Beaten to Death – At Rockefeller DVD (Mas-Kina Recordings)
Wednesday, 27th March 2013
A supplement to Beaten to Death’s most excellent (and top ten-worthy) Xes and Strokes from earlier this year, At Rockefeller is a June live show recorded in Oslo as the band supported Killswitch Engage. While it’s not uncommon for bands to record a live set in front of festival crowds, the troubling aspect for At Rockefeller is that KSE’s banner was on full display the entire set. Therefore, the unknowing could slap this sucker on and think, “When did Killswitch go grind?”
The cover art and disclaimer stating Beaten to Death do not employ overdubs and left in mistakes stays perfectly in line with their Nordic grind aesthetic, which is gradually picking up steam. Live, the band itself sounds brash and raw, somehow avoiding the now industry-standard of having subpar support band sound. Perhaps the B2D brought in their own people, and if they did, hats off to KSE for letting them do so. Most bands of Killswitch’s stature will balk at the idea, no doubt trying to avoid being upstaged by the opening act.
Only a handful of camera angles were used, but the band’s energy and constant movement of singer Anders (also of She Said Destroy) make this better viewing than typical live metal footage. Plus, it’s cool to see the unsuspecting crowd gradually feel their way through the band’s set, eventually engaging in headbanging when “Cat Olympics” and “A Word to the Wise” are aired.
Extras include the band’s four music videos, as well as footage from several gigs, including their first show. Yet another bold move from Beaten to Death, who not only don’t care about showing off their first gig, they could care less that another band’s banner is in full view during their set. To grind and to not care about the scenery…a good combo.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
