Product: High Live [VHS]
Rating: 4.0
great performance
This could have been an absolute gem based on the performance alone. I still love watching it but man it's annoying with the audio/visual fade-outs between every track. I also wouldn't exactly say the sound or picture quality is top-notch. For a band that is meticulous on their albums, didn't they have any input into this production?? Or didn't they think it was important enough to fuss over??After an almost Kiss-like introduction, the opening explosion of We Burn immediately throws you into one helluva rock storm played by a bunch of guys who can seriously play. I won't say too much about the set list other than I'm mostly happy with it and that's all down to personal taste anyway. They can't be expected to play everything and what they play, they play extremely well.Andi Deris had only been with the band for two albums at this point and therefore alot of the material is obviously drawn from those two releases - the bonus of that was that they were both very good albums and his performances on those tracks is excellent. The guy has loads of passion in his delivery but still underated by many. Unfortunately, his vocals are at times almost buried in the mix. Deris is also a natural frontman - likeable and cool with just enough showmanship to not be too, too much of a cliche frontman......of course, there happens to be a textbook formula that most bands use and Helloween aren't exactly guilt-free of this. Those cheesy guitar poses should be for Kiss only - Judas Priest are also guilty of the same cheesiness.Michael Weikath is a very intelligent craftsman with a handy knack of coming up with catchy melodies. Whether in the studio or onstage, he's the musical director and overlooks everything - a perfectionist. He may not rock-out like the others but is very effective.Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch show their class throughout, and Marcus Grosskopf...what could i say about him...the charismatic clown of the band - i'd love to have a beer or many beers with that guy.Finally, even with the very average video production, I'd much rather have this than nothing at all. Helloween are awesome!Rock on and enjoy!