DISMEMBER „Under Bloodred Skies DVD”

Music: Death Metal
Country: Sweden
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/dismemberofficial
Cool Songs: Life Another Shape of Sorrow, Skin Her Alive, Dismembered

One of the creators of Swedish death metal, DISMEMBER, returns with its second visual offering Under Bloodred Skies. The two-disc DVD contains a concert filmed at Party San Open Air festival in Germany, a documentary and bonus footage. The two-disc presentation is similar to the groups first DVD Live Blasphemies, but instead of focusing on the bands career during the documentary, the Under Bloodred Skies documentary looks at events after 2004, thus bridging the time gap between the two documentaries.

The first disc contains a concert shot at Party San Open Air Festival 2008. Multiple camera angles, vivid lighting, a good sound system and a massive crowd ensured the perfect setting for filming. Also, this concert seems special for fans of the groups debut album Like An Everflowing Stream. Here, DISMEMBER plays this classic album in its entirety.

While Like An Everflowing Stream is truly a great album, many would place it as one of the best death metal albums ever, DISMEMBER has released many other albums containing special tunes. While the group includes three tracks from their most recent, self-titled affairDeath Conquers All, Under a Bloodred Sky and Dark Depthsthey exclude material from recent efforts Where Iron Crosses Grow and The God that Never Was. However, their inclusion of the oft-forgotten Life-Another Shape of Sorrow from the Massive Killing Capacity album was a welcome surprise.

If the concert portion of the DVD just doesnt satisfy your DISMEMBER fix, the documentary offers a few songs not included on the Party Sans set. Taken from the Brutal Assault Festival in 2007, Tragedy of the Faithfulone of the better tracks from the album Where Iron Crosses Growis a welcomed addition to the second disc. Additionally, throughout the documentary the band uses Dreaming in Red for soundtrack purposes, and even performs part of it live, although in the wrong key, which the band makes painfully clear.

Another funny part during the bonus footages shows DISMEMBER play the NIHILIST track Supposed to Rot. The band points out they had little rehearsal time, and Matti Kärkis gibberish-growled vocals convey this lack of practice. Another funny scene depicts members of DISMEMBER back stage during a festival tossing around massive balloons. One of the balloons pops and the group gets a scolding from Die Apokalyptischen Reiter for messing around with their stage props.

DISMEMBERs second CD doesnt contain as diverse a set list as its first DVD, nor is the footage as compelling as the band history segment from the first disc. Camera footage from the Masters of Death tour featuring GRAVE, DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED and UNLEASHED was excellent, though, and some parts were funny, although DISMEMBER mostly just acted like fools. (Why do bands have to act stupid just because a camera is on them?) Live Blasphemies is the better buy, but any DISMEMBER fans will find Bloodred Skies a welcomed addition to their video vault.

Metal Centre's spyOFgod posted photos from the same San Party show in this review. To view these pictures, head over to our GALLERY.

note: 8/10

Tracklist

The two-disc set includes footage of two separate concerts (one in the Netherlands and the other at last year's Party.San Open Air festival, which was
held in Bad Berka, Germany) plus tons of backstage material and bonus features.

Disc 1
1.Stillborn Ways
2.Death Conquers All
3.Skinfather
4.Dark Depths
5.Life Another Shape of Sorrow
6.Forged With Hate
7.Under a Bloodred Sky
8.Override of the Overture
9.Soon to be Dead
10.Bleed for Me
11.And so is Life
12.Dismembered
13.Skin Her Alive
14.Sickening Art
15.In Deaths Sleep

Disc 2
1.Death Metal & More Mental Illnes (behind the scenes documentary)
Total playing time 01:10:07

Line-up

Matti Kärki – Vocals
David Blomqvist – Guitars
Martin Persson – Guitars
Tobias Christiansson – Bass
Thomas Daun – Drums