Dismember – Under Bloodred Skies DVD (Regain Records)
Sunday, 17th March 2013
There’s never been any room for fucking around in the Dismember camp – Swedish death metal they are, through and through, so it’s no surprise that the band’s second DVD release, Under Bloodred Skies follows suit. Comprised of two discs, with the first featuring a live show shot at Germany’s Party San Open Air in 2008, the second a documentary titled “Death Metal and More Mental Illnesses,” Under Bloodred Skies is pretty savory viewing, in spite of singer Matt Karki’s expanding waistline. The man can still roar, though.
The live show is professionally shot and while the band is hardly a visual spectacle, they are supremely tight and maybe that could be attributed to new drummer Thomas Daun. Daun, who replaced founding member/main dude Fred Estby in late 2007 has given Dismember a shot in the arm during old standbys like “Skinfather,” “Forged With Hate” and fan favorite “Skin Her Alive.” The setlist stayed out of the band’s melodic territory, save for “Under A Bloodred Sky” and “And So Is Life,” but those are minor complaints.
“Death Metal and More Mental Illnesses” is the main selling point here, a look into the world of Dismember, with interviews with all five members to boot. Highlights include a discussion on the band’s vaunted guitar tone, tour hijinx (of the drunken nature, naturally), the “Death Metal Masters” tour with Entombed, Unleashed and Grave, and a cool montage of the band headbanging across the globe either in public, on stage or backstage. Gnarly.
Dismember has never operated under the guise of pretense and their humbling and effacing account of their career and luck makes them all the more appealing. As repeated throughout the documentary, the fans are what count the most to Dismember and methinks they won’t be disappointed with this.
www.myspace.com/dismemberofficial
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
