When I first watched the preview for Alive, I felt like it would definitely be a game-changer.  Disconnected and sporadic, it showed a strobe-lit and slow-motion shot of Tomas Haake drumming and Jens Kidman headbanging as their music rolled on underneath.  The clip really displayed the potential of how an expertly crafted and fresh combination of Meshuggah’s music with an intense video presentation could create a live DVD experience as unique as the band.  Unfortunately, the preview was just a teaser, and Meshuggah chose the safe route and made an impressive, yet overall dull DVD.

Like most modern concert DVDs, the camera work and audio are all crystal clear on Alive.  But, this high-quality capture is almost a negative because of the band’s ultra-tight live sound and improv-free set.  It’s a subjective issue, but you basically get the album version of these songs set into motion with none of the differences that can make live albums a bit more dynamic and fun.  The setlist is a bit heavy on Nothing songs, and while this is by no means a bad thing, since this is their first official live release, I would’ve liked more of a career retrospective and hear some stuff from Destroy Erase Improve.  This was filmed during the ObZen tour, but since it combines video from different nights, there’s really no reason why they couldn’t have added some songs to the set for certain shows and then cherry-picked a list that was representative of the band’s history.  The crowd at these shows also seems lifeless.  Maybe because much of it is filmed in Japan and Canada, but the guys in Meshuggah need to take a cue from Iron Maiden and see how an insane, European crowd can bring new life to a live recording.

There are many minor gripes with the overall DVD package that reek of laziness and haste.  First is the name; Alive.  Say what you want about KISS and how they’re cheesy, corporate shills and/or massive egomaniacs, but for live concert recordings, they own the title “Alive“.  Anthrax and Snot tried to use this title also, and everyone says the same thing: “I’m sure they’re going to get a call from Gene Simmons’ lawyer”.  C’mon guys, there wasn’t any other titles out there that would’ve captured the essence of the live show?  Also, the cover art is laughably bad, from the poor Photo-shopping, to the blatant ripoff of the Alien movie poster.  Seriously???  The band that has been so creatively involved in their mindfuck album art is using some graphic-design, student project as their first DVD cover?  They must’ve figured that it was going to be torrented all over the web anyway, so why bother sinking a bunch of dough into an original statement for the shelves at Best Buy.

Another thing that irritated me and ruined the “concert experience” of the DVD were the profile segments that interrupted the flow of the setlist.  Some concert DVDs do this and really for the life of me I don’t understand why.  Lamb of God’s Killadelphia, and Sepultura’s Under Seige: Live in Barcelona are two shining examples of incredible concerts that are marred by constant interruptions.  Sepultura’s concert was even worse because I had that on VHS tape, and you either had to sit through Paulo Jr. and Max talking in broken English about “growing up metal” in Brazil, or expertly time your fast-forwarding so as not to clip the first notes of Inner Self.  It’s interesting to follow the band and listen to their touring stories, but if you’re going to film these snippets, compile them in a way that makes sense and make it a bonus documentary at the end of the concert.  Opeth did this with Lamentations and it’s perfect.  You can watch either an awesome concert straight through or an awesome documentary and nothing is awkwardly crammed together.

Meshuggah’s Alive isn’t a bad DVD, but it is an ordinary one.  All the promise I saw in that preview became a missed opportunity and the fantastic performances are lost within many cut corners as far as package design, overall editing and presentation.  Maybe next time, but until then, I’ll stick to the albums.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “I promise my animated Melissa DVD will feature more than this”

Justin’s Review:

Rather than bore you with a written review, I present my DVD live blogging session… “Thoughts Pulled at Random” (wocka wocka)

• This DVD cover walks the fine line between clever and stupid.
• Nuclear Blast probably spent a lot of money on their promotional intro clip… not worth it.
• I realize this is the same clip from the trailer, but this slow-motion footage is amazing.
• No surprise here… this kicks the shit out of that hyper-edited crap they released on the Nothing reissue.
• What’s up with the pixelization every time there’s a full-color wash on screen?
• Jesus… Japan has a lot of Meshuggah fans.
• The “full-body-bang” still cracks me up.
• Meshuggah really need to do something different with their stage setup… I’m thinking levels.
• Getting tired of Jens Kidman’s “creepy face” already.
• This whole DVD should’ve been in B&W… would’ve been way cooler.
• What? No one knows how “I” goes?
• The point of the split-screen is sort of lost when you’re showing the same dude on both sides.
• The mix is pretty good actually.
• These vignettes are more interesting than the concert footage itself.
• Flashing lights get annoying after awhile… just turn all the lights on and be done with it.
• Need more “drummer cam”!
• Seriously… why do people bother taking camera phone photos at concerts?
• When did Larry Charles start doing live sound?
• Ahhhh… Tomas Haake’s cousin is their lighting guy… that explains that.
• The snare sound at the beginning of Combustion is ridiculous.
• Why do metal frontmen insist on calling their audience “fuckers”?
• You call that “Bonus Footage”? Give me a break.
• Meh.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Not bad for your first attempt, but maybe you should try calling Darren Aronofsky to direct the next one.”

Meshuggah – “Alive” Trailer

Chris’ Review:

Although I can’t count myself among them, I have to think that this extensive video package is a treat for hardcore Cannibal Corpse fans. For the casual fan or uninitiated the documentary is entertaining, but three hours of interviews covering all things Cannibal Corpse is perhaps more than you need.

It may be hard to believe that the three-hour documentary, narrated entirely by interviews of dozens of people, leaves any stone unturned but I thought some subjects may have been a little light while many subjects were over detailed. For example, as legitimate of musicians as the fine young Cannibals were, I have to think much of the band’s early notoriety was owed to their offensive album covers and lyrics. Original singer and lyricist Chris Barnes gets credit for setting the standard for death metal gore, and it was even he alone who sought comic book artist Vince Locke to draw the dead babies and zombie porn record covers for their first three albums. These details were explained in the movie but no one, not even the execs at Metal Blade, admitted that these factors defined Cannibal Corpse much more than their ‘death metal songwriting.’ It becomes a cliche how “focused” the band was on “songwriting” for every album cycle, and how the production was even “more brutal” than the last album.

Vain as the film may be, the point is effectively made that Cannibal Corpse is a band with a work ethic and talent that has kept them relevant in the genre they helped create.

But their self unawareness persists: did anybody out there actually care that Cannibal Corpse was the band in the background on some scene in Ace Ventura? This is played up in the documentary like proof that Cannibal Corpse made it to the big time. For me, being the band that stands in when the script calls for ‘heavy metal band’ is not a notable achievement.

On the other hand, many important topics were covered: Credit to the band and the producers for not glossing over personal issues between the many former members of the band, while still keeping the details personal; the question of why so many death metal bands came from Florida was approached, if not answered; the fact that multiple members of Cannibal Corpse were former members of Monstrosity is addressed; Ice-T was interviewed. A detailed family tree of the late 1980’s death metal scene in Buffalo, New York was missing from my life, but that void has been filled. Actually the start of the documentary struck me as a good description of how any scene happened in the era just before websites, e-mail, and file sharing. Let’s just say there was a lot of copy machines, cassette tapes, and driving involved.

Again, the target audience for this material is obviously those who can’t get enough Cannibal Corpse, and whether it’s their techniques for making home movies or a guided tour of every place they ever practiced, the Centuries of Torment documentary delivers. Add four more hours of live concert footage, music videos, and extra interviews, and you’ve got quite a weighty package of death and gore.

Chris’ Rating:

King says: “I actually have a Hammer Smashed Face, that’s why I’m always wearing this shit.”

Justin’s Review:

Whether you’re a veteran hesher who’s still rocking out to that Butchered at Birth tape stuck in the cassette deck of your Z28, or his MySpace-haired-Job-for-a-Cowboy-loving-douche-bag kid… this DVD is for you.

I think it’s safe to say, if you’re a fan of metal… this DVD is for you.

Hell… if you’re a fan of DVDs… this DVD is for you.

In fact, I think I’m going to e-mail my mom right now and tell her to add it to her Netflix Queue.

Put simply… Centuries of Torment sets the new standard for quality music DVDs. Going well beyond your run-of-the-mill, multi-camera live show (combined with stupid backstage antics that no one gives a shit about), Centuries of Torment is an in-depth look at one of the world’s most vile group of nice dudes.

Disc one features a three hour Biography-style documentary, highlighting Cannibal’s sordid career… a fascinating look at their transition from stereotypical 80s burnouts to death metal masters, and everything in between. While it’s true, as Chris points out, that this is “perhaps more than you need”… it has to be said that this IS Cannibal Corpse we’re talking about. Not exactly the types to sugar-coat anything, let-alone their 20-year retrospective. In addition to detailing the highs and (hilarious) lows of their career, the film delivers a candid look at every Cannibal album, injecting studio footage, a wealth of interviews, and a brutal trip down memory lane.

Disc two features your run-of-the-mill, multi-camera live show(s) (combined with the parent-filmed, grainy basement shows of yester-year), spanning their entire career. Topped off with a heaping dose of Cannibal music videos, this disc is worth a once-through.

Disc three (also known as “Bonus Chunks“) contains a multitude of featurettes, ranging from the dissecting of Cannibal’s album covers, to brutal stories from the road, to sick individual member profiles. Pretty much every gory detail the historical biography didn’t cover (and then some). If learning more about narcoleptic bus drivers, partying with Cher, and Corpsegrinder’s nasty t-shirt funk sound as hilariously entertaining to you as they do to me, Bonus Chunks is definitely worth your time.

Between Sam Dunn and the fine folks who bring you Centuries of Torment, I think it’s safe to say we have a lot to look forward to in the world of metal on film. Let’s just hope that other filmmakers look to it for inspiration, as Centuries of Torment has raised the bar pretty fucking high.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “This DVD got me so excited for Cannibal, I bought this “Skull Full of Maggots” collector’s cup off ebay!  It’s time for tea!”