Detailed Reviews [Osada Vida - 2012 - "Where the Devils Live"]

Prolusion. The Polish band OSADA VIDA has been around in one form another since 1997, and following two demo CDs they released their debut album "Three Seats behind a Triangle" in 2007. Since then they have been signed to the Polish label Metal Mind and have released a further two studio productions. "Where the Devils Live" is their first DVD, and was released by Metal Mind Productions in the summer of 2012.

Analysis. Whenever I receive a letter with promotional material from Metal Mind that contains one of their DVD productions, I pretty know what to expect before even watching it. This label has live DVD productions as a specialty, using a fixed location where their team knows just what to do and how to do it, with an evening of live concerts resulting in two or three live DVDs to be released later on. The material for this one was captured on November 10, 2011, and is the first of the bands performing this evening to have their DVD released, to my knowledge. Metal Mind has a solid camera team in action at the Slaski theatre in Katowice, with a fair number of handheld and mounted cameras in action, which gives them the opportunity to include a number of different shots and angles for the DVD. Close-up of all musicians are to be expected, as are scenes of the whole band on stage shot in front of or over the stage. A few moving cameras are utilized as well, adding a further element of variety to the proceedings. As always, the images are of high quality throughout, not comparable to any multi-million dollar production obviously, but as good as it presumably can get when there's a set limit to the budget. Clear images with strong and full color capture, at least whenever the blue stage lights aren't in action. Otherwise it's evident that there's been a bit of work going on in post production beyond merely assembling shots in a logical and interesting order. Effects filters and color effects are frequently employed, as are the occasional lapses into black and white for pure effect and a slight tendency for nervous, fast paced scene rotations. Not quite to my taste, but it does add an edgy and contemporary feel to the experience. The audio capture is good and clear as usual, with fine instrument separation and a crystal clear capture of the proceedings. Top notch sound, which is always an important aspect of any live DVD, no matter how interesting the additional bits and pieces are. As far as performance is concerned, we're seeing a band that appears to have a lot of fun on stage, with bassist/frontman Lisiak a good and charming man to lead a band. Perhaps a tad too shy and reserved in his audience interactions initially, although that is a charming feature in itself as far as I'm concerned, but seeing him on stage having what appears to be the time of his life adds quite a bit to this DVD experience, as does his onstage interactions with his fellow band members, and guitarist Bereska in particular. Musically the band remains true to themselves, art rock with one foot inside progressive rock and the other in progressive metal, and with a charming little sequence or two where the band's affections for a certain Canadian trio are openly revealed. Following the hour long concert the DVD treats us with a 25 minutes long interview with Lisiek and Paluszek. A good interview where the subjects manage to use the questions asked as a platform to inform about quite a few tidbits about the band. Fans of this act will enjoy this bit of the DVD package quite a lot, I suspect. The rest of the extra material isn't that special, a 5 minute image collage from the sound check, if I understand matters correct, and the usual run through the band's biography and discography. Features you expect to find on any DVD release nowadays.

Conclusion. As usual with a DVD production that comes courtesy of Metal Mind, the verdict is that it is a recommended one. It's not an item you will have a desperate need of it itself, but if you're a fan of live DVDs and a fan of this band, you will get a solid product. A tad too brief in length for such a production perhaps, but at least the material is of high standard throughout.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: March 5, 2012
The Rating Room