Showing posts with label megadeth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label megadeth. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live (2010) Review

Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live  (2010)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
First off, this was awesome!!!! I remember seeing these songs performed during the "Clash of the Titans" tour back in the 90s, and I'm glad Mustaine chose to do this album in its entirety. Not too many heavy metal albums rank next to this one, and I rank this album as one of the greatest of all time.
The musicianship is second to none. I would go so far as to say this is the best Megadeth lineup, as I think Shawn Drover is the best drummer Dave has played with in a long time (Gar Samuelson was probably the best). He is a solid drummer who can play the all the material. He has the chops and style. Chris Broderick is massive on the guitar. He really can move over that fret board and seems like a natural for all the parts. Personally I like to hear all the original solos played as they were originally written, but I don't mind when someone like Broderick adds his own flare because after hearing his work on "Endgame" I think to myself, "What would he have done with 'Rust In Peace?' Not dissing Marty, just giving respect to Chris.
I gave this 4 stars because of a few short comings. Take my following criticism more like suggestions for the future as I am really a diehard fan of Megadeth, and have been for decades (but I know Dave and Megadeth management will never see this review).
1) The vocals were overdubbed, and it is easy to see. My question is, "why?" Mix as you will, but let the true live experience come full force. The music sounded great, I'm sure the vocals sounded just as good. I have this problem with many live DVDs; don't funk with the mix so much.
2) Backstage footage was skimpy. This would have been a great opportunity to really go behind he scenes and see how the band sets up, check out the equipment, and do some solid up close interviews, especially with the other band members. Also, show some footage of the tour preparation rehearsals when the band was first playing all of "Rust In Peace" in a rehearsal studio (and when Ellefson just came back). The DVD creators could have even re-visted footage from "The Clash of the Titans," and do a retrospective kind of thing. That would have been awesome!! A nice biography would have been great, tracing the history of Megadeth up till now (something quick and creative). And last for this point, fan interviews. The screaming fans showed the energy and excitement, but do something more refined to really get the feel of the fans. Some of those fans came a long way. I would had loved to had heard their stories about Megadeth a bit more in depth. So much more could have been done, and it would have been worth the price hike. I felt the creativity with the DVD was lacking.
And 3) Again, with the bonus footage. I'm a bass player, and I love the drums, and the guitar work on "Rust In Peace" is genre breaking and defining, so why aren't there performance isolation angle options? This would have been great for the Blu-Ray DVD (as all this extra footage would need the space). Show the parts being played live, up close and personal. Dave Mustaine once said in an interview, where he was showcasing his signature Marshall stack, that the best way to learn a guitar part is to watch the actual musician play it (if you want to learn it note for note). This would have been a great opportunity for that to come true. But the bonus material really doesn't hold up to the what other bands produce. I think Megadeth could have taken a lesson from Dream Theater (actually Mike Portnoy) in this regard, and pack the DVD with every possible thing you could imagine, and sell the hell out of it. Mike Portnoy could have lent Shawn Drover his drumcam(s), so we could see his technique, etc. I would have like to see those drum parts, like on "5 Magics" and "Rust In Peace...Polaris." Again, the package could have been for the Blu-Ray only, or make it multiple DVDs, whatever, just give me more. I would have paid the price.
I'm obviously thinking with a fans mind, and maybe some of what I said could not have happened logistically or financially, but I think if minds and the powers that be had sat down and really thought out this process, and looked outside the box to give the fans the ultimate experience then more stuff could have been packed in to the DVD. In the end, the performance was awesome!!!! And for what the DVD offers, the price is right, but it could have been so much more.
Peace,
Fan from 'Back in the day'

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In March of 2010 Megadeth hit the road in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their classic 1990 album, Rust In Peace. The show was filmed on the last night of the tour at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Megadeth was formed in 1983. The band played Rust In Peace in its entirety, including all-time classics Holy Wars...The Punishment Due and Hangar 18. The set list also featured several other fan favorites, including Trust, Symphony Of Destruction and Peace Sells.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax: The Big 4 - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (2010) Review

Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax: The Big 4 - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria  (2010)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is a review for the blu-ray 2 disc set. On the first disc you get Anthrax, followed by Megadeth and then Slayer's set. On the second disc you get the Metallica set and the bonus features. I will break down the setlists at the bottom of the review.
First the sound is amazing in my opinion, as is the picture. I thought the overall mix on all four sets was really good. I've read the one review about Mustaine's vocals, I didn't notice it, so can't really comment on whether it has or hasn't been remixed. It wasn't a concern for me personally.
The bonus features include a behind the sccenes documentary which includes interviews and a peak at the Am I Evil? rehearsal backstage which is just good fun. I like back stage stuff and interviews so I dig that extra feature.
So for the bulk features of this "product" I give it five stars, good picture, good sound, bonus features are nice added touch. I couldnt really find a reason to deduct any stars based on the product. The camera shots are typical concert fodder, close stage center, back stage left, over the crowd, close up floating over crowd and behind the band looks. I appreciate the traditional camera shots, I am not really a fan of the waving, roving camera techniques where you flashy, quick looks and can't follow anything. I like to get long shots of the guitar when there are solos etc. So , I was happy with the way this was shot.
Now for my personal opinions. I was very happy with the setlists for Megadeth and Metallica. Megadeth didn't waste time chatting, they went from song to song and really delivered. I've seen Megadeth live many times and they are always incredible, this is no exception, what really got me going for the Megadeth set was the guitar, those riffs are just so amazing, and Chris Broderick is an amazing addition to this lineup. His live performances with Nevermore were astounding and when he joined Megadeth I wondered if it would be enough for a guitarist of his caliber. Clearly it is, he is having a blast.
I was unhappy with Slayer's setlist. I have seen Slayer live and they are really worth seeing. Songs like World Painted Blood, Jihad, Hate Worldwide, Beauty Through Order would have been better replaced with Dead Skin Mask (I can't believe they didn't play this one), Expendable Youth, Die by the Sword. Too bad, but again, this is just my preference. I really recommend the double live CD Decade of Aggression. It's an amazing set of songs.Metallica setlist mirrors their previous blu-ray release. I think it's a solid set of songs and they sounded very good, the mix is great. This is when you see all the guys coming together and perform together and that is alot of fun. I've seen Metallica live every tour since 1986 and I can say this past tour has had some great setlists. I could have done without N.E.M., but hey the crowd loved it. If you have any questions I'll try to answer them.
((***Side ponder*** I wondered who decided what order the bands should perform in? I found it curious to have Megadeth perform before Slayer as they are more widely known.))
If you dig all four, or one or two of these bands, this is worth owning and was alot of fun to watch.
Anthrax
Caught in a Mosh
Got the Time
Madhouse
Be All, End All
Antisocial
Indians/Heaven and Hell
Medusa
Only
Metal Thrashing Mad
I Am The Law
Megadeth
Holy Wars
Hangar 18
Wake Up Dead
Head Crusher
In My Darkest Hour
Skin O My Teeth
A Tout Le Monde
Hook in Mouth
Trust
Sweating Bullets
Symphony of Destruction
Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise
Slayer
World Painted Blood
Jihad
War Ensemble
Hate Worldwide
Seasons in the Abyss
Angel of Death
Beauty Through Order
Disciple
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
South of Heaven
Raining Blood
Metallica
Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fuel
Harvester of Sorrow
Fade to Black
That Was Just Your Life
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home
All Nightmare Long
One
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Am I Evil?
Hit the Lights
Seek and Destroy

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When the 'Big Four,' Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax shared a stage together on June 22nd, 2010, in Sofia, Bulgaria, it was the moment their fans had waited decades for. That monumental show was beamed live into over 1000 theaters worldwide via satellite in a special HD cinematic event. On November 2nd, 2010, this legendary concert will be available on DVD and Blu-ray through Warner Bros. Records. 'The Big Four Live From Sofia' includes full shows from all four bands on a two-disc set as well as behind the scenes and interview footage. In addition to the two DVD set and the corresponding Blu-ray, there will be a limited edition 'Super Deluxe' Box Set including the 2 DVD set, five CD's with ALL 5 HOURS of music, a 24 page booklet, a two-sided poster, photos of each band, and a collectable Big 4 guitar pick. These four acts broke out of the underground thrash movement in the 1980's to dominate the metal world, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. Despite huge demand, these musical giants had never shared the same stage. The legendary June 22nd, 2010, concert from the tour's stop of the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria aired the same day in 79 movie theaters in the U.K, over 450 theaters in over 140 markets in the US, as well as being beamed into theaters in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. In December 2009, the bands announced that they would be joining forces to take part in the traveling Sonisphere Festival for only 7 shows across Europe. This one-time only event, from the Sofia show, made it possible for fans far and wide to participate in what otherwise was a very limited run of dates. Lars Ulrich of Metallica says of this historic show, 'Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's Big Four would not only still be around, be more popular than ever, playing shows together at stadiums all over Europe, and on top of that, coming to a movie theater near you in High Definition (for better or worse??!!). Bring it on!' Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian says, 'Damn, as if this Big 4 tour wasn't exciting enough, now we get to be on the big screen worldwide! Metal at the movies, two big horns up! It is unbelievably gratifying that this means so much to the metal community around the globe. Get your tix, grab some popcorn and get ready to bang your head!' Declares Slayer's Kerry King, 'I can't believe someone didn't make this happen 15 years ago! The fans finally get what they want. I think it's awesome!' Says Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, 'The magnitude of this event hasn't really sunk in yet, and I am thrilled to know that people around the planet will be able to walk into a movie theatre and experience the greatest line up of Heavy Metal in the history of the world!'

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