Dismember

Live Blasphemies (Escapi)
by Tim Den

Dismember may no longer be the looming giant it was in the early ’90s, but Live Blasphemies proves that the band still holds death rattling fire in its palm. Over an 11-song set (short compared to most concert DVDs), tightness and brutality crush the audience as crystal-clear production values translate each drop of sweat and grinding string perfectly. And although I would’ve constructed a different set list (too many entries from debut, Like an Ever Flowing Stream, too few from Indecent and Obscene, nothing from Where Iron Crosses Grow, and barely anything from Death Metal or Hate Campaign), I really can’t complain: These guys have held the torch for a decade-and-a-half without slowing down. The fact that they can still slay live is an achievement.

Nice interview/documentary on the second disc, although I would’ve liked the band members to reveal more in-depth history about specific member changes (such as their little-known origins as a three-piece). What a bunch of super down-to-earth chaps, though. You get the feeling that they’re still the same metal-loving kids who started the band. Intertwined with the interview are clips of early tours and backstage footage. Jesus, has it been over 10 years since Like an Ever Flowing Stream? I wonder how these guys feel when they see their younger selves on screen, exuberant and pumped to be touring the world in a small van. I know how much their music meant to me during that era…

Live Blasphemies captures one of the genre’s unsung heroes doing what they do best: Tearing it up and being the unassuming, easygoing guys they are offstage. Dismember are a metal band made up of metal fans, playing metal for kids who love it. It doesn’t get more sincere than that.
(www.escapi.com)