This will be another bumper batch of reviews, not the paltry five reviews column, so you might need a liquid refreshment to get through this lot. We have everything from the blackest of metal to pretty frock metal to the dulcet tones of Jon Anderson.
DVD Reviews
Various: This is Black Metal
As the name implies this is a feature length movie on DVD about the black metal scene. There are interviews with such bands as Celtic Frost, Morbid Angel and Satyricon. Videos are included as well with everything from Cradle of Filth camping it up to live video of the mighty Emperor. As with many DVD’s there is a documentary called Black Metal Parking Lot (The Movie). All in all one of those videos to put in your collection to make yer friends wonder about you.
Warped, heavy and dirge, this is black metal in all its glory. It is a good intro for those interested in the genre as well. This is an enjoyable 100 minutes whether or not you have a truly black heart, however, as you can imagine it is not the DVD to have on when your mum comes round for Sunday dinner.
Vital Remains: Evil-Death-Live
Yet another live release from Metal Mind covering an extreme metal band as they play to frothing Polish metal fans. This time it's the turn of Long Island black metal stalwarts Vital Remains. In addition to the March 2007 gig you get an interview with main men Tony Lazaro, who does most of the talking, and Dave Suzuki. There is also a couple of tracks filmed at a Polish club. There are the normal goodies we see on all these releases; yet again Metal Mind excels with their packaging and presentation. 130 minutes of Vital Remains, no region locking, and a decent length interview to boot. Damn near essential for VR and American black metal fans; a good introduction to those unfamiliar with this lot of extreme metal survivors.
Darzamat: Live Profanity
I have to confess I never heard of this lot of Polish extreme metal purveyors. Think Cradle of Filth but more serious and less black metal jesters. Layered keyboards and female vocals add an extra level of texture to the normal grunt of extreme metal. Think of the heaviest pretty frock metal and multiply exponentially. This stuff is heavy and intense; but at the same time is a bit more accessible than a lot of extreme metal.
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