French Metal Friday: Gang-Live Is All

Underground Investigation
2015

Active since 1990, Gang is a heavy metal/thrash band that hails from Fismes, Champagne-Ardenne and is currently comprised of Bill (lead vocals), Steve (lead guitars), Biggy (lead guitars), Philty (bass guitar), and Malo (drums). As of this writing this veteran French group has six full-length albums, a EP of covers, and one additional live recording  ("Heavy Metal Road 666 - Live in Fismes 2012") to their name with LP number seven planned for sometime in 2016. This particular live release was recorded during the SOS Festival 2014 in Manchester, Radcliffe, UK. The set list for this live recording featured new material off of Gang's latest full-length release, "Inject the Venom" (which I covered here ) such as "All the Fool Around",  "Chaos for Glory", "Primal Reign", "All of the Damned", and "The King Becomes A God". There is also some older material such as "Believer / Betrayer" and "Skull's Out of Genocide" from 2010's "V" and a obligatory cover track in "Total Eclipse" (Iron Maiden)! The full track list appears below this review, but let's just say that Gang put together a nice assortment of material for this live release! Fans of this French hard & heavy thrash outfit should appreciate "Live Is All" if for no other reason than the fact that it sure seems to be a fair representation of these merchants of metal in the flesh! With a run-time of something like 40 minutes this upcoming release makes you feel as if you were right there in the crowd and a part of all the action! I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to hear a live album that actually sounds as if it came from real live event. There's nothing fancy about this one and it's quite obvious that nothing has been "touched up". With Gang what you see is what you get and just like the great wine that their home country is known for this French band has only improved with age! As it is due to drop in October Gang fans will have to wait just a little while for this release. In the meantime be sure to follow the band's Facebook page and while you're at it why not head over to be Gang's online site to hear sample bits from this disc? I've also included a link below* for another review that I did for this French band. Unless I'm mistaken (which happens a lot for me now that I'm getting that old "Touch Of Grey") it is also the first album that I ever covered from Gang.

"Live Is All" Track List:
 
1. Behind the Gate
2. All the Fool Around
3. Chaos for Glory
4. Believer Betrayer
5. Total Eclipse (Iron Maiden)
6. Primal Reign
7. Skull’s out of Genocide
8. All of the Damned
9. Make Some Noise for the Froggies
10. The King Became A God
11. Back to Asylum


*My first taste of this French band came by way "1993". Titled after the year in which it was released, "1993" was the band's debut album and even though it might not sound like it from my review I have come to enjoy the album extended EP quite a bit for what it is.

Ministry-Last Tangle In Paris Live 2012

UDR
2014

Chances are that most of our readers (if not all) are familiar with Ministry. First formed in 1981, with their 1983 debut album, "With Sympathy", showcasing a pop-oriented/synth-driven new wave sound (of which the danceable track "Work For Love" has always been a guilty pleasure of mine!), this on again/off again Chicago act as long been considered one of the grandfathers of the industrial rock/metal genre. With founder Al Jourgensen (vocals, guitars, keyboards and programing) serving as the one constant member of Ministry since day one this oft-times socially-conscious/political act is arguably the most well-known industrial metal band ever! In spite of that fact, and the knowledge that the group's 3rd LP, "The Land of Rape and Honey", has been a long-time comfort (!) through days of darkness, Ministry was one band I never had the privilege of seeing live. Sure, I've ventured out and about in order to lay witness to both KMFDM and Skinny Puppy (along with, over the course of some 20 or so years, a dozen-plus underground/unsigned industrial rock/metal bands whose names have long since escaped me), but I've never had the opportunity to catch  Al and his cohorts in a live setting. That begs the question then. Is "Last Tangle In Paris Live 2012" the next best thing? Well, if it isn't as good as being there in the flesh then it's good to be pretty damn close! And one thing it most certainly has going for it is the price! While I can't vouch for every online music store I will say that if you are a Prime member of Amazon then you can get this DVD/2CD set for a mere $10! Here's the link for that beauty of a deal (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KCDTX0I?ie=UTF8&tag=encymetatheme-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00KCDTX0I) and given the fact that there is a SHIT load of goodies crammed into this collection I'd say that is one hell of a deal! The DVD part of this collection comes from the DeFiBrilLaTouR and features not only the band live, but it comes with interviews, behind the scenes footage as well as backstage moments! Of course it does feature footage of long-time Ministry guitarist Mike Saccia which only serves as a sad reminder of the tragedy of his untimely passing. But anyway, here is the track-list from said show:

1.	Ghouldiggers
2.	No “W”
3.	Senor Peligro
4.	LiesLiesLies
5.	99%ers
6.	Life Is Good
7.	Relapse
8.	The Last Sucker
9.	Psalm 69
10.	New World Order
11.	Just One Fix
12.	Thieves

As one can see, Al Jourgensen (lead vocals and guitars) and the rest of Ministry (guitarists Mike Scaccia & Sin Quirin, bassist Casey Orr (who played alongside the late great Mike Scaccia in Rigor Mortis), keyboardist/sampler John Bechdel and drummer Aaron Rossi) do cover quite a bit of ground on the live DVD, but it is disappointing to see that nothing is represented from "The Land of Rape and Honey". Regardless, it is a damn good live show with spectacular effects and just going by the audience's response it's plain to see that Ministry really connected with their fans! Meanwhile here is the set lists from the two live CDs included in this package. The first one is from 2008 and features a killer line-up including Tommy Victor (of Prong fame naturally!) on guitars and special guest Burton Bell (Fear Factory).

1.	Ghouldiggers
2.	No “W”
3.	Senor Peligro
4.	Rio Grande Blood
5.	LiesLiesLies
6.	99%ers
7.	Life Is Good
8.	Relapse
9.	The Last Sucker

The second live CD comes from a 2006 show with the impressive line-up of lead vocalist Al Jourgensen, guitarist Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis), guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong), keyboardist John Bechdel (Fear Factory), Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven (R.I.P.) and drummer Joey Jordison (Slipknot). The track listing for that CD is:

1.	Psalm 69
2.	New World Order
3.	Just One Fix
4.	Thieves
5.	Khyber Pass
6.	Fear Is Big Business
7.	Let’s Go
8.	Watch Yourself
9.	So What

It's worth noting that Al Jourgensen sounds great during all of the live performances as do all of the misc. backing musicians he manged to aligned himself with. Other then the bit about the missing "Land of Rape and Honey" numbers there was little to complain about when it comes to this collection of live material. Given the impressive amount of footage that was crammed onto the live DVD and the overall sound quality of all of this it's well-worth investing in especially if you are in any way, shape or form a fan of Al Jourgensen and his work. Whether this release (or if you will the group's last studio album, 2013's "From Beer To Eternity") proves to be the last we here from this industrial metal outfit remains to be seen. If the group is really over though and Al has finally gone and closed the door on this part of his life then "Last Tangle In Paris" is as good a final curtain call as they come. 

REO Speedwagon-Live at Moondance Jam

Frontiers Records
2013

When it comes to acknowledging my wide-range of tastes I've never been one to to simply shy away. Whether it's with movies (musicals to horror flicks) or in this case music (ABBA to Napalm Death) I have always tried to keep an open mind and not hide the fact that I'm just not the sort of fella that you can fit perfectly into some square box! So, if I admit that I have REO Speedwagon in my personal CD collection just roll with it accept it for what it is! With that cat out of the bag let's turn our attention to this CD/DVD combo. Recorded at Minnesota's largest rock festival, "Live at Moondance Jam" comes 30 years after the release of the group's ninth studio-album, "Hi Infidelity". Given that revelation it should come as little to no surprise that the group, which is lead as always by the ageless Kevin Cronin (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, keyboards), chooses to open this live disc with "Don't Let Go" before rolling out fellow "High Infidelity" tracks "Keep On Loving You", "In Your Letter" (reportedly this is first ever live version of the song!) and "Take It On the Run". Despite the fact that these cuts are now 30 years old they still come across as timeless, but then again shouldn't that always be the case with great rock and roll? If there's one thing to take away from this live recording it's how amazing Kevin Cronin still sounds! As the band runs through classic tracks like "Keep on Loving You," "Take It on the Run," "Can’t Fight This Feeling," "Time for Me to Fly", "Roll with the Changes" and "Ridin' the Storm Out" Kevin proves his worth as one of classic rocks' better front-men and gives REO Speedwagon plenty to cheer about! For a band that (roughly) formed back in the late sixties(!) you would be hard-pressed to realize that given how much youthful energy they pump into a number like "Roll with the Changes"! And then there's the coolness that comes from cuts like "157 Riverside Avenue" (with it's multiple-instrumental solos this is one cut that is awesome when played live!), "Keep Pushin'" and, all the way back from REO Speedwagon's 1972 album, "R.E.O./T.W.O.", "Golden Country". That last number, "Golden Country", is another highlight as it shows off the band's early progressive rock roots and proves that you can change the musical direction of your band and still make respectable music. That's something that the current version of Boston could take a cue from! With Dave Amato on lead guitar, Bruce Hall on bass, Neal Doughty on keyboards and Bryan Hitt on drums this live recording from REO Speedwagon makes for a splendid addition to any fan's collection! As an added bonus both the CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray editions of "Live at Moondance Jam" feature an interview with REO Speedwagon's lead vocalist Kevin Cronin. For fans that should serve as even more incentive although it's doubtful they would need it!  While this release came as a surprise for me as I didn't actually request it by name (the physical CD/DVD version that is as I had the digital promo already) I'm still glad that I received it in the mail. I'm usually skittish about reviewing only one aspect of releases like this so I'm glad that I was able to preview the whole package together as it helps to be able to both hear and see a band like this perform some of their classic hits. While this one would make for a nice holiday gift I wager that it's a bit late for that idea. Still, this CD/DVD combo is one that I'm recommending for fans both old and young and, even if it would be a tad late for a Christmas present,  it would still be a wonderful gift for that classic rock fan in your life!