Sinister Reviews

So up on the chopping block is another special edition of Mixed Bag Reviews. This one is going to focus on live albums.  I personally really like live albums especially when working out at the gym especially after seeing a certain band live the night before. If done right, some of the songs are even better on a live album than a studio album. So here we go…..

Slayer\Decade Of Aggression- there isn’t really anything quite like a Slayer show and if you were lucky enough to see them before they called it quits then consider yourself very lucky. I have never seen Slayer put on a bad show. The only time where I thought their performance wasn’t great was on The Big 4 dvd. There was just something lacking and honestly, Tom looked kinda out of it. But that aside, this album was recorded (I think) during the Clash of the Titans tour and they were touring behind Seasons in the Abyss. The album is a 2 disc set and the first disc is all hits. Like it’s a perfect set list for that time and they have never sounded better. The second disc I feel like would be a B-Sides/left overs. Anyway, if you haven’t listened to this album I would strongly encourage you to do so. I give this a perfect 10/10

Standouts: 

1. Hell Awaits (disc 1)
2. War Ensemble (disc 1)
3. Angel of Death (disc 1
4. Born of Fire (disc 2)
5. Black Magic (disc 2)

Anthrax/Kings Among Scotland- again like Slayer, these guys never put on a bad show. Like I have never seen them do it and every time I’ve seen them it’s hands down one of the best concerts ever. As the name would say, this was recorded in Scotland and the album they were supporting is (at the time of this review) their newest one For All Kings. What also makes this album special is that they also played Among The Living in its entirety. All the songs sound incredible especially the Among tracks. The only thing I would say is that I wish they’d play more songs off of Worship Music but they do have Fight ‘Em ‘TIL You Can’t. Definitely another one to check out and if you’ve seen them live before, then this album captures that live energy perfectly. Another perfect 10/10

Standouts: 

1. A Skeleton in The Closet
2. Evil Twin
3. One World
4. A.I.R.
5. Among The Living

Sepultura/Under a Pale Grey Sky- this album is probably the only official release with Max Cavalera fronting the band. This was recorded during the Roots era and is actually the very last show with Max before he left the band. You can tell there are some mistakes with a couple songs such as Troops of Doom and Territory but that doesn’t take away from it. Overall, a very good album and I give it 9/10

Standouts: 

1. Orgasmatron
2. Cut-Throat
3. Beneath the Remains/Mass Hypnosis 
4. Spit
5. Inner Self

Black Sabbath/Reunion- so this was recorded in their hometown of Birmingham in 1998. Now they had technically reunited back in 87 for the Live Aid concert and again in 94 for a handful of shows. I guess in 1997 they were supposed to reunite for that years Ozzfest but Bill Ward was not included for that one however, this album is a real Sabbath reunion. Now there are many live albums to pick and I plan to get to them all but this one is probably one of the better ones. The songs sound fantastic and the energy is definitely there. If you are looking for a great live album from these guys then I’d say start here. What is cool about this album is that it features two new songs Psycho Man and Selling My Soul. I give this one 9.5/10

Standouts:

1. N.I.B.
2. Children of the Grave
3. Selling My Soul
4. Electric Funeral
5. Snow blind

Motörhead/Everything Louder Than Everyone Else-there really is nothing like a Motörhead show was there? This album is actually a double album and in my opinion doesn’t get enough credit for being their best live album. I mean they were definitely on top of their game here and this album is loud. For some reason I thought that they were a four piece but I guess that they only were just the three of them. This was recorded in Hamburg around May 1998 so this was during the album Snake Bite Love and right before going out on Ozzfest 98. Definitely one of my favorite live albums and is a very solid 9/10

Standouts:

1. On Your Feet or On Your Knees (disc 1)
2. Over Your Shoulder (disc 1)
3. Love For Sale (disc 2)
4. Going to Brazil (disc 2)
5. Born to Raise Hell (disc 2)

Pantera/Official Live: 101 Proof- from what I’ve heard and seen online, Pantera were definitely one of those bands where you had to see live. This album definitely captures that energy. I personally prefer this album over a few of their studio albums and this album also contains two brand new studio songs Where You Come From and I Can’t Hide. If your like me and really want to get that live energy from a band you never saw then this album definitely fits the bill. I give it 10/10

Standouts:

1. Sandblasted Skin
2. A New Level
3. Where You Come From
4. Domination/Hollow
5. Becoming

Exodus/Shovel Headed Tour Machine: Live At Wacken and Other Assorted Atrocities- wow that’s a long name for a live album. Now this album came with the dvd of the same name but if you get a chance to listen to this definitely do so. As the name suggests, it was recorded at the Wacken festival in 2008 while they were supporting their Exhibit A album and after seeing them in LA supporting that album, I would say that this is the album to listen to if I want to re-live those shows. I’ve always said that I think the Rob Dukes era was their best. He brought such a great energy and made the band that much more brutal and aggressive. Hopefully someday we can get a new album with him on it but until then, we have this one and the three studio albums. I give this 10/10

Standouts:

1. Iconoclasm
2. War is My Shepherd 
3. Piranha
4. Funeral Hymn
5. Children of a Worthless God

This one was a lot of fun to do and there is just something about a great live album that is fun to workout too. Anyway, definitely check out these live albums because they are all great and I will be doing another one of these soon.