Post Description

Firewind is one of those bands who listen to what the fans say and do their best to keep them happy. There is almost two hours of live music on both the DVD and that's just the main concert filmed entirely in Thessaloniki, Greece! The band has also taken the pain to include all their videos from The Premonition and Allegiance as well as put together a tour diary and include a bonus video footage filmed in Canada and on MAD TV.

What makes a great live DVD for me is not only how the band performs or what songs are played but also how the concert was filmed and presented. Many times the DVDs put out by bigger bands fail to capture the essence of a live gig on their DVD simply because the way the concert was shot and put together. But this is not the case here. The band is beautifully shot and the way the DVD is put together makes me feel that I am actually watching the band in concert! Furthermore, I am really pleased that the band has mixed the DVD in stereo as opposed to the surround sound that was available on the DVD teaser. This will allow people who have a stereo configuration to enjoy the gig to its full potential. The sound and image are of top quality. The sound is well produced and yet manages to retain a certain live rawness.

So far all the videos that I have seen of Firewind have been on youtube. I have never been impressed as they I always saw them through that small window on the computer screen and not necessarily of the best quality. However, on this DVD the videos when watched on widescreen suddenly spring to life! The videos are a great addition to the package. It is with great pleasure that I rediscovered them and finally was able to appreciate them the way the band and director had intended them to be seen and experienced. Videos like Mercenary Man which seem bland and 'dry like toast' (to quote Michael Constantine from My Big Fat Greek Wedding) now sound and look larger than life and truly engaging! I will never watch them on youtube again.

The bonus live performance in Montreal does not match the audio visual quality of the Thessaloniki one but still makes for an interesting experience with its motion blur as the camera moves around.

The two bonus videos from Mad TV tap into the acoustic sensibilities of Firewind which is not often seen in concert.

The tour diary is really quite funny yet informative. My favourite part has to be when Apollo 'enters the Matrix' as well as Bob Katsionis' explanation of what every other band member does when they are on the road. 


Live In Thessaloniki, Greece 

1. Allegiance
2. Insanity
3. Into The Fire
4. Head Up High
5. Mercenary Man
6. Angels Forgive Me
7. My Loneliness
8. Circle Of Life
9. The Silent Code
10. Life Foreclosed
11. Destination Forever
12. Keyboard Solo
13. Guitar Solo
14. The Fire And The Fury
15. Drum Solo / Dreamchaser
16. Till The End Of Time
17. Deliverance
18. Brother's Keeper
19. Between Heaven And Hell
20. I Am The Anger
21. Falling To Pieces
22. Tyranny

II. Extras:
a) Documentary / Tales Of The Greek Road Warriors (19:49)

b) Promotional Videos:
Mercenary Man (3:27)
Head Up High (3:46)
Falling To Pieces (3:19)
Breaking The Silence (4:01)

c) Unplugged - MAD TV Sessions:
My Loneliness (4:05)
Where Do We Go From Here? (3:22)

d) Live In Montreal 2008:
Head Up High (4:41)
The Fire And The Fury (4:43)
Till The End Of Time (5:36) 

De gegevens:

Colour: PAL
Aspect ratio: 16:9 en 4:3
Colour: NTSC
HQ cover, label en booklet: ja
Geluid: DD 2.0
Total runtime: 155 minuten