Bloodbath are best summed up as stated by current (and former) frontman Mikael Akerfedlt on this, their first (and only?) live release: “We started as a drunken side project, and it’s now a death metal elite”. Never shy of self-promotion (and why should he be when his main band is a little group named Opeth?), it is a fair call when the band’s ranks include active members of Katatonia and along with Mikael boasts Opeth’s current drummer.
This is a collection of musicians that began with several releases early in Katatonia’s life, and the chemistry has been evident since their first EP, Breeding Death. They bring this chemistry to the stage for the first time here, and as Mikael so eloquently puts it, we should consider ourselves lucky. The aforementioned EP is aired in its entirety, with each track drawing obvious approval from the crowd, most of whom have probably been beside themselves waiting for this package to finally be released (it was recorded in 2005, after all). Performed on the back of the band’s last album, Nightmares Made Flesh, it also draws heavily from this release, and Mikael does an outstanding job of performing songs recorded with “temporary” vocalist Peter Tagtgren.
As with all live albums, what is presented here is essentially a ‘Best Of’. Although with the inclusion of a DVD as part of a packaged release, we are able to bear witness to the commanding performance that was given (and if we are to believe the mid-song banter, the only performance ever to be given). This is an obvious essential for fans, and an excellent introduction for those who are finding their way into the genre (via Opeth perhaps). As live releases go, this is essential.
