Detailed Reviews [Believe - 2008 - "Hope to See Another Day Live DVD"]

Prolusion. Although formed as recently as 2005, the Polish band BELIEVE is an experienced outfit. Led by veteran guitarist Mirek Gil, the band is mostly formed of seasoned musicians he's worked with previously, and Japanese violin player Satomi is the only newcomer to the world of rock music. Their debut album "Hope to See Another Day" made quite an impact after being released on the Swiss label Galileo Records back in 2006, and while they were in the middle of recording their follow-up album, “Yesterday Is a Friend”, the band was given the chance to get a live concert filmed and released on DVD. This DVD, "Hope to See Another Day: Live", was released by the Polish label Metal Mind Productions in 2008.

Analysis. Metal Mind Records has become somewhat of an expert label in making and releasing live DVD's by artists in the field of rock and metal. It has dound itself a suitable theater in Katowice, Poland, where most of these concerts are recorded, and to be cost efficient they usually record several concerts in one go. This concert was filmed on November 19th of 2007, and Believe took the stage prior to Polish veterans SBB on this particular occasion. As usual with DVD releases from Metal Mind, the quality is as good as can be expected from a production that isn't a multi-million production. The film footage is of generally good quality; the images are sharp and defined, the color balance is good, and there are enough cameras in action to provide a good variety of angles. The sound quality is generally good as well, with good balance to the mix; all instruments come across defined in the soundscape, and we do get some audience sounds as well, but not to the extent that they disturb the performance by the band in any manner. As with most live DVDs, the editing of the footage needs to be well done to make such the release interesting to watch. On this release the editor has chosen to focus on vocalist Rozycki, but with quite a few shots of guitarist Mirek Gil and violinist Satomi as well. There are relatively few close-ups of the other band members. Instead we're treated to quite a few shots of the whole band on stage, with overhead footage as well as shots from in front of the stage. A few chosen audience shots have been edited in too. When watching this concert, I did get an impression that the band as a whole seemed rather tense or nervous during this filming. Its members are excellent musicians, there's no doubt about that. The performance as such is of excellent quality, but there's not much showmanship. Especially in the first half of the concert there's really not much happening apart from the musicians playing their tunes - with the exception of Marek Gil. This veteran guitarist is the liveliest person on stage, not moving around much, but by facial expressions and body language showing a passion for what he's doing that is fascinating to behold. In the second half of the concert Rozycki and Satomi loosen up a bit; there's generally more smiles to be seen, and I get the impression that the other band members slowly start to relax and really enjoy themselves. Personally I would have liked seeing more shots of Satomi on this DVD, though; she's a beautiful looking woman, and the mostly male audience I suspect will want to buy this DVD would probably have appreciated seeing more footage of her as well. As track selection goes, Believe doesn't have much to choose from, with only one album under their belt at this time. They play all the tunes from their debut album, one tune from their - at this time - forthcoming CD (Memories) and one tune by one of Marek Gil's previous bands (Beggar). Basically fans of the band who enjoyed their debut get to see all their favorite tunes performed live, with a couple of boons added.

Conclusion. Fans of Believe, particularly those who enjoy the band’s debut album, might want to add this DVD to their collection. If for no other reason than they will get to see as well as hear live renditions of their favorite tunes and excellent recordings of these too. Admirers of Marek Gil's playing should also be a target audience for this release, and people generally interested in the recent wave of Polish progressive rock might find this one interesting also. It's not a DVD for anyone expecting to be entertained beyond the point of seeing a band play live, though. At least at this stage in their career this group for me comes across as high class musicians first and foremost, with a bit of developing to do to come across as a really entertaining live act.

OMB: September 16, 2008
The Rating Room