Before I talk about anything let me put something straight: I hate Manowar like a plague and all the stuff around this fucking band. And of all things BLUDGEON – the first signees of Jambo The Mayonnaise’ label got stuck at me. Downright recalcitrant I started dealing with this Live CD and DVD … but I tried to be fair ;)

Well, after one year of the debut release of Crucify The Priest and a support slot for Manowars European tour end of 2002 these four boys from Chicago – or better said Money DeMaio – decided, it is time for a live album and a proper DVD. So it doesn’t wonder that you get offered the entire debut album on this Crucified Live CD, including 7 bonus tracks you probably will find on the band’s sophomore. 6 of these tracks you will find again on the live DVD, including two bonus clips; one has to be a promo shot and the second one is another live shot from the tour, taken from Oslo show. The most pleasant thing on this DVD is the fact, that every clip comes from another European stage and around the guys have built up a nice and funny story. Furthermore it seems they have collected every “Fuck you” in all its variations and nailed it down. I guess this DVD will be a hell to watch to in the States due to permanent beeps. Let’s face it: this DVD makes really fun and offers beside an ass kicking production lots of gimmicks. Just take the part, where the stage manager pinches all of the drummer’s cymbals one by one during his show. Yes, I think, BLUDGEON had have a fucking great blast on this tour.
The live CD doesn’t sound like a live CD at all. I really miss the screaming crowd. Just now and then a pinch of live feeling appears. It just sounds like a dull-produced record. Nevertheless BLUDGEON kills! Groovy and brutal Death Metal, not too fast but everything crushing, not reinventing Death Metal but exquisitely good! Cervical-vertebra-wimps will definitely get much problems to survive one of their shows.

Upshot: BLUDGEON are great but with this kind of practiced release policy they won’t go far. This package is a rip-off on the part of the label and I don’t get rid of the suspicion, that BLUDGEON get burnt out and bleed white in style, just to flush a few dollars in to the labels cash box. The guys should watch out for not ending as stuffed and spineless duck anywhere nowhere.
My ranking: 7,5 points for the effort of BLUDGEON itself and the great DVD production and poor 5 points for the rest around.

Bludgeon