Blood On Your Hands
Only two years after Arch Enemy released 'Live Apocalypse' the band release 'Tyrants Of The Rising Sun - Live In Japan'. Many would think at this point that the marketing gang behind the Swedish melodic death metallers were the same ones behind Iron Maiden. Their thinking must run along the lines of 'a successful album must require a live release to complement it'. In many ways Tyrants…' is a pointless release milking the cash cow so to speak, but this would be doing the actual product a massive disservice. For all the questions about the relevance of this package one can't deny the sheer thrill of seeing one of the best and most exhilarating live bands in metal.
The aspect that helps 'Tyrants…' is the track listing. In comparison to 'Live Apocalypse' it's quite a different set. Of course there are the usual songs that an Arch Enemy set wouldn't be without. 'Ravenous', 'Nemesis' and 'We Will Rise' are all the stock songs that can turn a responsive crowd to a rabid crowd. But on 'Tyrants…', apart from tracks from their latest opus, the band have included such tunes as 'Shadows And Dust' from 'Wages Of Sin', 'Dark Insanity' from 'Black Earth' and 'Silverwing' from 'Burning Bridges'. It's as if there's been a conscious effort to make the set lists as different as possible, which, if you're a big Arch Enemy fan, makes this DVD worth collecting. If you're only a passing Arch Enemy fan this DVD is also worth getting hold of because the performance is quite breathtaking.
There's an incredible atmosphere that oozes out of the T.V screen. Not only is it made up of the excellent Arch Enemy back catalogue and charismatic performers, but the Japanese crowd play a big part as well. After recently watching the latest Gamma Ray Live DVD, the Montreal crowd are like subdued rabbits compared to the frantic Japanese. They're total nutters! They even sing along to the solos! The crowd love this band so much that it's easy to get carried away in the melee and on DVD that takes some doing.
Angela Gossow's huge 'RAAAAAHHHHHH' to kick into opening track 'Blood On Your Hands' is like the stone that starts the rock-slide. Christopher and Michael Amott, arguably the best duel axe attack in metal at the moment, trade solos as if it was effortless, and drummer Daniel Erlandsson demonstrates why he tops readers polls in Japan. The production of the sound is excellent which bodes well for the live CD, but it also rates higher than the production on the album, 'Rise Of The Tyrant', itself. This helps the songs plucked from that disc to have new life and energy.
The documentary is an interesting insight into what makes the Japanese fan tick. You begin to understand why they're so dedicated and loyal to metal bands, Arch Enemy especially. The film is devoid of fans running up to and shouting the bands name into the camera, a feature annoyingly frequent in other DVDs. The film also goes into the E.S. P guitar factory where Michael Amott is a guitar legend, and it's these aspects that make this film a more fascinating watch than many band documentaries. There are also a handful of promo videos. Once again 'Tyrants…' distances itself from 'Live Apocalypse' by only including 'Revolution Begins' and 'I Will Live Again'.
Although Arch Enemy have released two live packages in a short amount of time they are a little like estranged brother and sister. They're suitably different with arguably 'Tyrants…' being the stronger of the two. Of course not all of us want to sit on a comfy couch to watch metal. Music is for listening not necessarily watching, so, if you have a spare ten quid, you can fork out for the live CD of the set list. If you shop carefully you can buy both packages for less than twenty quid, now that's a bargain.