Artist: Manowar
Label:SPV
Release Date: 2/4/03
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Fire and Blood Artist: Manowar Label:SPV Release Date: 2/4/03
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Abyss' Review:
For some strange reason I find it easier to listen to Manowar than to actually see them play live. Anyway, Manowar fans throughout the world, rejoice! The band has released the impressive DVD Fire and Blood which contains two performances. Disc One is Hell on Earth Part II and Disc Two is Blood in Brazil, a complete performance from the Monsters of Rock Show from 1998.Even speaking as a fair-weather Manowar fan, this disc is pretty impressive. Most impressive is the sheer volume of material. Not only do the fans get two discs, they get two jam-packed discs. Either half taken on its own would be worth the money, doubling that as they do is just amazing. It gets me a little excited just thinking about it, so I can just imagine the seizures it will induce on the true Manowar faithful (I personally feel like I'm the ONLY luke-warm Manowar fan on the planet, everyone else either loves them or hates them).
First disc up is Hell on Earth Part II, obviously a sequel to Hell on Earth Part I. I won't be much help in the realm of comparison. Although I have seen the first installment, I must admit it was usually on while I was partying (or 'drinking in a corner by myself and muttering'. You pick), so I only have vague memories of it. This new disc shows the Hell On Stage Tour from 1998, and seems to center more on the live performance itself than the last installment did, which I remember having ample behind the scenes material. There is some additional recording and live footage on the bonus features, as well as a short segment called "Cutting Room Floor" which shows some random clips from the road.
Equally impressive is Blood in Brazil, which, on top of the Monsters of Rock performance, has special features that include an interview with fan Vincent Ceccolini (Metal Maniacs) as well as an interview with the engineers Jeff Hair and John Stillwell. I wasn't really interested in these last two, but tech guys might enjoy it.
Both performances are pretty cool. It's a little strange seeing metal produced to such a degree in a live setting. The video is flawless and the sound is immaculate. The performance itself can be seen as hit or miss. Mistakes are definitely made, and execution sometimes falters, but it all lends itself to the live aspect of it all. It makes it a lot easier to imagine yourself there.
Bottom line is that this is an impressive DVD by any standards, but to the Manowar fan it is a godsend. I'd tell them all to pick it up if I didn't think they all already had it. One word review: Impressive.
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