Artist: Mayhem
Label: Season of Mist
Release Date: 6/19/02
Rating: 3 Skulls
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Title: Live in Marseilles (DVD) Artist: Mayhem Label: Season of Mist Release Date: 6/19/02
Rating: 3 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Requiem (9/24/02):
I have a question. Would Mayhem be as big as they are today without all of the controversy surrounding Euronomous' death? Most likely not. Needless to say, they are one of the most popular and respected bands in the black metal genre today. Do they deserve all the hype? Maybe not as much as they have received, but there's no doubt that they adequately destroy most of their followers that have attempted to make an impact in black metal. They have a very technical and strange layout to their riffs and song structures, which must be admired. And they have one of the most well known of metal drummers, Hellhammer. Live in Marseille is the band's first and only DVD, and to die hard fans it'll probably prove to be somewhat worthwhile.I've never been too fond of most black metal as a whole, never mind what Mayhem is doing. Mayhem's sound is a bit too discordant and schizophrenic sounding for my liking in general. However this DVD, as most do, helped me to gain a bit more respect for their technical abilities and performance as a live band. The video footage is right on the money with many different camera angles and a crystal clear, up front representation of what the band is live. The audio side of things is questionable, mainly with the drum sound. Hellhammer's sound is so triggered that it barely sounds like he is actually playing real drums. A series of variously pitched clicks is not my idea of what a drum kit should sound like. I understand that a lot of metal bands use triggers on the kick drum, but here the whole kit makes me feel like I'm in Typing 101 class all over again.
The band tears through 16 tracks that span their catalogue, and throughout the set, frontman Maniac entertains by maiming himself with dull barbed wire and stabbing a pig's head. All in all, what you'd expect from a band of this caliber, but in the end, a bit silly. Extra footage includes an interview with each member of the band, as well as some backstage footage of Maniac cutting a girl's arm. There is also a slideshow that is mainly comprised of Maniac, the pig's head, and barbed wire; the images most of us get in our head when we think of Mayhem live. My final synopsis: it could be worse, but as a whole it'll cater more to those who have followed the band for some time. Mayhem fans will probably have no gripes because in terms of live footage it is leaps and bounds better than a bootleg, and the bonus material is better than nothing. If you have a soft spot for pigs though, stay clear.
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