At the Gates
The Flames Of the End (DVD)
Wydane przez Earache RecordsRok wydania Kraj SwedenNapisał Wouter8
Long overdue, but finally it is here. "The Flames Of the End" is the complete triple DVD package of these legendary Swedish death metallers' succesfull 2007-2008 reunion tour. The first disc contains the entire history of the band in the form of the +2 hour documentary "Under A Serpent Sun – The Story Of At the Gates". It was shot, edited and directed by Anders Björler. It details the band's humble beginnings as horror – and cheap beer obsessed youths, their first steps into the underground, leading into their first demo recordings and the forming of the imminent pre-At the Gates acts Grotesque and Liers in Wait. It's demystifying to see how much of the Swedish death metal underground were just a number of close friends who hung out together and happened to write groundbreaking music in their own right at the same time. Members of bands as Carnage, Dark Tranquillity, Dismember, Grave, In Flames, Nihilist, Unleashed, Disfear, No Security appear through the documentary, as well as producers Tomas Skogsberg (Sunlight Studio) and Fredrik Nordström (Dream Evil, Fredman Studio). The inside stories, anecdotes and events surrounding the recordings of At the Gates' early classic albums is unnerving to see. Besides that, it also includes a number of deleted scenes and the band's three official music videos ('The Burning Darkness', 'Terminal Spirit Disease' and 'Blinded by Fear'). The second disc "Purgatory Unleashed – Live at Wacken" captures the band's energetic 75 minute set at Wacken 2008. This part is (as expected) available in separate DVD as well as CD format, this triple disc only contains the visual counterpart of the recordings. The lengthy set forms a good cross-section of At the Gates' lauded backcatalogue. "Slaughter Of the Soul" (arguably the band's most popular, but also musically least satisfying, album) is played in its entirety with one or two tracks from each of the band's earlier albums. It's great to see the timeless material of "The Red In the Sky Is Ours", "With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness" and "Terminal Spirit Disease" performed to utmost perfection in the ideal live setting that is Wacken. Thomas 'Tompa' Lindberg is a beast on-stage and few can match his snarling intensity, let alone surpass it. In a gesture to old school fanatics At the Gates even play the fantastic 'All Life Ends' off their "Gardens Of Grief" EP. The set was shot by ICS / 24/7 and the image – and sound quality are nothing short of spectacular. The third and final disc is called "Only the Dead Are Smiling" and compiles 26 rare and archived live performances of the band playing in locations around the globe from 1991-2008. All this is housed in a noble deluxe six-panel DVD digipak with a formidable 40-page colour booklet. Understandably, Earache Records is milking for all this band is worth, as there's also a collector's box set for the die-hard fanatic, which includes this package, LPs for the Wacken show, a patch, poster, three Dunlop plectrums, a logo belt buckle and a logo key ring. "The Flames Of the End" is by all means the quintessiantial At the Gates DVD release.
www.earache.com
