.

Overall, this is one of the best music DVDs I have seen and certainly great value for money.  Throw in a killer booklet with bio and discography and you've got an essential DVD purchase.  http://www.darktranquillity.com
[Daniel Hinds]

OPETH
Lamentations
(Koch)

This is a nicely-packaged disc that includes not only a two-hour live performance by the band (featuring an hour of their mellow stuff followed by an hour of the older, heavier material), plus an hour-long documentary on the recording of their last two albums.

The live performance is well-filmed and sounds great and you really get to hear the full spectrum of what Opeth is capable of (not to mention Mikael's soft-spoken stage raps).  Having witnessed Opeth live myself, I can safely say this video is just as interesting and enjoyable and you can interpret that however you like.

The most interesting thing for me was the documentary.  You get to sit in the studio with the band (and producer Steven Wilson) and see the kind of process they went through to create Damnation and Deliverance.  There are plenty of interview bits with each band member, giving you the full story of the recording as well as just a good background on the band itself.  I wish more bands would put together these kinds of documentaries, as I always find it fascinating to see how each band approaches writing and recording and just working together in their own unique fashion.

If you're an Opeth fan, I don't see how you couldn't love this disc.  The live footage is put together well and the documentary is informative and fun to watch.  I'm not a fan particularly and I still had a good time watching Lamentations, so that definitely says something for it.  http://www.opeth.com
[Daniel Hinds]

SIX FEET UNDER
Double Dead
(Metal Blade)

SCORPIONS
A Savage Crazy World (DVD)
(Mercury/Universal)

DEPECHE MODE
One Night in Paris (DVD)
(Universal)

W.A.S.P.
The Sting (DVD)
(Snapper)

ANATHEMA
A Vision of a Dying Embrace (DVD)
(Peaceville)

SUPERTRAMP
The Story So Far… (DVD)
(A&M)

[various artists]
Visual Chaos
(Century Media)

Up first is the sadly overrated Candiria who deliver a rather lifeless and uneven blend of hip-hop and nu-metal.  More yawns come as Skinlab churn out their downtuned brand of angst-metal, but at least the video offers some cool visuals.  Nevermore liven things up with "Believe in Nothing," an uncharacteristically straightforward song that nevertheless displays the band's strong sense of melody and song craftsmansship.  The clip's storyline is a bit of a head-scratcher, but the band looks good in their bits.  Arch Enemy are well represented with "The Immortal" - a punchy, powerful thrashathon - but a muddy mix and ugly as hell visuals kill the mood.

Moonspell fair better with their goth-tinged "Nocturna," sporting a creepy plot that runs like a Twilight Zone episode caught in a Möbius strip.  Another success comes from Sentenced, who match the icy, depressive mood of "Killing Me, Killing You" with chilling location shots and a somber storyline.  Tiamat leans heavily on the Sisters of Mercy for "Brighter Than the Sun," both musically and visually, but it works.

This is where the tape takes a serious turn for the mundane and downright annoying.  Haste offer up solid but typical hardcore, with boring camcorder footage from the road.  Samael latch onto some cool graphics, but the cosmic animation ends up being as monotonous as the band's current style of techno-rock.  God Forbid sound pretty good, like a more hardcore version of The Haunted, but the rehearsal room footage is just too blah to keep up with the aggressive music.  And need I even say anything about Stuck Mojo?  The appearance by Diamond Dallas Page is actually less cheesy than the band's annoying, conservative rap-core, but not by much.  Skinlab return for another round, with a slightly better song, doing their best to be the world's ugliest band in the black-and-white clip.

The light at the end of the tunnel is finally reached with Rotting Christ's "After Dark I Feel," a colorful and obscure video that matches the band's dark, melodic sound perfectly.  Dark Tranquillity deliver on the music front for "ThereIn" and there are some cool landscape shots, but the band footage is incredibly cheap and just plain bad looking.  Moonspell get another spot, too, with the somewhat psychedelic "Butterfly FX," while The Gathering close up shop with "Liberty Bell."  This video had a lot of potential, as it places singer Anneke in a space capsule and spacesuit, but it runs out of ideas rather quickly and the godawful eye makeup makes it hard to watch (I'm serious, it's not good).

As a varied label sampler, Visual Chaos is pretty good and I can't blame Century Media too much for the lack of imagination that went into some of these videos.  On the whole, though, I'd rather see more bands opt to place videos onto their CDs as CD-ROM tracks or maybe a couple of more stylistically focused DVDs with twice as many videos.
[Daniel Hinds]

KMFDM
Beat by Beat
(Wax Trax!/TVT)

The videotape begins with all appearances of being a live video, opening immediately with an in concert performance of "Flesh." Then it continues on with the road crew setting up, a bit too extensively, for the show and other pre-concert activities before they take the stage and the concert begins. 

This is followed by the video for "A Drug Against War," definitely one of the cooler vids playing with KMFDM art from the past. Then comes the video for "Money," which is also really cool for looking seemingly low budget with En Esch portraying a cop. Makes it worthwhile for me. 

So at this point it feels like it is going to be a video collection, but suddenly it is concert footage of "More and Faster" followed directly by the video for the same song. This is by far and away the most low budget looking video on the tape and features En Esch in the days when he still possessed hair. I actually taped this video from MTV way back when it came out on 120 minutes. I doubt you will see MTV playing a video that looks like this one today. 

Next is the superhero video "Son of a Gun." It is pretty cool. For the most part I like KMFDM's use of animation in their videos. Then it goes back to chatting with the crew (there is too much of that on this videotape) and some more live footage followed by the video to "Vogue" which I never really liked for some reason.

"Juke Joint Jezebel," the video, continues the montage technique with which this videotape was placed together. It, perhaps, best exemplifies "Beat by Beat." It is composed of a really cool animation sequence spliced with fairly lousy concert footage. The whole videotape kind of feels that way. 

The concert footage ends with "Godlike." This is followed by the footage of the whole thing getting broken down, followed by the credits and for those of you who have stuck around to check out what follows the credit comes the video to Naive. The only video to feature any nudity...it again has a very low budget feel to it and it is characterized by harsh colors. This vid is directed by En Esch. 

I think overall this is a video tape with a bit of an indentity crisis. I think a video collection would have worked fine by itself, spliced with interviews with members of KMFDM and the directors of the videos. As for a live video, this has too much time focused on the road crew in comparison to the amount of live footage that is provided. If you are going to put so much of the setting up and breaking down of the show, then it would just make sense that you would have most of the show or at least quite a bit more live footage. And instead of talking to the roadies, why not focus a little more attention on the band. That's where the greater interest lies. 
[Victor Mejia]

SEPULTURA
Third World Chaos
(Roadrunner)

Though I’m usually wary of video releases, Third World Chaos is excellent and a must for Sepultura fans. Unlike other tapes that sit and collect dust on my shelf, I’m sure I’ll be returning to this one quite often.
[Daniel Hinds]