Presentation
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digtal 2.0
Picture: 4:3 PAL
I can't put a finger on anything in the presentation department except the sound in one small segment. Overall the sound is clear, powerful and has that live feel that makes you feel like you're right in the middle of a Manowar concert. The good thing is that nothing seems to have been changed or overdubbed. These songs feel just like they are performed live.
The sound on the DVD is perfect. I have only noticed a small segment (A couple of minutes during Germany Part 3) where the sound was not up to the usual standards and that was not during one of the full performances.
The picture quality and camera work is brilliant and gives an experience of being right in the middle of the stage while the band is playing.
The menu's are ok, but nothing special. They are clear in their meaning and give the choice of skipping to a particular scene or song which is nice.
The contents
Fire and Blood is the new Manowar 2-Disc DVD release. The first Disc contains
Hell on Earth Part II and the second one
Blood in Brazil - The complete Monsters of Rock show from 1998. Each DVD includes several bonus features that I'll describe below
Hell On Earth Part II
Hell on Earth Part II continues where Part I left of and chronicles Manowar's journey on their Hell on Stage Tour in 1998. Where Part I contained lots of great glimpses of the band on the road and many funny moments off the stage, Part II focuses more on the live performances and the songs themselves. The fact that those songs from the Hell on Stage live album are many of my favourite Manowar songs and songs I never in my wildest dream imagined to one day hear being played live with good sound quality, makes me happy that the band chose this direction with the second Part of Hell on Earth. Some of the songs performed live and in full versions are:
- Blood of the Kings
- Bridge of Death
- Gyuana (Cult of the damned)
- Hatred
- March for revenge
- Master of the wind
- Dark Avenger
- Battle Hymn
Parts of other songs are performed in between, but the songs above have been captured as full live performances with several cameras, and the effect is astounding to say the least. The live feel is there and the magic of these songs is transmitted and enhanced by the brilliant performance of the band. I'm in total awe of how well these work live.
One out of many highlights include the performance of
Bridge of Death, which is in one word, Magical. The different cameras capture the performance perfectly. Eric Adams will never cease to amaze me and Joey is god-like, as are the notes he plays. This is the one song I had hoped would be on the DVD and here it finally is.
Another massive highlight is the performance of my favourite track from Into glory ride,
March for revenge. Wow, I'm in heaven here. I can't find the words to describe how perfect this performance is. Guitar, drums, bass and vocals all join together in a live performance of divine proportions.
Gyuana (Cult of the damned) is another nice surprise that is sooo powerful to hear and see being played live. The audience goes completely crazy in parts of this song. I can only ask: Why wasn't I there?
To hear and see all these old songs performed live with perfect sound and picture quality is something I've always dreamed about and the highest compliment I can give is that I have not been disappointed, not by any of the songs on Hell on Earth Part II. Of course I would always like to have heard
Secret of Steel, but I guess they are just saving that one for Part 3, eh?
To see Joey man-handling that bass song after song is really amazing. Some my favourite bass performances are in
Bridge of death and
Guyana.
Karl Logan plays one wild and crazy, but still melodic, guitar solo after the other. Some of my favourite solos include those in
Blood of the kings,
Guyana,
March for revenge and
Dark Avenger
A different view is taken on a couple of songs.
The gods made heavy metal is made up of many different shows where fans come on stage and play guitar, drink beer and have fun. It's an extremely funny sequence. Especially the drunken guy who is only interested in the girls and then loses balance while playing guitar in the middle of the song is hilarious.
Army of immortals is put together as a dedication to all the fans of Manowar. This song does not show the band performing but instead shows all the fans and the way they have dedicated themselves to the band. The way it is done is very powerful and shows that above all, Manowar love all their fans. A brilliant and emotional segment.
I don't want to give it all away, but be sure to catch the moment where Joey goes poetic for a moment and also the performance of
Voulez Vous at one of the shows on France, which is extremely funny.
Before each song there is an introduction by the band members about the country they're playing in or the song itself. It seems that there are some nice girls in every country they visit :) There are also many glimpses of all the fans going crazy.
The only minor complaint I have is the sound on Germany Part 3 where the band enters NeuIsenburg. For some reason the sound is way below average here. Luckily it only lasts a couple of minutes and there are some very funny moments on screen, so maybe that's why it was included.
The Hell on Earth Part II Disc also contains the following bonus features
- One is the full live performance of Thor from the show in Murcia, Spain. Another personal favourite of mine.
- There is a 10 minutes segment called Cutting room floor which shows some funny clips and other things from the road that were left out. Especially funny is the way Eric Adams cracks up during the slow emotional part of Battle hymn.
- Another highlight is the Making of the French version of Courage. It shows how the song was recorded and takes us into the recording studio and gives a glimpse of the dedication of all those involved.
That's just about it for the first Disc. Yes, that's just half of it... Now on to...
Blood in Brazil
The main part of the second Disc contains the full Monsters of Rock concert from 1998. The DVD has a 10 minute intro that shows the band arriving at the Monsters of Rock. The concert is quite amazing and has a huge and powerful sound. It's really an awesome sight to see 30.000 people going completely crazy during the entire concert. The whole band is in top shape and they really look like they are having the time of their lives. Especially Eric gives it his everything. I noticed in a couple of songs where his voice does not seem to be in perfect shape, but the next moment he's singing at the peak of his power, so I guess he's just out of breath over the whole thing.
A definite highlight is the performance of
Gates of Valhalla. This one is up there in heaven with all the other magical performances.
The show pretty much speaks for itself, so just enjoy it.
The second Disc has the following bonus material
- A 30 minute interview with Jeff Hair (Front of House Sound Engineer) and John "Dawk" Stillwell (Chief engineer and Mad Scientist) They talk excitedly about Manowar and their sound equipment. It's a pretty funny to hear them talk and also gives a little glimpse into the professionalism of those behind the band.
- A 15 minutes interview with Music journalist and long time Manowar fan Vincent Ceccolini. He talks about his experience at the Monster of Rock, the other bands and how he experienced it.
- Full performances of House of Death and Warriors of the World United at Ringfest 2002.
Especially the performance on Warriors of the world united is magnificent. This song was made to be performed live. Brilliant!
- An alternate version of Sign of the Hammer is also available. Here they try various things, like splitting the image into two or four different cameras. It probably looks great on a huge TV, but I'm happy that they only used this technique on the performance of Blood of the kings
Some of the comments in the interviews and other places may seem overly self indulgent, but that
is Manowar and it doesn't bother me too much.
Conclusion
Not all the playing by the band is flawless and it's easy to hear that they are playing it all live. In my opinion that makes this DVD even stronger and more absorbing. Everything feels live and untouched by overdubs. The way a live performance should be. The little mistakes and different ways of playing a song enhances it in a good way and makes the whole thing even more powerful and exciting.
This DVD release is pretty much perfect and needless to say it should be listened to at maximum volume. Two days after I had gotten this DVD suddenly there hung a notice on the bulletin board of the building where I live urging people to turn down the volume of the music in the evening. I guess someone must have felt the omnipotent power of the music that is Manowar. :)
I can not imagine a Manowar fan that will not treasure this DVD release. I know I will.
Rating: 9/10Written by
Steen Friday, December 13, 2002
