 |
|
May 19, 2013 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disc 1 - Live In Stockholm 2003
01. Dismembered
02. Soon To Be Dead
03. Casket Garden
04. Of Fire
05. Bleed For Me
06. Skinfather
07. Misanthropic
08. I Saw Them Die
09. Skin Her Alive
10. In Death's Sleep
11. Hate Campaign
Disc 2 - Documentary
01. The Beginning
02. Deathvocation
03. Pogo Dance
04. First Demo
05. Blasphemies Of The Flesh
06. The Stockholm Death Metal Scene
|
|
DISMEMBER are more than a mere band. After well over a decade now as staunch, uncompromising leaders in the Swedish Death Metal scene, these Stockholm coffin-raiders have more accurately reached the status of 'respected institution'. A prolific catalogue of acclaimed studio releases. Legendary live shows. Undeniable vibe and presence. DISMEMBER are to the European DM scene what such U.S. mainstays such as CANNIBAL CORPSE and MORBID ANGEL are to the blackhearted masses on this side of the big pond: steadfast, true, and ever-reliable purveyors of the heaviest of the heavy. True Death Metal heroes.
As such, it's only fitting that a band with this much history finally venture forth into the visual realm and be given the DVD treatment, which brings us to the latest from Escapi DVD - and DISMEMBER - the 'Live Blasphemies' 2 Disc DVD package wherein the visceral brutality and take-no-prisoners ethos that is DISMEMBER is finally captured on celluloid for the first time and officially documented for pure Metal viewing enjoyment.
Disc One
Disc One - 'Live In Stockholm 2003' - is nothing more or less than what it claims to be; a full live performance from the band's 2003 European Tour as filmed at the Stockholm date. Running at around the 1 hour mark - give or take - this disc is a fairly entertaining viewing. Both visual and audio quality are excellent, offering quite a polished sound and recording with multiple camera angles and numerous close-ups that give each band member their due as well as conveying the enthusiasm of the crowd to great effect. The performance is tight and high energy and shows a band who - despite their age and longevity - show no signs yet of losing the fire and hunger that initially fuelled them in their youth. DVD live performances such as this are always a pleasure to watch, particularly in the case of European acts such as DISMEMBER who rarely make the trek to North American shores.
Whets the appetite and fuels the hope that over time, such performances as what is captured here eventually make a greater appearance in both the U.S. and Canada!
Disc Two
Ah...my favourite section of any band DVD; the documentary footage wherein we as fans get to nose around behind the scenes and see just what life on the road, and in the studio is REALLY like for the average Metal God! In the case of DISMEMBER we get a fairly in-depth interview with founding members Matti Karki (vocals), Fred Estby (drums), and David Blomqvist (guitars) conducted entirely in Swedish with subtitles provided interestingly enough by Leif Edling of former CANDLEMASS/current Escapi employee fame. Small world.
Anyways, at well over the hour mark (80+ minutes) this interview marks probably the first time ever that members of DISMEMBER have deigned to wax lyrical on much of anything in so open and informative a manner. And despite the hindrance of the language barrier, 'informative' is indeed the operative word as we learn the ins and outs of life within the confines of this Death Metal juggernaut from the early years to the present, the band proving to be quite open on everything from inter-band/label conflicts, to road stories, to studio/stage tales.
Interspersed throughout the interview is an extensive selection of live, demo-quality (some frankly not so great, with sound in particular being of major failing. Gets better in increments as the footage becomes more recent.) footage dating to as far back as 1989 wherein the viewer is able to watch the gradual metamorphosis and improvement of the band from their initial years as green kids fresh out the garage to the seasoned, road-honed veterans they are today. The interview itself becomes more engrossing from about the midway point towards the end as the band members become more comfortable (Estby in particular proving to be something of an unofficial spokesman for the band) in revealing such juicy personal tidbits as an admission from Karki that he had at one point actually misplaced all of the lyrics from 'Pieces' and has in fact been merely growling/roaring pure gibberish all this time when performing those tracks live. I mean, how much of a scream is that!?!
You just gotta love such an honest, and very human angle as that. Also amusing is much of the backstage/general-goofing-around footage, most particularly from some of the North American dates the band had played earlier in the decade.
My only complaint with this portion of the DVD would be that I actually wanted MORE personal footage. What is on offer is sparse and scattered at best. It also would have been illuminating to hear from ALL of the band members (Richard Cabeza...where are you???), perhaps even individually for different perspectives, as well as a section offering a forum for some sort of fan response which is entirely absent here.
Overall however, this is in general a fine expose of a band who have thus far managed to remain firmly rooted in the underground, yet who have also attained a degree of success well beneath the media spotlight for many years now. Hopefully this will kickstart further interest among other such acts to offer fans a glimpse - albeit a brief one - as to what they are really all about.
|
|
|
|
