Category: DVD Reviews
Black Stone Cherry – ‘Live From The Royal Albert Hall… Y’All’ (Mascot Records)
David O’Neill has been a fan of Chris, Ben, John Fred and Jon since he saw then support Alter Bridge back in 2011. His ‘Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’ T shirt has been to almost as many BSC concerts as he has, but like Jon Lahon it sadly won’t make any more. Never mind, he has a few others… Having seen the Cardiff leg of this tour, he was always going to get the chance to review this concert video.
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The Ocean – Phanezoroic I/Phanozeric II – 26 November 2021 (live streams)
Anyone who’s spent any reasonable amount of time in Jase W’s general vicinity will know that he is a huge fan of The Ocean, a truly interesting band hailing from Berlin, Germany, known for their extended length songs across several albums, each with their own narrative. So, imagine his surprise when he got an email dropped into his inbox asking if he wanted to review their ‘Phanerozoic’ live stream; there was not a chance in hell he’d pass up the chance to sit and listen to The Ocean for nearly two hours and gush about it…
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Alex Henry Foster – ‘Standing Under Bright Lights’ (Hopeful Tragedy Records)
Lockdowns and the effects of the global pandemic have forced artists to look upon creative output in ways maybe differently than they had either previously planned. DJ Astrocreep first encountered Alex Henry Foster in a live setting, taking to a much smaller stage than the one afforded him in this live production, in a support slot and, while the big lad often can find himself ambivalent about live albums, it was the medium he is actually more knowledgable of him in. Bearing this in mind, he decided that watching the video of the performance where he is the master of the stage and has the ability to shape it to his own performance and such was the least respect he deserved.
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Blue Öyster Cult – ‘A Long Day’s Night’/‘Live At Rock Of Ages Festival 2016’ (Frontiers)
2020 has certainly been a bumper year for Blue Öyster Cult releases. In fact it’s quite remarkable how many have been released by Frontiers this year. Four live CD/DVD albums – ‘Hard Rock Live Cleveland 2014’, ‘iHeart Radio Theater N.Y.C. 2012’, ‘40th Anniversary – Agents Of Fortune – 2016’ and ‘45th Anniversary Live In London’, plus reissues of the ‘Heaven Forbid’ and ‘Curse Of The Hidden Mirror’ albums all preceded the small matter of a great brand new studio album ‘The Symbol Remains’, the first from BÖC since the ‘Hidden Mirror’ album in 2001. But they’re not finished there, as December sees two more live CD/DVD releases – a reissue of ‘A Long Day’s Night’, which originally dates back to 2002, plus the brand new ‘Live At Rock Of Ages Festival 2016’. When you add to that the recently released Albert Bouchard ‘Re-Imaginos’ album, although that wasn’t on Frontiers (and don’t forget the special Record Store Day release – Ed), you could say Blue Öyster Cult fans have never had it so good…
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Motörhead – ‘Ace Of Spades’ 40th Anniversary Box Set (BMG)
In the entire annals of hard rock and heavy metal, there are but a handful of albums which truly deserve the description “iconic”. One of them, most undoubtedly, is ‘Ace Of Spades’. As the press release which accompanies this massive, and equally deservedly so, box set treatment to mark it’s 40th anniversary states, ‘Ace Of Spades’ was nothing short of a gamechanger for all forms of hard rock. Like lightning in a bottle, it perfectly captured everything great about hard rock, heavy metal, and punk at the time, amped it all up to 11, and came racing out of the gates at what felt like a million miles an hour, pushing at every musical boundary. Just like its three creators, nothing was harder, nothing was faster – and certainly nothing was louder than Motörhead and the hand they dealt with this opus magnus, which still stands the test of time to this very day as one of THE defining moments in not just the history of heavy metal but that of rock ‘n’ roll as a whole…
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Visions of Atlantis – ‘A Symphonic Journey to Remember’ (Napalm Records)
There’s been a bit of a string of high-profile live album releases in recent weeks which has been a bit of a bittersweet experience. While it’s great to be able to relive the live experience, it sure does make you long for that feeling of being back amongst the crowd. But alas, for now this is all we’ve got so we’d better make the most of it! This live release from Visions of Atlantis promises to be something a little bit special as well, so Jonny B guessed he’d better let himself get taken along with this “Journey to Remember”…
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Biff Byford – ‘School Of Hard Knocks’ (Silver Lining Music)
When an iconic frontman from an iconic band releases their first ever solo album – and does so more than four decades into their career fronting said band – it is perhaps fair to say that the prospect of same could be approached with equal amounts of anticipation and trepidation. The canon of British heavy metal is littered with stories of varied success. Paul Di’Anno has spent his time since leaving Iron Maiden living on the legacy of the two albums he recorded with them, while Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson both produced some very dodgy stuff, to say the least. In fact, it could be argued that only Ozzy and Robert Plant have flourished by carving their own paths outside of the bands with which they made their respective names… which brings us neatly to this first ever solo offering from one of the most recognizable voices, never mind dominant forces, on the ÜK metal scene…
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Dead-End Drive-In – ‘Dog Eat Dog: All Boro Kings Live’ (Metalville)
Formed when Mucky Pup bassist Dave Neabore and guitarist Sean Kilkenny quit to find an avenue for songs they had been writing but which didn’t find the band’s style, New Jersey’s Dog Eat Dog are regarded as one of the pioneers of the hardcore punk/hip hop/rap/ska crossover style. They quickly hit their stride in 1994 with the release of their debut album, ‘All Boro Kings’, which not only saw them become one of the first bands to feature saxophone as a prominent element of their sound but also spawned them three moderately successful singles, one of which ‘No Fronts’ was featured on the legendary ‘Beavis And Butthead’ cartoon series.
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