Unbelievably, Alice Cooper has been shocking the world with his outlandish rock and roll shenanigans for the past 35 years and there are still no signs of him letting up. At a staggering 58 years old, and affectionately known as the granddaddy of shock rock, Alice Cooper was creating scandal and outrage long before Marylin Manson could say ‘eyeliner’.
Still ever the showman, in this DVD filmed at the Montreux Festival in 2005, with no sign of a zimmerframe anywhere, he continues to provide one of the most entertaining, tongue in cheek stage shows around. Although scaled down somewhat for this recorded performance in Montreux’s Stravinski auditorium which only holds around 3000 people, it’s still clear that Alice is having a ball.
Guillotines, coffins, lances and fake money from the bank of Alice is all in a days work, and with Alice’s daughter playing the part of dopey media doll Paris Hilton in ‘Wish I Were Born In Beverly Hills’ it’s a characteristic Cooper show for sure.
With classics like ‘Poison’, ‘School’s Out’ and ‘Feed My Frankenstein’ teamed with newer tracks like ‘Dirty Diamonds’ Alice is still on top form and this DVD and bonus CD is a worthy addition to any collection.
When Damon Albarn’s animated group blew everyone away with their last album Demon Days, it didn’t seem possible that people would have the chance to hear the record live. However, Gorillaz managed to get almost every performer on the album to come together for five nights in Manchester, and put on a show that was recorded in its entirety for this DVD.
When a documentary is made from seven years of filming, you know that you’re in for a lot of action, and Dig! certainly doesn’t deviate from that. The documentary charts the fortunes of two groups, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, both of whom start off as friends, especially the two front men, Courtney Taylor-Taylor [Dandys] and Anton Newcombe [BJM].
If you have a strong interest in punk or, indeed, skate culture, then you probably have at least a rough idea of who Bad Religion are and what they sound like. For the uninitiated, these Californian punk veterans originally formed in the early Eighties, and have since influenced countless other bands; not just through their own music, but also through Epitaph Records, the now hugely successful record label started by band founder and guitarist Brett Gurewitz.
If there’s one thing that ‘Can’t Stop Us’ proves, it’s that punk rock is truly a global phenomenon; uniting like-minded people in areas where you might least expect the genre’s influence to exist. This DVD is essentially a two-part documentary, featuring plenty of live Casualties footage, which follows the band on extensive tours of Mexico and Japan.The band play strictly old-school street punk in an Exploited/GBH vein, and unsurprisingly incite moshpit chaos at every show. It all sounds pretty repetitive after a while, though, and the quality of sound is varied, at best. The band/crowd interaction is far more interesting; especially in Mexico, where vocalist Jorge – a son of Hispanic immigrants – is able to sing and speak to the band’s fans in their native tongue. Don’t worry, folks, there are English subtitles included.
Mike Relm is a master of his craft, there is absolutely no doubt about that at all. The turntable king, who likes to be seen as an all round technician, rather than just a turntablist, has wowed many fans over the years with his original mixing, scratching and visual work at his live shows. And with the release of this DVD, you can see exactly what it is that makes Relm so popular.
It seems unfair that over the course of their fifteen-plus year existence, the Bouncing Souls haven’t reaped the rewards afforded to so many inferior bands of their genre. To label the ‘Souls a pop-punk band would only tell half the story, as their intelligent (but often humorous) lyrics and streetwise, hardcore edge have always helped them stand out from their so-called peers.
Every year, the cream of the US underground hip hop scene make a pilgrimage to the holiest of holy places – Cincinnati, Ohio. Scribble Magazine puts on Scribble Jam every year there, a coming together of the 5 elements, with graf expos, MC, DJ, Beatbox and Breaking battles, plus the biggest names in the underground appearing live on stage. Previous Scribble Jam DVDs have been excellent, showing the best of the battles, 15 minute features showcasing the best of the graffiti and also footage of the live sets of artists such as Atmosphere, MF Doom, Eyedea & Abilities, RJD2, Blueprint, Brother Ali and many more.
That’s right kiddies, it’s that time of the year again. A time when a fat fucker in a red suit comes down your chimney, steals all your presents and drinks your milk before pissing off through the front door. What’s that you say? That’s not how it goes? Then just who the hell was the guy I stumbled upon last year?!
Label mates and fellow modern day titans Killswitch Engage also throw their rather camp hats into the ring with their debut release ‘Set This World Ablaze‘. Undoubtedly the single biggest success story of the “New Wave” thrash movement thus far, it contains not only a blistering set featuring all of the band’s classic cuts, but also an in depth look back over their career thus far – covering everything from the early days spent toiling in the Massachusetts underground, right up until their stint as second stage headliners on this year’s Ozzfest.
Those of you who are familiar with us here at Crossfire know by now that there’s a little saying around these parts, and that’s that nobody does it quite like the oldies where good old fashioned rocking goes. As if our word wasn’t enough, there’s a host of mullet-sporting treasures straight from the 80’s thrash metal scene just waiting to be lapped up. While Brazilian revolutionaries Sepultura present their double-disc treat ‘Live In Sao Paulo‘, the legendary Testament make a more than welcome return with the punishing experience that is ‘Live In London‘. If you were fortunate enough to catch Skolnick and co on their brief yet memorably reunion tour all those months ago, then you’ll know how electric North London was that evening. If not, then you do indeed suck a huge amount of ass; but buy this stripped down yet satisfying slab of thrash metal madness and you may just redeem yourself.
Also coming out of the woodwork was underground heroes S.O.D. with their DIY presentation ‘20 Years of Dysfunction‘. Consisting of live performance footage and on the road hysterics shot almost entirely by loyal followers, it’s a shining example of how things should be done – by the fans; FOR the fans.
As the former thoroughly assaults the senses with a barrage of the biggest and best videos from the biggest and best bands the label has to offer (Shadows Fall, God Forbid, and The Haunted to name but a few), the latter offers viewers a chance to feast their eyes upon some of the most devastating and electrifying performances from the US leg of the tour in 2005, featuring select cuts from both established headliners and upcoming opening acts alike.