British doom act Paradise Lost was up next, represented by only one song. Fortunately, the one song included is a classic and is performed wonderfully. It is "Say Just Words" from 1997's One Second album. This is a band that deserved more than one song. Now, if you are unfamiliar with these guys, do yourself a favor and pick up something by them.
The headlining act is underrated thrash legends (looks funny, doesn't it?) Testament. Chuck Billy and company are afforded the largest representation here, with five songs performed. This band seems rejuvenated now that the original members (minus Louie Clemente). The members' performance here is electric and indicative of the talent they have, not to mention the burning fire to perform. Their set closes with "D.N.R." and is a fantastic performance. Testament is the real deal, and when they are on, they are unstoppable.
The concert runs more than two hours, filled with non-stop metal of various styles. It is a great sampling of live metal. While the concert would be enough for most, the DVD also includes video interviews with all of the main stage acts. These are interesting and give you a little more insight into the various bands. Also included are text biographies of the second stage acts.
As if all of that wasn't enough, there is a second disk of songs from the second stage acts.
The CD begins with Carnal. This is a band I have been unable to find any more information regarding them, although based on "My Salvation" I would like to. They have a gothic tinged sound that reminds me of Moonspell.
Horrorscope ups the speed with the thrash metal style. This Polish band is quite impressive, not reinventing the genre, but working the style solidly. Definitely an act to look into further.
Heavy metal/folk act TYR provides a song called "Brother's Bane." I have heard this band before, and they are quite good. They give their own spin on the metal/folk hybrid. They hail from the Faroe Islands, an autonomous province of Denmark. These guys are solid, and this song is a good example of what they bring to the table.
Witchking is a solid, straight-up metal band from Poland. They have a great sound that is reminiscent of Judas Priest. They have no black or death metal trappings; what you see is what you get. Plenty of heavy with a strong dose of melody.
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