I may be late to this game, but of course I didn't miss that two of my favorite metal bands of all time have released live albums last year. And fuck yeah, these are both rippers!
Both are also available on vinyl, but for budgetary and car compatibilty reasons I went for the CDs this time. And there's no reason not to recommend this format, because even in the smaller version these are still beautifully designed items.
Both are also available on vinyl, but for budgetary and car compatibilty reasons I went for the CDs this time. And there's no reason not to recommend this format, because even in the smaller version these are still beautifully designed items.
AUTOPSY - Live In Chicago (CD) (2020)
For the gory death metal legends this is a first! Given the fact that they rarely cross the Atlantic and I've never seen them in the flesh, a live audio release (There has been the "Born Undead" DVD in 2012, but how often do you watch a DVD, seriously?) was highly overdue.
And it almost didn't happen, because... come on, you know why. In fact Autopsy had planned a lot of shows in North America, from which they planned to use the best bits for this album, but ultimately they only got to play this one and only show.
Luckily the band as well as the enthusiastic audience made it a no-brainer to go with this recording. The setlist features both the old and the comeback albums, but has a very heavy overbalance towards songs from the 1989 debut "Severed Survival" - obviously in celebration of its 30th anniversary not too long before. Yet with short and sweet "Maggots In The Mirror" there's also a previously unreleased new track on the menu.
You can really feel that gurgler/drummer Chris Reifert and company are having a shitfun time here. The performance is spot-on - those Cutler/Coralles double leads are the finest in all of death metal -, but still wild as fuck and sick as petting the worms on a rotting rat in your kitchen sink.
Autopsy have always been and still are the ultimate definition of how to do happily stomach turning old school death metal for me. You need proof? Try "Live In Chicago"!
Luckily the band as well as the enthusiastic audience made it a no-brainer to go with this recording. The setlist features both the old and the comeback albums, but has a very heavy overbalance towards songs from the 1989 debut "Severed Survival" - obviously in celebration of its 30th anniversary not too long before. Yet with short and sweet "Maggots In The Mirror" there's also a previously unreleased new track on the menu.
You can really feel that gurgler/drummer Chris Reifert and company are having a shitfun time here. The performance is spot-on - those Cutler/Coralles double leads are the finest in all of death metal -, but still wild as fuck and sick as petting the worms on a rotting rat in your kitchen sink.
Autopsy have always been and still are the ultimate definition of how to do happily stomach turning old school death metal for me. You need proof? Try "Live In Chicago"!
VOIVOD - Lost Machine - Live (CD) (2020)
With Voivod the need for a live album wasn't nearly as urgent, because there already have been official releases like "Warriors Of Ice" and "Live at Roadburn" (both 2011) or the six 2018 tracks from the "The Wake" Deluxe Edition. And even more important the last decade - with the obvious exception of 2020 - was very kind to us European Voivodians, so I've got to see them almost regularily, even though I didn't even attend every tour.
With that in mind the release seemed like a not really essential luxury to me at first. But then there's the sheer quality of this!
Similar to Autopsy the Canadian sci-fi prog whatever thrashers had planned to compile various shows to a live album. And because this went down in 2019, no shows had to be canceled yet. But in this case their hometown performance in Quebec City was just so perfect that they used it as a whole. The band has an amazing energy and the clear and powerful production is without a doubt the best of any Voivod live recording yet.
Half of the setlist consists of recent stuff from "The Wake" and "Post Society", which has absolutely no problem to stand against the older classics like "Overreaction" or "Psychic Vacuum". As special nuggets this includes the "Nothingface" gem "Into My Hybercube" and of course "The Lost Machine" from "The Outer Limits". And even though I personally could enjoy just one Voivod concert without "Astronomy Domine" and "Voivod", I must admit that as the culmination of this insanely good record and with a lot of audience participation, those mandatory tracks still slay big time.
To be present at this event must have been en a par with the murderous show at the Logo in Hamburg 2018. And this release pairs up perfectly with the "The End Of Dormancy" EP, which contains two live performances (including one special jazz festival brass arrangement) of the other important 2019 Voivod concert in Quebec.
So even though SnakeChewyRockyAway still have to stay at home like the rest of us, they surely gave us some awesome reminders of why we can't wait for the time when live shows will finally be possible again.
With Voivod the need for a live album wasn't nearly as urgent, because there already have been official releases like "Warriors Of Ice" and "Live at Roadburn" (both 2011) or the six 2018 tracks from the "The Wake" Deluxe Edition. And even more important the last decade - with the obvious exception of 2020 - was very kind to us European Voivodians, so I've got to see them almost regularily, even though I didn't even attend every tour.
With that in mind the release seemed like a not really essential luxury to me at first. But then there's the sheer quality of this!
Similar to Autopsy the Canadian sci-fi prog whatever thrashers had planned to compile various shows to a live album. And because this went down in 2019, no shows had to be canceled yet. But in this case their hometown performance in Quebec City was just so perfect that they used it as a whole. The band has an amazing energy and the clear and powerful production is without a doubt the best of any Voivod live recording yet.
Half of the setlist consists of recent stuff from "The Wake" and "Post Society", which has absolutely no problem to stand against the older classics like "Overreaction" or "Psychic Vacuum". As special nuggets this includes the "Nothingface" gem "Into My Hybercube" and of course "The Lost Machine" from "The Outer Limits". And even though I personally could enjoy just one Voivod concert without "Astronomy Domine" and "Voivod", I must admit that as the culmination of this insanely good record and with a lot of audience participation, those mandatory tracks still slay big time.
To be present at this event must have been en a par with the murderous show at the Logo in Hamburg 2018. And this release pairs up perfectly with the "The End Of Dormancy" EP, which contains two live performances (including one special jazz festival brass arrangement) of the other important 2019 Voivod concert in Quebec.
So even though SnakeChewyRockyAway still have to stay at home like the rest of us, they surely gave us some awesome reminders of why we can't wait for the time when live shows will finally be possible again.
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