The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Live Legacy
Artist: Dissection
Label:Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 2/25/03

Rating: 4 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Requiem (8/5/03):
    I am one of those fortunate enough to have caught Dissection live in the States. Myself, being a born and bred Masshole, made the essential trek to the Wetlands club in NYC. It was a crazy stormy winter day, perfect for an evening of Dissection, At the Gates and Morbid Angel. At the time, Storm of the Lights Bane had recently come onto the scene and was mindblowing shit. The melodies they incorporated into their black/death sound were unparalleled. Unfortunately, before the ball really got rolling, vocalist Jon was tossed in prison for the murder of an Algerian man. Since that time, the band has been on an indefinite hiatus. This is a band that might be where In Flames and Soilwork are now if history had taken a slight turn for the better.

    That 30 minute set of material mainly from Storm of the Lights Bane captivated the crowd and was astonishing and not long enough. Which brings us to Live Legacy, for those who will cherish the live experience like those of us who did on that stormy winter day. The material here is performed to a tee, comprising mostly of material off of Storm of the Lights Bane and a couple tracks from The Somberlain. The overall recording captures the sound adequately, with no annoying level issues. The problem with some live records is that you don't get much more than you would on the album to begin with. A death or black metal band live on CD is usually pretty much cut and dry. It's not like seeing The Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd where the live stuff may venture off into improvisation land which can yield good or bad results. Bottom line is, Dissection is Dissection, live or in the studio. Both are great but I prefer the studio efforts ten times over. I find that metal bands live are quite a bit better when you have some visuals. Maybe if this were on DVD it'd be a different story.

    I'm not slagging them by any means. In their case, a live release is almost necessary to keep alive and not be forgotten. Since their unplanned demise, they've released a couple of early demo CDs and now with Live Legacy, I'd say they're pretty much on fumes. But actually, latest word is that they are back in action and on the look out for a guitarist and bassist. So the timing could not be more perfect. Live Legacy will tide over rabid fans until the new material comes to the surface. If you generally are one like myself and can pass on the live stuff, I'm sure the wait will be well worth it. And despite my lack of loving most live albums, we're still chalking in 4 skulls for the solid performance alone. Anything less would be a crime.
    4 out of 5

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