Artist: Life of Agony
Label: SPV
Release Date: 10/20/03
Rating: 4 Skulls
Reviewed by Death (3/19/04):
I was so psyched that Life of Agony would be filming a DVD of their reunion show back in early 2003 - I would have rather been there, but this would have to do. Now, over one year later, the band still hasn't come to L.A., so even through River Runs Again has been around for a while, this still is my best option for a live LOA fix.The footage shows Life of Agony at the top of their game, delivering a set of classic, emotional and heavy crossover metal that will have true fans singing along from throughout. They open with a double-shot of old school material - "River Runs Red" and "This Time." The crowd is singing along with the every line. The sound is very "live," and the footage is of mediocre production quality, but who cares dude, you're there dude, at a classic gig. Keith Caputo has long hair although he still looks like a hippy because of the scarf he is wearing. Joey Z's accent is blazing when he yells to the crowd "we've got the fuckin' cameras on you tonight!" in between songs. Alan Robert chugs away at the low end, sporting all black and a backward baseball cap, and Sal Abruscato pounds away at his double-bass kit that has the band logo on both of the bass drum heads, sporting long hair and a beard. Irving Plaza, where the concert was shot, is relatively small (the band played two back-to-back nights), and so the feeling of the show is intimate. There's lots of New York style love in the air, especially for a city still seriously grieving from the 9/11 attacks. "The Other Side of the River" keeps the spirit of the band's oldest material alive.
Being a huge fan of Ugly, I'm psyched when the band launches into "I Regret." Love the lyrics, love the groove, love the sentiment, and I love the performance given here. Caputo is raw and often out of breath, but the honesty and strength of commitment to the material shines through on every song, and that is what is truly important with Life of Agony. Life of Agony is shedding its old skin of the broken-up years, and starting again. It is good to see. The band busts into "Weeds" from the third and last LOA studio album Soul Searching Sun, a very catchy song that sounds much more mainstream than a lot of the core LOA material but maintains the emotion and sentiment that drives the band, and propelled by some cool lyrics, the song actually stands out as a highlight of the set. "Seasons" is next, and by this point I'm really into this show - totally in the head space where nothing else matters than the power of these songs and these lyrics. Alan Robert grooves hard, and Caputo reaches for the high notes. Sal owns the toms, and Joey Z owns the wah on his charismatic melodic solo. By now it is clear - this is no nostalgia show - this band is ready to be full-blown back. It's up to them to keep it together, produce a studio record and get their asses to L.A. to play a gig, but they are and can be "Back" in a meaningful way. That much is clear from this video.
The performance moves on to another cool Soul Searching Sun song, the downtuned riff-led "Hope." We then go back to the old school with "Method of Groove," which causes the fans to go nuts (it is clear that the first album is the retrospective fan favorite). "How It Would Be" comes next, and Keith pours in all of the requisite emotion the song deserves. It is just so liberating to watch these songs performed live - I can only imagine how much fun it would have been to be there. "Bad Seed" continues the heavy emphasis on the old material and the hardcore side of the band. The crowd sings the breakdown at the top of its lungs. Joey Z then talks between songs about the loss of Keith's dad (Joey Z's uncle - they're cousins) earlier in the year to heroin (we actually saw Caputo play solo at CBGB's the night of his father's wake) before launching into "Heroin Dreams." "What the fuck you gonna do with the rest of your life?" Indeed.
The concert continues with some latter material, namely "Tangerine." I like this song best for the breakdown in the middle, where Caputo sings about being "still hung over from the night before," and he pulls it off well here, voice cracking with emotional abandon. Next comes my all-time favorite LOA tune, and quite possibly one of my top "life anthems" of all time -- "Lost at 22." Great song - emotion distilled to its essence, nothing more. Cool yet simple riffs too. Once again I wish I was there - my neighbors must think I'm crazy as I shout out the words along with my TV. "My Mind is Dangerous" but it really is mellow - like Caputo's solo material. Nice bass playing here. Great vox too ("Looooord take away my pain . . ."). Things stay mellow with the classic "Let's Pretend," done all acoustic here and aided by an audience singing along throughout. You can't really have an LOA show without this one. Caputo gives it his all ("Mommy it's me, it's your only son Keith.") and if you are into the band you'll understand that this is a crucial pillar of the set. Things get heavy again with "Underground," which gets the pit going once more (and provides the riff for the menu screens). Keith lets out a Howard Dean-esque howl before launching into "My Eyes," and then the set comes to a close with "Through and Through." All in all, a great show, and an important one in the band's history. Here's hoping they come to L.A. sometime soon (House of Blues on Sunset Strip would be ideal).
As for the production value and the packaging of the DVD itself, I think they could have done better for such a monumental concert. The title screen is cool, but the song titles are cut off on the sides of my screen, and the menus are not user-friendly to navigate. The extras consist of a feature interview chronicling the band history and showing some cool old footage and an interview with each member of the band. Sal talks about being in Type O and learning the parts three weeks before they recorded the record, Alan talks about the meaning behind the band and Keith talks about playing dirty bars in Brooklyn. Nothing too amazing or surprising, more general statements about the vibe of the band, the success they had in Europe, and playing big shows like Dynamo '94 (with killer footage of literally tens of thousands of fans bouncing up and down in time to the music). The band also talks about the reunion and the first rehearsal after six years of being apart. Definitely worth watching if you are a huge fan. More infomercial than serious documentary, but you take what you can get. There are also some other extras, but they are unimportant. The "photo gallery" is just still shots from the concert. The "band bio" is cool but it scrolls by in small text while the concert plays in the background. You get the idea.
Anyway, the bottom line is that this is for the fans. It could have been better, but I love the band, love the material, and can't wait to see them again live or hear a new studio album. In other words, it's imperfect but I'll take it.
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