Perzonal War
Neckdevils - live

Live albums isn’t something I want to see released every other year, I think those shall be reserved for something special otherwise they just become pointless releases that only serve to supplement a band’s income. Perzonal War might possibly agree with this sentiment, at least they have not released a live album before this one, an album that celebrate that twenty years has passed since the band’s first album was released in 1998. And it is a special show featuring guest appearances from previous band members, as well as some other prominent guests. And not only that, we get a CD with sixteen tracks and a DVD with almost thirty tracks commemorating the fact that it has gone twenty years since the band released their first album.

In terms of music it is natural that we get the music that Perzonal War has played during their career, with some acoustic tracks to add some variation. Mostly it is thrash metal that is quite inspired by the like of Metallica, and it is well performed, the sound is very good and while it may not be overly varied it steel has a flow thanks to the numerous song being from different albums. The audience could have been louder but it sounds good nonetheless, it is a well-produced live album. Perhaps not very fresh or exciting for the outside observer, it feels targeted mostly at their existing fans, kind of like the preceding album that was a rerecording of the first two albums the band made. Really good vocals was one thing that struck me while playing through this album and that the title is probably from the song Devil in My Neck, which is one of the best songs of this album.

Video-wise there might be something more to desire, it is not the same great video production as on the Ayreon release I reviewed some time ago but I think that is a matter of how much money there is to spend. The filming is solid and looks quite good, I think the cutting could have been a bit faster at times and that they could have brought in the audience a bit more to give it a more dynamic feel. Nevertheless, it is a solid video and sound production, a good live album and certainly a very nice document over this band’s first twenty years. I think the band’s fans will enjoy this quite a lot and other music fans will also find it to be a good album but I am not sure that it will make a lasting impression on the more casual observer.

Entertainment for the fans, I know I have enjoyed it quite a bit and I will most certainly keep Neckdevils along with my other Perzonal War albums – but I am a bit of a fan of this band so I am somewhat biased. In the end I think that they make a nice document over their first twenty years but perhaps not the most memorable album I have heard. The fact that the bonus interviews is in German and the talk between songs as well is a little minus as it takes away a little from the international audiences but it is still an enjoyable live album that is highly recommended for their fans.

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