Customer Reviews

Godsmack - Changes

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hi. Just for the record, I have not been a godsmack fan for very long, and only have 2 of their albums, but I decided to pick up this dvd before becoming more familiar with the rest of their material. And, to tell you the truth, this dvd can be a pleasurable experience for people like me who dont even have all of their cd's, or for others who are like diehard fans, and have been to every show, and have everything little thing this band puts out.

To start things off, the dvd is about 1 hour and 40 minutes of well mixed documentary material, and interviews, alongside with one of their live shows in Pennsylvania. The interviews really give you an inside view of what the Godsmack, or any other band, is like on the road, and how fame and a band has changed their lives. I found each band member to have a certain level of maturity and education, and was very impressed at the fact that they did not crowd up this dvd with women and drugs, and stuff like that. I know some other bands who do so, and it starts to become a pain watching something that isn't very informative, or proves that the band has no class.

All of the live songs are amazing, and what surprised me is that they sound just like that recording. Many bands, as you may well know, are studio musicians, but nooooo...not Godsmack. Sully has an okay voice, but at last he doesnt hide behind studio effects, and stuff like that. Believe me, you wont be dissapointed AT ALL.
Unfortunately, Sully likes to cuss a lot, and although it's probably nothing you guys havent heard before, it kind of makes you go, "Oh he's so cool and mature and stuff, and I want to grow up to be in a band like his" and then all of a sudden he comes out saying, "man i wish they would just f***ing do the f***ing dvd for the f***ing love of christ. Jesus, what the f*** can'ta they f***ing do this s**t!?" and then it kind of puts you down. But oh well, that doesnt change the fact one bit that they are an exceptionally mature band, and and inspired to be creative, original, and to work hard at what they do.

There is a drum solo, and Sully, who sings and plays guitar in the band, plays drums, and bongos, and congos and sweet tribal intruments like that. Drums were his original instrument, and he's been playing for many years. Just getting to see him play his best with his other drummer, Shannon , is an amazing sight, and what really blows my mind is that fact that they only follow a routine for the song up to a certain point. All of the drum fills that they do are made up on the spot, and could be differnt every night they play it! It was amazing, and in my opinion, this 5-minute medley is worth the price of the dvd itself.

So, as you can see, this dvd will not only fascinate you to no end, but it will also keep you WELL entertained. After watching this dvd, I had nothing but respect for these guys, and I can't wait to go to one of their real live shows someday.

Lastly, the dvd comes equipped with 5.1 dolby digital surround sound capabilities, so you can get a full "concert experience" in you own living room. There is also a picture gallery, which isn't much, but hey, it sounds cool, and makes people want to buy it. Of course, the film itself is well worth the price of this dvd, whether it's 17 bucks on amazon, or 20 bucks at frys or whatever. You wont be dissapointed, and I guarentee it.

Thank you for reading my loooooong review, I hope you were able to stay awake in the process.

If you like Godsmack, owning this DVD is mandatory. The sound and video quality are top notch as is the band's live performance. The "behind the scenes" footage is pretty interesting. However, it would be nice if you could watch all the songs straight through without the documentary clips that are shown between tunes. I found one thing a little distracting in the concert footage. On some of the songs when Sully is not playing rhythm guitar (i.e., Tony is the only one playing guitar), you can hear a second guitar track. My guess is that these tracks were added in post-production to thicken the sound and make the songs sound more like the album. I saw Godsmack live a few weeks ago (opening for Metallica) and I didn't notice any phantom guitar during Godsmack's set. So I doubt that there was actually another guy playing guitar but hidden backstage during the performances on the DVD. Overall, this is a great DVD and it captures the power of Godsmack's stage show extremely well.

I became a fan of Godsmack because of the fresh and infectuous drum tracks on the album Awake. I don't own any Godsmack CD's but I have heard their stuff. I had a chance to watch this DVD a few days ago, and man was I impressed.

I have probably a dozen other live hard-rock/metal DVD's, and this one is right up at the top of the pack for best live sound and great camera work. Some live DVD editors are guilty of switching camera angles too often and too fast. This DVD will engage singers, guitarists, and drummers, because it balances the footage very well between the band members. The sound on this DVD is awesome, even on a crappy TV speaker. Granted, much of that is just that the band has such a great sound, but the live mix is great.

This DVD features a face-to-face drum battle and two-part drum solos. It also contains a movie, which just follows the band around and gives the viewers an inside track on getting to know the band. I think this is a very good effort of how to produce a DVD. Godsmack is really giving a lot to their fans, not only in unbelievable performance, but also in a well-done DVD.

I don't really need to say much about this band. But their music is fresh and infectuous, and every band member is phenomenal at his instrument. Together they have tremendous energy. The reason I say all of this is because you see it live on this DVD. The sound is so tight and powerful.

This DVD demonstrates a talented and powerful band - live. The sound and their stage presence are so good live I found little (if any) measurable difference between it and their studio work.

This DVD only confirms my assumptions about Godsmack's dedication to their music and to their fans, and to the delivery of absolute quality in everything they do.

First of all, the DVD itself is a gem. The quality of the artwork of the case contents, as well as the camera work, the content editing and production, and the Circle Surround audio makes playback truly amazing, on almost any home sound system.

As a heavy metal and rock enthusiast, and as a member of the band's generation, Godsmack has struck a chord with me. This is not your stereotypical thrash-happy, metal band. Changes shows that Godsmack is truly an exceptionally talented hard rock band who exhibit superior creativity, intelligence, commitment to quality, and an extraordinary work ethic. They are living proof that their recipe for success works, and frankly, it's inspiring. Show this to your teenage kids as a prime example of the rewards for living core values.

Furthermore, Changes doesn't insult the viewers' intelligence with overindulgence in wine and women. On the contrary, it portrays a realistic side of the band that includes perspectives about their families and the kind of dedication that's needed to survive on the road for 10 months straight.

In addition, it's refreshing to see a band get along so well, having so much respect for one another and for the band as a whole. Each member is among the best in the business, and being able to keep their individual pride in check for the good of the band is a testament in itself.

Finally, the music is just above and beyond any of my expectations from a live performance. Here's where the true quality of Godsmack becomes apparent. The band doesn't take shortcuts or play out of tune, or improvise in any of the numbers. Instead, they cover the full range and intensity they deliver on their studio releases. Visually, their stage performance and effects are a stunning compliment to their music. And yes, I'll concur that the tandem drum session is worth the price of the DVD alone.

Godsmack has rewarded its fans in a big way with this release. But even if you're not a fan, one can't help but appreciate the craftsmanship of the band and the fine product they've created.

As they say themselves in the documentary, "They sold their souls for rock 'n roll". Overall, this is an amazing DVD that really shows their fans their true selves, which is basically one laugh after the other. These guys crack me up! My favorite part is the battle of the drums between Sully and Shannon. It's intense! They sound awesome (and I have not so good speakers) and the show just blew me away. I would recommend this DVD to any Godsmack fan!

I am a fan of Godsmack, but not necessarily passionately so. I've never taken in a live show, but I have a couple of their studio CD's and think a number of their songs are excellent. That being said, I did not expect them to be a great live act. I didn't have faith that Sully could pull off his songs live. Boy, what a fool I was!!!

Sully and the band put on an absolutely flawless show. The entire band really rocks and Sully's vocals are tight. I wouldn't call it a spectacle to see, but it doesn't need to be. There are some lasers, lights, and pyro (oh, and moving drum/percussion sets - a definite highlight). But the set is really all about the music. And the performances really blew me away.

I have great respect for each of the band members having now seen them perform and having gotten to know them a little through the quality interviews included. Godsmack is just a great rock band that believe in the power of their art and entertainment. It certainly moved me.

And I must call attention to the drummer, Shannon. Other reviewers have praised him as well, but I have to say he is the most exciting drummer I have ever seen. He is an absolute wildman on the drums. His skill is great I am sure, but the amazing thing is the visual spectacle. He just wails on the drums. During the interviews mention is made of the muppet Animal, and the analogy is perfect. The drum battle between Sully and Shannon truly is awesome. I can't imagine any music fan not being pumped up after that one. Shannon goes off throughout. Check him out on Bad Religion, etc.

This DVD really heightened my knowledge of the band. I have a whole new respect for them. If you are a huge fan already, I am not saying anything you do not already know. But if you're like me and are really just a casual fan, let me encourage you, you cannot go wrong with this DVD. If you like live rock and roll, you'll love what these guys have to offer you.

I've hardly come across any amazing concert DVD's, but this meets the standards of awesomeness. The quality is so SO good, I can watch it over and over and still have my pants wet. This is a definite buy for ANYONE, whether or not Godsmack is your favourite band, this is an amazingly SWEET and a steal! With this type of WICKED material, the price is ripping GODSMACK off!! BUY IT, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED IN THE LEAST!!

Godsmack's new DVD absolutley blew me away. It was so awesome and amazing!! I can watch this DVD over and over and never get tired of it. Some great stuff about this DVD is if you don't wanna watch the documentary parts, you can just watch the whold DVD straight forward as a concert. Man, it's sooooo good. Godsmack is the best ever!! BUY THIS!

I agree with most of the other reviewers on this title, but there is one thing that is annoying about it. You do have the capability of watching just the performances without the documentary footage, however, the performances have a gap after each song. This is because they have set the menu up where all of the songs are one chapter with the individual songs being titles within that chapter. This means that you lose the feeling of a live show somewhat because each song ends and then your player will have about a 2-3 second break as it jumps to the next song. This would not be such a big deal except that some of the songs go right into each other and it really detracts from the flow of the show. They really should go back in and re-edit the footage where it flows seamlessly as it does on the Godsmack-Live DVD. With that said, the footage and sound quality are great overall and I would have probably given it 5 stars if not for the annoying editing of the performances.

There is no way to say this other then this DVD absolutely rocked. The past Godsmack DVD's were plagued with problems but this one is just perfect. The sound quality is amazing, simply put. The only flaw I found was that when you play the movie, Voodoo and Whatever (which Amazon forgot to list here) are interrupted with interviews. Why they did that still puzzles me, but you can watch those two songs in their entirety when you select them in the Individual song menu which basically eliminates the interview or backstage segments. If you like the band at all you will be amazed as you watch them play, it's a solid and perfect performance. Once you open the DVD package you are greeted with a letter from Shannon Larkin telling you the usual stuff on how much the band appreciates the fans and what its like to work in a band but what came across as shocking was that they were almost unable to film this concert for some reason.

Something that may puzzle people is that it's listed as being PG, this is not true as they swear their heads off on this DVD, but not too excessively but enough that its definitely not PG. As I stated before the sound quality and video quality are excellent and if you're a drummer (like myself), Batalla de los Tambores is worth the price of this thing in itself. At first I wasn't too sure about Shannon being a good replacement for Tommy Stewart but this show proves that he's even better, as watching his style of playing is captivating in itself. Buy this thing yourself and prepare to get smacked.