It is with great sadness and bizarre irony that the day that I sat down to watch this first ever live DVD release from Sweden's Dissection that I also have to report that lead singer/guitarist Jon Nödtveidt has passed away from an apparent suicide. Nödtveidt, an admitted Satanist, took his own life after feeling that he had accomplished his self-created destiny, according to an official statement from the band. Considering that Nödtveidt was recently released from prison after serving an extended stay for a murder conviction, the band had reissued their two classic releases Storm of the Light's Bane and The Somberlain, and released the brand new Reinkaos, this is indeed sad and untimely news. The DVD-well, the concert, recorded in 2004 in Stockholm, was Dissection's big comeback and return to the stage after Nödtveidt's release from prison. Included in the set is the brand new track "Maha Kali", which made it to the Reinkaos album, as well as many Dissection classics from their two landmark releases. If you've never heard the music of Dissection, they combined raw black metal power with the intricate nature of the Gothenburg melodic metal scene.
Featured on stage with Nödtveidt here is the new line-up of drummer Tomas Asklund (ex-Dark Funeral), bass player Brice Leclerq (ex-Nightrage), and guitarist Set Teitan (ex-Aborym). Together the foursome take classic songs like "Thorns of Crimson Death", "Nights Blood", "Frozen", "Retribution-Storm of the Light's Bane", "Somberlain", and the crushingly evil "Elizabeth Bathory" to new heights, as even with the level of inactivity on Nödtveidt's part and the new line-up, they have not lost a step. Plenty of Iron Maiden/In Flames influenced dual guitar harmonies and leads, powerhouse riffs, manic blast beats, and a mix of death & black vocals permeate the mix on each track. Included is a somewhat chilling interview with Nödtveidt, who goes into detail about the early stages of the band, his prison experience, his beliefs on Satanism, and his outlook on Dissection's new music and future. What a strange feeling it was watching him utter all this on the DVD, then a few hours later learning of his passing.
The band was to embark on one last tour of the US this fall, but recently the tour was cancelled, now never to be rescheduled due to the death of Nödtveidt. This DVD document is sure to be a cherished addition to every extreme metal fans video library, as the life of a controversial figure tragically comes to an end.
Track Listing
1) Intro: At the Fathomless Depths
2) Night's Blood
3) Frozen
4) Maha Kali
5) SoulReaper
6) No Dreams Breed in Breathless Sleep
7) Where Dead Angels Lie
8) Retribution-Storm of the Light's Bane
9) Unshallowed
10) Thorns of Crimson Death
11) Heaven's Damnation
12) In the Cold Winds of Nowhere
13) Elizabeth Bathory
14) The Somberlain
15) A Land Forlorn
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