I thought that this was just mere average. Didn't think that the band put in enough effort to get a higher rating. Even though it's all the original members, I still felt that they could've done better in the lead department. The bass guitar could've been a little bit louder as well. They were on target with the rhythms though, so in that aspect it was good. I just felt that the Hoffman brothers could've dished out better more awesome leads that they did on the albums. Nevertheless, I think that the whole album was about average. Nothing captures the intensity of the earlier material. They only played 1 track from 'Legion' (1992) which I deem to be their best album.

I think that they emphasized the songs more on 'Once upon the Cross' (1995) and their tour album 'Serpents of the Light' (1997). On their first album I don't think they really were up to par on - not nearly as fast and Glen Benton could've emphasized more on screams than low-end vocals. I remember reading that he said that he was drunk when they recorded their first release. I don't doubt that, but he sounded like he was possessed on that one. I think it was his best output. The low end vocals just bore me; he doesn't put in enough intensity and that was my issue here with this live release. It's also an issue with the more current way that he sounds. On here some screaming, but not much.

Brian and Eric were on cue regarding the rhythms as mentioned, though they didn't really captivate me in the lead department. There could've been more intensity and aggression. It seemed that they lacked that, but it's still one helluva an effort by the band altogether. The drums were on cue, though the double bass was a little hard to hear. I know live recordings are a little bit tougher to capture all of the sounds. So in effect, it has a wear than on the studio versions. It's up to the band members as well if they want to improvise or play what's strictly from the album. I feel that they improvised a little bit on the leads and not so much on the rhythms. Glen was mostly low-end bellows.

They should've played more than 1 track from 'Legion', as the only song they played was 'Dead but Dreaming'. It was good though that they played a lot from the first album. That one I think is the most intense Deicide release ever. Their improvisation again was in the lead department, but they didn't show as much intensity that they should've. I don't care if they didn't have White Castle sliders that day. Even if they did, they could've put forth a better recording than what was on here. I'm not being hard on the band and I'm glad that at least the original members were with the band putting forth this effort that took place in Chicago circa 1998.

I wish that I could've attended this gig, but I caught them on a brief session on 'Once upon the Cross' tour of which they only played for 15 minutes because someone spit on Glen. After that they just walked off the stage. Pretty disappointing. But here they capture the audience with about an hour long live session that I don't think is higher than a C rating. But they still did a good job. It's better than what they're putting out nowadays. Without the Hoffman brothers, Deicide will never be the same. I think that a lot of people feel the same way. They can't put together much meaningful music and they were much more captivating during their earlier days.

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
07/29/2014 21:25