Customer Reviews

Live Insurrection

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Live Insurrection is a double album of live material performed by Rob Halford and his Halford band which can stand proudly alongside the legendary live Judas Priest albums Unleashed In The East and Priest...Live! Actually, one could argue that this may even be a bit better than the afformentioned Priest discs due to such a large quanity and wide variety of music being played from so many years (1976-2001) not to mention Rob sounding more talented and invigorated than ever before; he still has all the vocal range and power and the massive supply of energy that he had before and now his voice often has a really raw, raspy sound that just makes him sound even more menacing. His band is excellent as well, not quite Judas Priest but still total professionals. Every song on here is a winner with basically all of them sounding better than the original studio recordings. The Fight material (Into The Pit, Nailed To The Gun) is an especially major improvement on the originals. The Judas Priest material on here sounds as exciting as it ever was; listen to the second guitar solo on Tyrant and you'll swear Glenn Tipton was up on stage playing lead with them. The two songs I think are the undisputed all time classics of Live Insurrection are Made In Hell and Silent Screams. Other material from Halford's Resurrection album is here (Ressurection, Cyberworld, Saviour, The One You Love To Hate with Bruce Dickinson) and it all rules but those two songs are among some of the best that Rob has ever written and on here they become two of the best metal songs ever recorded. Made In Hell is a heavy, midpaced banger with an awesome intro riff and killer chorus and is one of the best odes to the history of heavy metal music ever. Silent Screams - I'm not gonna say anything about, you just have to hear it to believe it - could stand proudly alongside a shortlist of Judas Priest's greatest songs, in my opinion. There are three solid studio cuts at the end of disc two - Screaming In The Dark is solid speed metal not unlike the stuff on the Painkiller album and Heart Of A Lion and Prisoner Of Your Eyes are re-recorded versions of then unreleased Judas Priest songs, both are great. Every Judas Priest fan must have this CD. Anyone who wants to hear live heavy metal at its best, buy this, you won't regret it.

One of the true pioneers of metal is back. Rob Halford proved he is back with "Resurrection", and now his LIVE album (from the "2000 Resurrection Tour") proves his glass shattering high pitched voice can still belt it out to the masses. 94 shows in 7 months and touring thru 20 different countries - Halford & Co deliver the goods. Halford was so good that after he left the opening slot for Iron Maiden's "Brave New World Tour" this past summer, he went on to headline in other North & South American cities, Europe & Japan. Halford helped bring metal back into the new millenium with his 3 decades of material. From the opening track ("Resurrection" - listen to the crowd going nuts) to hard hitting Fight songs (best two are "Into The Pit" and "Nailed To The Gun") to classic versions of Judas Priest ("Beyond The Realms Of Death", "Genocide", "Tyrant", "Stained Glass" and "Metal Gods" to name a few)... the action is fast & furious. Chlasciak & Lachman are blindingly fast & accurate on guitars, but I am always drawn to the drummer (Bobby Jarzombek) and he continues to amaze me. A choice set list of songs. Great sound production. Great fans supporting his tour. Plus 3 new studio tracks which follow in the same "bang yer head here" mentality. Excellent package and worthy of the purchase.

Halford has always been one of my top two or three metal vocalists, along with Dickinson and Dio. But I really thought his best days were behind him. While I liked the studio version of Resurrection, it didn't grab me with the same intensity as this double disk. Metal God indeed! A great selection of Fight songs, Halford solo stuff and Priest tunes. Excellent choices on the later to include songs like "Stained Class" and "Tyrant" instead of the more predictable JP hits like "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" The band is tight as they can be as well. The guitar solos don't exactly redefine the genre or anything, but it's all very competent. This is an exciting release!

I expected a lot from this album and got even more than I bargained for; this is truly incredible. With the exception of "Slow Down" (and only because I'm just not a fan of the song), every track is a winner. While I think "Resurrection" sounds a bit better on the album, it still comes off very well here. It's also great to hear some old Priest tunes re-energized with much heavier guitars behind them. Finally, "Screaming in the Dark" bodes very well for the next studio effort. Of course, Halford's voice has to be commented on. Does anyone else sound so good at his age? The guy's in his 50's! I honestly don't know how it's possible for him to be hitting those notes after so many years and so many shows... It is clear now that Halford is THE heavy metal vocalist of all time - no one else even comes close (Ian Gillian and Ronnie Dio being more hard rock singers, in my opinion, and they don't sound nearly so great as they once did). Buy this album.

Somehow I recall reading a review somewhere of Bruce Dickinson's solo effort "Accident Of Birth," calling it "The best Iron Maiden album since Powerslave."

This dual disc reminds me of that...it's the live album Judas Priest never made.

First the bad points: The intro sample is a little on the ridiculous side (with the "panning" back and forth from side to side). And the inclusion of "The One You Love To Hate" is a minor mistake...not because it's not a great song, but because it sounds like it was overdubbed in the studio. Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear during one part of that song I hear THREE separate vocal tracks.

Now for the good parts: Everything else. Great production, excellent audience participation, a brilliant song selection with the best tracks from the "Resurrection" release (plus live versions of the two tracks that were not on the U.S. version), a couple excellent tunes from the first Fight album, "Light Comes Out Of Black," and a ton of Priest classics (though I really would've loved to have seen "The Sentinel" included, as it is STILL my all-time favorite Priest tune) PLUS a couple "new" studio tracks at the end (the "new" is in quotes because of the presence of previously-unreleased Priest material)

Credit must go to Halford's band for pulling off Priest classics in their own inimitable style. In terms of guitar solos, the renditions of certain Downing-spawned leads aren't quite on the money, but the interpretations are good nonetheless. The Tipton-original leads, however, are stellar, especially on "Beyond The Realms Of Death" (any metal fan worthy of the title, even if he or she doesn't play guitar, should know that solo note-for-note.)

A truly superb live release!

AFTER ROB HALFORD'S SUCCESSFUL RESURRECTION ALBUM COMES THIS PRECIOUS LIVE METAL RELEASE.IT IS A MONUMENTAL PIECE THAT EVERY TRUE JUDAS PRIEST/ROB HALFORD FAN SHOULD OWN.THIS DOUBLE CD ALBUM DISPLAYS ROB AND THE REST OF THE HALFORD BAND AT THEIR BEST PLAYING SONGS FROM THE RESURRECTION DEBUT, SONGS FROM ROB'S PAST BAND FIGHT AND OF COURSE THE MIGHTY JUDAS PRIEST.ALONG WITH THREE SPECIAL STUDIO TRACKS.NOT ONLY THAT BUT THIS VERSION HAS A LIVE BONUS TRACK CALLED "BLACK OUT" FEATURING RUDOLF SCHENKER OF THE LEGENDARY SCORPIONS.SO THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL TREAT FOR ALL THOSE METAL MANIACS WHO OWN THIS.IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE THE REGULAR VERSION OF THIS RELEASE ITS OK.BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GET THIS ONE.THE METAL GOD IS ALIVE AND WELL IN THE NEW MILLENIUM!! HAIL ROB HALFORD!! HAIL HEAVY METAL!!

For me anyway. Captures the raw energy and emotion of Halford live

I don't have too much to say except that there is a healthy selection of Priest and Fight classics, as well as a good bit of Halford's newer stuff from. All in all, it makes for a remarkable mix of Heavy Metal, and over my 100+ CDs, this is easily one of my top ten, and is my #1 Live album. A common misconception, however, is that Halford did not play any songs from Two on this disc. "Silent Screams" is actually originally a song he wrote while in Two, and then later remade with his band, Halford. Two's music before Reznor mixed it was a lot heavier than what you hear on the Voyeurs CD.

Rob Halford surprised me with his "Resurrection" comeback. But even more surprising is this live album from his solo band. Even though some of its "liveness" can be put in question like Unleashed in the East, it contains some of his best singing EVER!
The album runs the gamut from Stained Class era Priest, to Fight and of course his recent material. The songs from early Priest are old favorites of mine Priest haven't even played for years.
The playing is tight and smooth, but the highlight is of course Halford himself. He sings with a renewed intensity not seen on the originals themselves even. This album is probably the best album for someone wanting to delve into Halford AND Priest in general - Highly recommened.

This is by far the best live CD I have purchased in years. The sound quality is outstanding, and the track selection covers the career of Rob Halford. Rob's old bandmates Judas Priest also have a live disc out, but it pales in comparison to Halford's offering. Skip the Priest release and buy this one instead. You won't be disappointed.