Customer Reviews

In Flames: Used and Abused... In Live We Trust

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've anticipated an In Flames DVD for a very long time now. So when news reached my ears that they were releasing a DVD with not one but TWO live performances, included with a behind-the-scenes interview, I was ecstatic. "Used and Abused: In Live We Trust" arrived to me on Christmas morning, and I can say that my patience paid off.

I'll start by reviewing the Hammersmith show, though I won't be doing it song by song.

The set list is great here, equally spanning the old and new material. Anders & Co. storm the stage by opening with the classic "Pinball Map". The band's stage presence is exhilerating, even though Jesper doesn't move that much. The opener comes complete with pyro, the audience chanting the chorus, and an amazing sound mix. Moving on without tiring, In Flames pay their own special tribute to Dimebag Darrell by doing a ferocious cover of "F***in' Hostile" and picking up right into an ultra-melodic, breakneck rendition of "Behind Space". The crowd response is unbelievable here on thrashers like "In Search for I" and "Touch of Red", and the pyro, though used sparingly, adds a breathtaking touch to the show. (I get chills when they come in with the last chorus on "My Sweet Shadow".) Soundwise, the band couldn't be tighter. Jesper's and Bjorn's guitar harmonies are meticulously crafted, and played without mar or flaw. Daniel's drums sound amazing here, and his live performance, I thought, was underestimated. (It's odd how much he truly adds to In Flames for being such a simple drummer.) An awesome show, although a bit on the short side. (Only 40 minutes!)

Sticky Fingers:

There are two parts to this 90-minute show. Set I consists of the boys storming through the whole "Soundtrack to Your Escape" album. It's interesting to see how the album comes out live. It seems to have an added level of aggression, especially on bottom-heavy riff monsters like "Touch of Red" and the straightforward but catchy "Dial 595-Escape". Moreover, Anders' clean vocals seem stronger live than on the album. (See "The Quiet Place" for the best example.) Although the place of the show is small, (I believe Anders said it's only a 250-person club.) crowd reception and participation rivals, maybe even exceeds that of the Hammersmith show. The highlights on Set I include, "F(r)iend", "Dial 595- Escape", and "In Search for I". (Kudos to Daniel for awesome drumming on that track!)

Set II spans old and new material. The guys open up with the melodic thrash attack of "Behind Space", followed by two absolutely classic songs from The Jester Race! Needless to say, it was amazing to hear these songs played in the modern In Flames style. My favorite part of this concert is hearing two of my favorite In Flames songs from the Whoracle album, with an added bite and edge. ("Jotun" sounds absolutely unbelievable here...) The songs from "Reroute to Remain" sound pretty good as well, but I believe they sounded fuller on the Hammersmith show. The Sticky Fingers is definitely exhilerating, and the best show of the DVD, in my opinion.

There are also two songs taken from the Soundtrack to Your Escape tour, "Only for the Weak" and "Clayman". Both of these classic songs sound absolutely amazing, and you'll get chills when you hear "Only for the Weak". The lights and pyro on this mini-show are amazing.

And now for DVD 2...

This second disc contains a 50-minute special named "Jester TV", which gives the fan a detailed account of the past year for the band. It shows the making of the videos for "Touch of Red" and "The Quiet Place", and very detailed accounts of the band's tours in Japan, Australia, and the US, and there are in-depth interviews with all of the bandmembers. Also covered in this special is the Madrid show, when In Flames opened for Metallica.

The next part of the disc consists of music videos. It includes all the videos from STYE, including an extended edition of "Touch of Red", and an "uncut" version of "The Quiet Place". Other videos include "System", "F(r)iend", "My Sweet Shadow", and "Dial 595-Escape" live from Japan.

Lastly is the soundcheck chapter. It's a bit useless, but still cool. Here the band go through "Touch of Red" and "Dial 595-Escape".

So, there ya go. A highly reccommended DVD to old and new fans of In Flames, and an abosolutely incredible collection of live shows.

Note: Hehe, just thought I would tell you about the "hidden" videos on the DVD's. On Disc 1, use your remote to jump to the 4th title, Chapter 1, to see a live version of "Episode 666" at the Sticky Fingers show.

On Disc 2, jump to Title 8 (out of 10), chapter 1, to see a hidden music video for "Borders and Shading".

Most old time fans of In Flames ditched the band after Reroute to Remain, which marked a different style for the band. I've heard it referred to as blasphemous, but that's a little harsh. That album was my introduction to IF, and after hearing just the first track, I went and bought the entire Friden catalog (didn't care for the last guy.) The Soundtrack came out, and I didn't really give it a chance. It was really different, really... strange. I just couldn't dig it, but The Quiet Place was great.
This DVD, while showcasing a lot of Soundtrack and the stupid song titles, is a gem amongst live performances. These guys hit these songs almost perfectly, aside from the tone differences on the older songs (from death growl to metalcore scream). But these songs are done amazingly live, with energy and care taken to reproduce the cd versions.
The bonus features are great too, but the Touch of Red video is the stupidest thing I have ever seen.

...In a good way folks don't worry ^_^

To start off I'd like to say that this is one of the best dvd's I've seen. It has everything you'd ask for.

The setlist is great, the one thing that was awesoem about the 3 setlists is the fact that in the second they play the whole Soundtrack To Your Escape album which is a big plus, It has their videos, behind the scenes footage, and a soundcheck section.

A great DVD in my opinion, wether your just getting into them or you've been a die-hard fan from the beginning any fan of metal would love this DVD. Not to mention, their live performances are great!

This band is just so amazing I don't know where to start. I have all of their cds, and would like to clear up right now that, even though a lot of you have mixed feelings on theri "newer stuff", i think everything they touch is gold. This is never more aparent then on this DVD. The first live show start's off with one of my fav In Flames fares "Pinball Map" and crunches through some incredibly heavy stuff including a cover of Pantera's "F*cking Hostile" and continues before ending with "My Sweet Shadow" which is off the unpopular STYE album but sends shivers up my spine whenever I hear it. And that's just the first live performance. The second is broken up into 2 sets the first is STYE in its entirity live and the other is older fan favs...BUY THIS DVD IF YOU CALL YOURSELF AN IN FLAMES FAN. "I found a flame in burnt out ashes."

you know you love in flames, and this DVD will NOT dissapoint. it's got pretty much 3 live shows, their music videos, a documentary on the band, and some other stuff. it is well worth the money, and the surround sound has a great mix so you can leave it playing and just releax in the in flames experience! only for the weak and clayman are my favourite of the DVD's, and i can't find much to fault except for the weird guy on the documentary. you really feel the energy of the crowd too and this definately gets points from me as they don't tour in australia much so its the next best thing.
just get it, its worth every cent.

This set includes 2 CDs and 2 DVDs, I watched the DVDs yesterday and they are amazing, and the CDs are as well this is a great value! Together, both CDs have 23 songs, just that is worth $20 but you also get 3+ hours of concert footage, music videos, and behind-the-scenes material. Definately a must have for any In Flames fan.

so buy it. One of the most underrated metal bands of all time thats just now really getting popular. From the early ceremonial oath /Dark Tranquility days Jesper Stromblad and Anders Friden have been musical giants in the swedish scene and deserve all the praise they can get. All their albums are great with the first 5 or so being classic and the newer ones seeing a different musical route but still just as catchy but a little more straight forward.Well actually alot more straight forward but just as enjoyable.

For anyone who is an In Flames fan, this is a must own dvd. The sound is great and they play so many great songs. Its a must own.

"In Live We Trust" is one of the best metal live performance DVDs that I've seen (the best being Slayer's "War at the Warfield"). The band's concert performances are truly amazing in front of both large and small crowds. While all of the concerts on this DVD show that In Flames put a lot of effort into proving a great performance, the footage shot in front of bigger crowds in London and Gothenburg also document the amazing response from the crowd. You need look no further than "Only for the Weak" in the "Soundtrack" tour section to see what I mean. Ander's on-stage energy level reminds me of Sammy Hagar when he was younger, and the overall musical performance by the band is basically flawless. The video and audio quality are excellent, and I only wish that the live material would be released as a CD so that I could listen to it more often.

The 2nd disk contains videos and some backstage footage which isn't near as good as the behind the scenes parts of other DVDs such as "Killadephia" from Lamb of God (also great, by the way). However, the real reason to get "In Live We Trust" is for the live performances.

Ok, this DVD is absolutely one of the best gifts a band could give its fanbase. Two live concerts, an hour of behind the scenes, seven music videos, equal time given to the old classics... and above all, the production is beyond stellar. Pump it through your stereo, and you have maybe the best live recording since Metallica's Seattle '89.

The guitars, bass, and drums are perfectly synchronized and rich... the atmospherics are the same as the album recordings, and really put a polish on these songs. There are even some new slants... Touch of Red has a new minor chord tuning that makes it almost a horror track... fabulous.

But what must be said, above all, is how fantastic Anders' vocal performance is here. You may not realize from the past two studio albums, but his evolution has been phenomenal (and vital, after lackluster performances on Clayman and the first live cd, Tokyo Showdown). His pitch is perfect, delivery good and throaty... not only is he hitting the high stuff fine, he brings in a never-before-heard death growl reminiscent of Dark Tranquility (check out In Search For I). After this performance, he has to be ranked as one of the best heavy vocalists out there, which I would have considered dubious before this purchase.

Two tracks make this DVD/CD a cannot-miss for the In Flames fan... their cover of F Hostile, which makes me go apes**t every time I hear it... and their rendition of Only For The Weak, which I considered a failed track on Clayman... here Anders sings it straight up, and people, this track is a classic, almost heartbreaking it's so good. You might as well get the CD version too, because you're going to have this track at the top of your collection.

A well-deserved five stars. Couldn't ask for anything more, it is honestly all here.