Pretty Maids - Alive at Least
XIII bis
Melodic Hard Rock
16 songs (76'22)
Release year: 2003
Pretty Maids, XIII bis
Reviewed by Ben

Pretty Maids are back with a new live album Alive at Least. With the overabundance of lives being released lately it would be a shame to let this one slip through as it excels in quality and puts most live albums to shame. There is one MAJOR problem however which I will get to later, and believe me it is quite atrocious. As part one in my Pretty Maids extravaganza week, this live serves as a review for a new album and shows old school fans what its like whereas my other album review this week, Spooked, is designed to let newer fans or people who have never heard of them before know what a killer group this is. In short, if you've been a fan of Pretty Maids for awhile, this one's for you, if you have never heard of them, check out the Spooked review first.

With Screamin Live being released almost ten years ago the time is right for a new live offering. There are only three runover tracks that appear on both lives so that leaves you twelve new songs or thirteen if you have the LTD edition. After a look at the tracklisting I popped this bad boy in and was greeted by the sweetness of Sin Decade. Right away I noticed the crystal production that authentically captures the live sound with a rich full atmosphere and if played at maximum volume (like all metal should be) you could swear you were in the front row watching them live at your local club. After Sin Decade the band goes straight into Destination Paradise and the crowds eating this up. At the quiet part of the song the band changes it up a bit live to just keys and voice and this sounds fresh and works good in the live setting. Tortured Spirit slows things down just a bit, and while it isn't my favorite song on the album I enjoy it a bit more live. So, as you can see I am enjoying this wholeheartedly and this is kicking ass but then oh what do you know after Tortured Spirit the song FADES OUT!!!! If there is one thing that can completely kill any spirit of a live album it is having fade outs after songs! I detest this and in my opinion I don't know why bands release live albums if there are fadeouts because the whole purpose of a live is to relive or recreate the experience of the band on stage and with fadeouts that purpose is shot and ruined. With that rant aside, and my excitement reduced, one of my favorite songs Wouldn't Miss You is next and sounds just as good live as in the studio. In the middle of the song Ronnie Atkins does one of those sing along parts that alot of bands do. Instead of doing the "oh yea, woaa oh yea" thing he instead does really different and unique vocal stylings that are fun to listen to. Check em out on their other live on the track Walk Away as they're on that as well. Another rarely aired song comes and goes, Nightmare in the Neighbourhood followed by two off of Planet Panic their latest studio release. One ballad and one rocker with Natural High and Virtual Brutality. Surprisingly Natural High is the only ballad on here. I say surprisingly because ballads are something that Pretty Maids are perfect at and the only one on here is off their newest album, not a classic. Two songs off of Red Hot and Heavy follow, Queen of Dreams and Cold Killer which is nice because lately the only songs that the band plays off that album are Back to Back and Red Hot and Heavy. After the good ol' oldies there comes some newer songs, Playing God and Snakes in Eden. Only four songs left to go and the band goes out in style with four classics, Shelley the Maid, Live Until it Hurts, and the asskicking Future World and Red Hot and Heavy. Now this is where the album should end but the Danish pressing includes the bonus Rodeo which is cool as hell as that’s a unanimous fan favorite and is a welcome addition to the cd.

As you can see by the review, if you are a fan of Pretty Maids then Alive at Least is definitely for you. They play your old favorites as well as the best new ones flawlessly. The only real downside though is the use of fadeouts. Even though there's only about three or four it still is very annoying and makes the album lose alot of its live edge. I could complain about the lack of certain songs, namely Know it Ain't Easy, Hell on High Heels, Partners in Crime, Invisible Chains, the list could go on forever but the ones that did make the cut are just as good as those I missed so that point quickly becomes moot. I really hope my reviews enlighten some readers to Pretty Maids, I bet some of them didn't even know that Back to Back on Hammerfall's Legacy of Kings is a Pretty Maids cover. As the band states in the liner notes, "To all our fans who were out there with us, this one's for you.”

Killing Songs :
Wouldn't Miss You, Snakes in Eden, Futureworld, Rodeo
Ben quoted no quote
Other albums by Pretty Maids that we have reviewed:
Pretty Maids - Undress Your Madness reviewed by Andy and quoted 78 / 100
Pretty Maids - Louder Than Ever reviewed by Chris and quoted 84 / 100
Pretty Maids - Motherland reviewed by Chris and quoted 100 / 100
Pretty Maids - Pandemonium reviewed by Chris and quoted 92 / 100
Pretty Maids - Scream reviewed by Ben and quoted 76 / 100
To see all 13 reviews click here
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