Arch Enemy - Tyrants Of The Rising Sun - Live In Japan
Century Media
Melodic Death Metal
Disc 1: 10 songs (43:00) Disc 2: 10 songs (44:32)
Release year: 2008
Arch Enemy, Century Media
Reviewed by Pete

Only two years after Arch Enemy released Live Apocalypse the band release Tyrants Of The Rising Sun - Live In Japan. Many would think at this point that the marketing gang behind the Swedish melodic death metallers were the same ones behind Iron Maiden. Their thinking must run along the lines of 'a successful album must require a live release to complement it'. In many ways Tyrants… is a pointless release milking the cash cow so to speak, but this would be doing the actual product a massive disservice. For all the questions about the relevance of this package one can't deny the sheer thrill of seeing one of the best and most exhilarating live bands in metal.

The aspect that helps Tyrants… is the track listing. In comparison to Live Apocalypse it's quite a different set. Of course there are the usual songs that an Arch Enemy set wouldn't be without. Ravenous, Nemesis and We Will Rise are all the stock songs that can turn a responsive crowd to a rabid crowd. But on Tyrants…, apart from tracks from their latest opus, the band have included such tunes as Shadows And Dust from Wages Of Sin, Dark Insanity from Black Earth and Silverwing from Burning Bridges. It's as if there's been a conscious effort to make the set lists as different as possible, which, if you're a big Arch Enemy fan, makes this DVD worth collecting. If you're only a passing Arch Enemy fan this DVD is also worth getting hold of because the performance is quite breathtaking.

There's an incredible atmosphere that oozes out of the T.V screen. Not only is it made up of the excellent Arch Enemy back catalogue and charismatic performances, but the Japanese crowd play a big part as well. After recently watching the latest Gamma Ray Live DVD, the Montreal crowd are like subdued rabbits compared to the frantic Japanese. They're total nutters! They even sing along to the solos! The crowd love this band so much that it's easy to get carried away in the melee and on DVD that takes some doing.

Angela Gossow's huge 'RAAAAAHHHHHH' to kick into opening track Blood On Your Hands is like the stone that starts the rock-slide. Christopher and Michael Amott, arguably one of the best duel axe attack in metal at the moment, trade solos as if it was effortless, and drummer Daniel Erlandsson demonstrates why he tops readers polls in Japan. The production of the sound is excellent which bodes well for the live CD, but it also rates higher than the production on the album Rise Of The Tyrant itself. This helps the songs plucked from that disc to have new life and energy.

The added documentary is an interesting insight into what makes the Japanese fan tick. You begin to understand why they're so dedicated and loyal to metal bands, Arch Enemy especially. The film is devoid of fans running up to and shouting the bands name into the camera, a feature annoyingly frequent in other DVDs. The film also goes into the E.S.P guitar factory where Michael Amott is a guitar legend, and it's these aspects that make this film a more fascinating watch than many band documentaries. There are also a handful of promo videos. Once again Tyrants… distances itself from Live Apocalypse by only including Revolution Begins and I Will Live Again.

Although Arch Enemy have released two live packages in a short amount of time they are a little like estranged brother and sister. They're suitably different with arguably Tyrants… being the stronger of the two. Of course not all of us want to sit on a comfy couch to watch metal. Music is for listening not necessarily watching, so, if you have a spare ten quid, you can fork out for the live CD of the set list. If you shop carefully you can buy both packages for less than twenty quid, now that's a bargain.

Killing Songs :
Silverwing, Nemesis, Shadows And Dust, The Day You Died, Enemy Within
Pete quoted no quote
Other albums by Arch Enemy that we have reviewed:
Arch Enemy - Burning Bridges reviewed by Ben and quoted 90 / 100
Arch Enemy - War Eternal reviewed by Joel and quoted 89 / 100
Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions reviewed by Tony and quoted 87 / 100
Arch Enemy - Stigmata reviewed by Goat and quoted 90 / 100
Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant reviewed by Aleksie and quoted 90 / 100
To see all 11 reviews click here
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