Customer Reviews

For Those Aboot to Rock - Live at the Commodore

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

 

 

STRAPPING YOUNG LAD - For Those Aboot to Rock...

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All I can say is wow... This is pretty much the top tier of live performance DVD's I have seen.

Devon and Crew are especially sharp at this convert in their home base of Vancouver B.C.

The Footage is fantastic, showing multiple camera shots on split screens... giving much more in depth look of the band as a whole then just one big wide angled stage shot.

Another thing is that they sound incredible live... Gene Hoglan's Drumming is as precise live as in the studio... Plus it is comical to watch a man, especially of his mass, move his arms faster than a humming bird.

Also Byron (Bass) and Jed (Guitar) both have a great stage presence... Let's be honest who wouldn't go crazy sharing a Stage with Devon Townsend... This guy is just nuts, Funny song introductions are heard on almost every song: "This is about my favorite class in High School... Social Studies... because that was AFTERMATH!" - I mean, come on, that is the corniest thing I've ever heard... But that is what makes SYL fantastic... Skullet bound Devon is like a Mental Asylum escapee... He even daunts a foam cowboy hat in the later part of their set. And the best part is their classic closer: `Far Beyond Metal' when they let that guy sing... Near the end of the song Devon, Jed, and Byron can all be seen laughing on the side of the camera.... Awesome!!! Truthfully, what other bands would dare let this god awful singer appear on their DVD? No one but SYL. They see that there is humour in Metal and seem to have more fun playing Metal than anyone else.

From a just live concert perspective this is absolutely amazing. The Bonus Material and Videos are ok but the concert is easily the high point.

Favorite Tracks: Relentless, Oh My F#&king God, and of course, Far Beyond Metal.

-4.5 Stars.

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Wow are these guys awesome.....their stage presence is unbelievable and what a great choice of songs. Filmed in front of a very energetic Canadian crowd that just can't get enough of them....SYL proves to be near the top of their game. And boy do they have fun up there. Included is 2 videos and some behind the scenes/interviews with the band. Well worth any amount to pay if you are a fan.....a must have. The only set back is the mix of the live sound. It is difficult sometimes to hear the guitars because they seem to get drowned out....but....none the less a great dvd at a great price.

I've followed the carrer of Devin Townsend since the Steve Vai days, and although I am not a die-hard fan, I find their constant search for sheer intensity and a more-extreme-than-thou attitude entertaining at least. Truth be known, Townsend and company are pranksters of metal, presenting that intense musical direction while maintaining a comedic decorum that screams out death metal satire.

The film itself is an impresive production, featuring many camera angles and split screen segments that give the viewer whatever desired perception he may want during an actual live performance. This is heightened by the band's uncanny ability to interact with the actual audience with almost no boundries that most musical groups have. Whether inviting the tuneless Drew onstage at the film's finale to help sing the chorus or accepting foam cowboy hats from rabid fans to wear onstage, it is obvious that the band has acceptance and reverance by the extreme metal underground. On top of all this, SYL proves their technical ability with a setlist that will please die-hard fans and a persona that anyone could appreciate.

There are about an hour's worth of extras, but I feel more could have been done in this area. The videos are okay at best, and the interviews are more funny than revealing, but the essense of the live show are what counts on "For Those Aboot To Rock"

-l-

A friend of mine loves this band, and he insisted I watch this DVD. Surprisingly, I liked it very much, even though there were times I was laughing at the sheer silliness of it. If you like thrash metal played very loud, very fast, and love watching a lead "singer" who looks like Gollum scream, this is the DVD for you. Most of the time these concert DVD's are not particularly well filmed, but this one is. There is some startling split screen effects and excellent camera work, which is something one doesn't normally associate with stuff like this. The crowd is really appreciative of the band (Strapping Young Lad recorded this in Vancouver, their home base), and their drummer is phenomenal. He's a really big guy, yet he has incredible dexterity for a man of his size. He also mugs a bit for the camera, and it's very funny. This was my first experience with Canadian thrash metal. It may be the last, though I'm not sure. Still, it's an experience.

The sound quality is amazing, however I was very dissapointed when I popped the dvd in and it was 4:3.

As always SYL is punshing, and canadian.

I've been a Strapping Young Lad fan ever since I first saw the guys live in San Francisco a couple years ago. Until then I had never even heard of them, and it was by supreme good fortune that they shared the bill with Swedish melodic-metallers Dark Tranquillity, who I was really there to see. Watching SYL live in that tiny space was unbelievable: Devin was probably the scariest looking man I had ever seen (and probably still is), the band played the most crushing metal I had ever heard, and Dev's onstage quips and antics were unlike anything I'd ever witnessed. The next Monday I ran out and bought their self-titled masterpiece, and since then I've become a fan not only of SYL but of Dev's other (less abrasive, more experimental) work as well.

This DVD kills. It's not only a great Strapping show, it's just a great metal show period; the sound is great and the band's intensity totally infects the crowd of Kanucks piled into the Commodore. Gene Hoglan's enormous mass distracts from the fact that he is probably the most technically skilled drummer in the universe, Byron and Jed provide solid support to Devin, who leers, howls and taunts his way through the show with reckless abandon. Devin's twisted, cartoonish pre-song comments are an awesome contrast to the oh-my-f*#king-god intensity of the band's music. Highlight is when Dev invites a fan onstage to sing one of the final songs and after a particularly horrible display of vocal bungling, announces "You're gonna have to live with this for the rest of your life." Has some entertaining bonus features, but who really cares. This DVD will be bought for the show, period. Get it.

I'm confused as to why Amazon doesn't list the name of the band who released For Those Aboot To Rock: Live At The Commodore, that band being Canadian metal maniacs Strapping Young Lad. And in case you're wondering, yes the title is indeed For Those ABOOT To Rock (not ABOUT, as Amazon has it listed). The title is a joke based on the fact that the band is Canadian.

Having said all of that, I am a huge fan of Strapping Young Lad, and I'm here to tell other SYL fans that this DVD is a must have. The film quality on the live show is outstanding. Plus, the DVD contains interviews with the band, and a couple of music videos. Those of you who have witnessed an SYL show know how unbelievably intense this band is, especially when they play live. If you enjoy metal that is beyond tight and that kicks you in the teeth relentlessly, this DVD is a great choice. SYL fans should buy it immediately.

Strapping Young Lad is an amazing metal entitity. Seemingly, they're a metal juggernaut that can't be stopped. Just check out their latest cd "Alien", wow. So, as far as dvds go, I expected so much more from this release. Either way, I was going to buy it but from a guy as creative as Devin, "For Those" is a very basic, meat and potatoes release.

Add to this a sound mix that barely even seems to be in stereo (I can't tell where Devin's guitar starts and Jed's ends). Why didn't Devin produce the sound on this? The guy is a phenomenal producer and this dvd would seem to be below his usual high standards.

The hyperkinetic video production is excellent with many split screen shots allowing you to see SYL members playing from different angles. This is the best part of the DVD.

I know all you SYL fans like me are going to have to have this, but I'm just putting my two cents in to give you fair warning. Maybe we'll get another, more impressive one in the future.

Rock The Box!