Customer Reviews

Alive (DVD + CD)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I say that with hesitance because Meshuggah is one of the most polarizing bands I know. I love them, and everyone around me hates them, so I get used to people not being into them. However, I must say that I was EXTREMELY satisfied with this DVD. Almost all of the footage was amazing. The only one that could've been better was "Bleed" in NYC, because it was at a much smaller club and they apparently had fewer cameras. There are a lot of candid moments with the band in between songs, and good interviews. If you don't like that stuff, you can just skip through, and it will still be awesome.
My recommendation is to buy it and play it LOUDLY.

Meshuggah Alive is a band at the top of their game playing some of the most impressive progressive metal of today. Their performances are top-notch and almost perfect with just enough of that human element to keep it interesting. The highlight for myself and most fans will likely be Bleed, which is played with surprising precision. Also, New Millenium Cyanide Christ stands out as sounding possibly better than the Chaosphere version, as does The Mouth Licking What You've Bled. Lethargica boasts an even slower breakdown than on the obZen album version which makes this heavier than hell track even heavier.

Unlike the "Nothing" reissue DVD, the camera work here isn't seizure inducing and the camera actually follows Fredrik when he's playing a solo. BIG PLUS. Also the sound quality is superior to that DVD.

The ONLY downside to the long and varied setlist from their career None thru obZen is the glaring omission of Future Breed Machine. Maybe they're sick of playing it or maybe it's an easter egg (wishful thinking). Other songs I would've liked to see would be Sickening, Corridor of Chameleons, and In Death-Is Death, but the setlist here is already quite stellar.

The DVD is the real highlight here but having a CD of all the tracks boasts even more bang for your buck. Highly recommended for all Meshuggah fans.

For years Meshuggah have been churning out chaotic, devastating metal, and now they finally have a live release for the fans to really enjoy. The main feature on the dvd is a concert/documentary film with footage of them in several cities on their obZen tour. Sound quality is top notch as the live audio was mixed by longtime producer/engineer Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Soilwork, Behemoth). Extras include the Bleed music video as well as the making of the video, and behind the scenes looks at the bands instruments (drums, guitars, and bass). The audio cd features all of the songs from the dvd, but in a different order, even some being from shows different than the dvd. If I had one complaint, it'd be that there aren't enough songs from Chaosphere and obZen, and there are none from Destroy Erase Improve, not even Future Breed Machine, one of their most well known songs. Despite the lack of some material, the quality of the product overall (production, audio, visuals, even the packaging) makes up for it. This is their first live release after all.

I preordered this DVD because I was at that 2009 New York Show. I have to say it captures the moment. I realize now it was a small stage (comparing to the Tokyo and Montreal footage), but I am so glad they included one track from that show! That piece has more crowd footage than any other, with hovering overhead cams and everything, and it truly shows how off the hook it was from the stage ALLL the way back to the sound board. If the whole DVD were like that, with insane people mugging for the camera from the pit, it would get old. But one song, I'm glad they picked Bleed!

So in short, the DVD is great. The band is totally on it with every track. I really like the interludes with the band between songs. Besides the interviews which are always great, the audio and video treatment of that footage is cool. The sound on the included CD is sharp and heavy. For any fan of the band, this is well worth picking up. One word of warning: After viewing, you may find yourself shopping for a new surround system.

This DVD is of fantastic quality and the live footage seems to be recorded straight off the board so the audio sounds excellent. If your a fan of Meshuggah this is a must have.

this dvd shows that meshuggah isn't just a studio creation, they can deliver the same incredible mind bending sonic assault live as well. there are also some nice clips of the band members talking about what it's like to be on the road, and it isn't all "i''m a rock star" type of bs. the live cd is great as well. if you like meshuggah, get this.

I am certainly impressed with the general presentation and content here. There is nothing a Meshuggah fan would miss.

The Pros:

The band interviews and pre/post performance reels are entertaining and insightful - always nice to see the human side of what I have always assumed were musical cyborgs (given their ability to reproduce such complex polyrhythms on stage...) Huh, I guess I was wrong... Nice work Meshuggah!

The 'Bleed' music video and documentary are very cool, even if the documentary itself was a little on the short side. Though it might sound like 'metal heresy' (???) the cut-down arrangement of Bleed (no doubt an effort to make the clip more marketable) is actually very haunting, and works far better with a video presentation than the original would have.

The set-list is varied and representative of the band's transformation(s) over the years. There is a decent selection of old and even a few tracks from good ol' obzen thrown into the mix, which brings me to 'the cons,'

The Cons:

The setlist: no Shed. Oh how that made me sad... No matter though, there's plenty of other songs to pick me back up.

The sound quality, while not at all lacking in technical integrity or fidelity, is a little quiet. You'll really have to pump the volume to get any sort of epic feeling out of this mix. Not really a con, seeing as my sound system has an "increase volume," button, but still something to consider. Also, it should be noted that this problem is not exactly rare among live performance DVDs...

Final Thought:

Buy it.

the gods of technical, heavy, math metal, Meshuggah, finally put out a full live DVD (the live DVD that was part of the re-release of Nothing was just a small glimpse of what could be expected on Alive) & it is great! most of the songs are from the Nothing & ObZen albums. Meshuggah plays their live songs flawlessly & if you are a fan of this music, you know that is saying a lot. enjoy & play it loud!

Amazing document of a truly incredible band. Enjoyed the behind-the-scenes footage as much as the live footage, which is of course impeccable.

This DVD earns an easy and obvious five stars, as does most everything Meshuggah has released. This band is a monster, and their live performance shows that even without hyperspeed or blast beats, they can create some of the absolute heaviest sounds of any metal band in the world. Sure, they do have some fast moments, but for the most part, listening to their crushing, almost alien grooves and machine-like precision makes you feel like you've been pummeled by a Transformer. As I watched, it occurred to me, not for the first time, that no other band sounds like Meshuggah, and Meshuggah sounds like no other band. They've truly evolved over the years into a genre unto themselves, transcending thrash, or groove, or math metal. They are flawless in their execution of songs that feature dizzying technicality, which I greatly appreciate given that many bands, most with far simpler compositions, fail to deliver performances onstage that match the level of their recorded albums. It shows a degree of dedication that makes Meshuggah's new releases automatic first-day purchases for me.

I don't have any complaints, just a few wishes. I wish they had included more songs, as twelve seems a bit light for a live DVD. Leading to the next wish that each album would have been represented. Alive has no songs from Contradictions Collapse, Destroy Erase Improve (sacrilege!), or Catch Thirty Three. I was pleased, though, that Humiliative from None made the set. I also didn't mind that the songs are from four different shows instead of one concert, which I initially thought would be unsatisfying. But after watching, I liked seeing the different crowds and venues. The "interviews" between songs show the band to be incredibly down-to-earth and humble, and even though I was disappointed to hear from Haake that Meshuggah would probably never play "I" live (because, as he states, "No one knows...how 'I' goes"), I was excited to hear that the band plans to work on new material this fall or at the end of this year. I'm sure whatever new stuff they write, it will crush everything like ObZen did.

Oh, and as a bonus, you get the nightmarish and awesome video for Bleed, as well as a making-of featurette, not to mention a pretty sweet booklet, and a companion CD . Without a doubt, Alive is very fan-friendly, and is well worth buying.