Metalmania 2007 DVD Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 06.04.2008
Metalmania is a yearly festival held in Central Europe. The 2007 edition of Metalmania is now on DVD, with performances by Sepultura, Testament, Vital Remains, Paradise Lost, and many other metal bands. Does the DVD do a good job of condensing a day long festival?
The Track Listing
DVD
01. Korpiklaani - Tuli Kokko
02. Korpiklaani- Pellonpekko
03. Korpiklaani - Wooden Pints
04. Crystal Abyss - Darkness Awakes
05. Darzamat - Labyrinth of Anxiety
06. Darzamat - The Burning Times
07. Zyklon - Underdog
08. Zyklon - Wrenched
09. Zyklon- Psyklon Aeon
10. Vital Remains - Intro - Let the Killing Begin
11. Vital Remains - Dechristianize
12. Vital Remains - Infidel
13. Entombed- When In Sodom
14. Entombed- Carnage
15. Entombed- Revel In Flesh
16. Destruction - Nailed to the Cross
17. Destruction- Total Disaster
18. Destruction – Bestial Invasion
19. Blaze Bayley - Alive
20. Blaze Bayley- Kill & Destroy
21. Blaze Bayley - Sign of the Cross
22. Sepultura - Convicted in Life
23. Sepultura - False
24. Sepultura - Dead Embryonic Cells
25. Paradise Lost - Say Just Words
26. Testament - The Preacher
27. Testament - The New Order
28. Testament - The Haunting
29. Testament - Electric Crown
30. Testament - D.N.R.
CD
01. Carnal - My Salvation
02. Horrorscope - Killers Breeding
03. TYR - Brother's Bane
04. Witchking- Flame of Udun
05. Sphere - Next Morning's Mass
06. Deivos - Blackness Incarnate
07. Benediction - Suicide Rebellion
08. Forever Will Burn - It Ends in Darkness
09. Root - And They Are Silent
10. Ciryam - Lowcy Swiatla
11. WU-HAE – Pacan
The Review
Metalmania is a yearly festival in Central Europe, recently being held in Katowice, Poland, that showcases big name heavy metal bands, as well as local talent. The festival has been going strong for over twenty years, with no signs of slowing down. Metalmania 2007 took place last March 24th, with Testament being the headlining band, with other notable metal bands such as Paradise Lost, Vital Remains, and Sepultura providing support. All together, there were over 20 bands on display during the festival. “Metalmania 2007” showcases the highlights of the day long festival, and while it isn’t a perfect representation of the festival, the DVD has its bright spots.
The highlights of the DVD include the absolute randomness of Korpiklaani’s set, which included an accordion solo at one point, a microphone pole with deer antlers on it, and a song dedicated to beer. I had never heard of this band before and I laughed my ass off and banged my head at the same time, not an easy task to do. Vital Remains also kicked my ass, with vocalist Damien Boynton providing another solid laugh session with his “evil” face, which looked like he just smelled shit on stage. Testament’s set was great as well, with lead guitarist Alex Skolnick playing it up to the crowd and vocalist Chuck Billy playing air guitar like a mad man as he switched off from a throaty growl to a bellowing yell.
Each band gets 1-3 songs on the DVD, with Testament getting 5 songs. This is definitely a concert filled with variety, as you get everything from straight up 80’s sounding heavy metal to death metal to thrash metal to even a little Viking metal for good measure. There’s something for everybody…well, almost something for everybody.
Doom metal is the only genre that is missing on the DVD. For those unaware, My Dying Bride was a part of the festival in 2007. So where are they on the DVD? They are the only main stage band that isn’t on the DVD. It’s a strange omission to be sure. The only reason I could think of is the lack of space on the DVD or legal issues with the band. I would have rather had them on instead of a generic symphonic black metal band like Crystal Abyss.
Most of the bands’ songs translated well to a live stage. However, even after seeing live videos of Sepultura’s recent tour, it is still strange to see classic Sepultura songs done with one guitar. While Andreas Kisser is more than capable to handle the rhythm and lead guitar in live shows, it isn’t the same. Also, Paradise Lost only gets one track on the DVD, which is a real disappointment. Hell, their interview on the DVD is longer than their “set.”
The extras on the DVD are slim, but competent. Each of the main stage bands get an interview feature, which lasts between 4-8 minutes. Most of them are standard fare, with basic questions (“How do you feel about this or that?” “Are you excited to be playing the festival?”). The only interviews that stood out to me was Crystal Abyss, because of the fact that they did the interview in face paint and praised Satan for their motivation, and Testament, as guitarist Skolnick gave a more revealing interview than I expected. There are photos, band info, and a feature that displays the bands that have been on each Metalmania since its beginning. Overall, a decent collection, but the live performances are the real draw here.
“Metalmania 2007” comes with a CD as well, which has one studio track from the 11 bands that were on the side stage. The bands range in quality, with Witchking, Carnal, Horrorscope, and Benediction standing out. The other bands were decent, but the inclusion of Forever Will Burn and WU-HAE, both metalcore bands, seems out of place among the death, thrash, and doom metal on display throughout the rest of the CD and the DVD. The CD is a decent sampler of a different collection of bands from the side stage.
“Metalmania 2007” is a decent collection of live performances throughout the day-long festival. The crowd was lively, the audio and video is good, and the performances were solid. The lack of My Dying Bride is disappointing, as is the one song from Paradise Lost. However, the DVD is worth getting if you are looking for a smattering of different metal genres and you enjoy a good head banging from time to time.
The 411: "Metalmania 2007" brings the noise and will kick your ass for its over two hour running length. While My Dying Bride is missing, and some bands could have benefited from more songs on the DVD, the DVD does a competent job of condensing a whole day of music into two hours. The extras aren't great, but the extra CD of bands on the side stage is a welcome addition to the live package.
