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Gigantour Vol. 2
Various Artists
(Image Entertainment)
I swear if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard or read the analogies ‘….some legends, it would seem, never die…’ or ‘…some legends only get better with age…’ in a review of a highly-anticipated new release, I’d be able to quit my day job and take up stalking Alyssa Milano full time. Seriously folks, it’s almost as if the words “legendary”, “influential” and “groundbreaking” have been overused to the point where their true meanings have been forever lost. Although I’ll be the first to admit that I have been guilty of committing such grammatical atrocities on a disturbingly regular basis over the course of the past seven years, I’ve also never been one to shy away from using such descriptives when I feel they are genuinely appropriate. Not surprisingly, this was most definitely the case with the long-awaited Gigantour 2 DVD compilation.
On the brilliant Gigantour, Vol. 2 (2008), an expertly captured thirteen song collection of blistering ‘…in concert…’ footage (taken from the tour’s unprecedentedly successful 2007 edition), each track, beginning with The Smashup’s Post-Hardcore/Punk anthem “Effigy”, Sanctity’s virtually unknown (albeit refreshingly pummeling) “Beneath the Machine”, and Into Eternity’s woefully unsung diatribe “Severe Emotional Distress”, immediately goes for the throat, engulfing all parties involved amid an all-consuming sonic tidal wave of epic proportions. Am I exaggerating? Absolutely not. Easily overpowering one’s largely unsuspecting senses with a dangerously multifaceted attack, the groups instantly set themselves apart from their few remaining contemporaries by reminding us all of their well-deserved statuses as creative forces to be reckoned with.
Continuing with Overkill’s oft-overlooked Thrash prototype “Rotten To The Core”, Arch Enemy’s blistering battle cry “We Will Rise”, and Opeth’s exhaustive Prog quasi-masterpiece “The Leper Affinity”, the delightfully bloodthirsty line-up steamrolls ahead like the well-oiled machines they have obviously become, deftly exceeding the tour’s initial Anthrax/Dream Theater/Fear Factory-fueled trek. Armed with a virtual plethora of razor-sharp riffs and solos as well as a stunning array of imaginatively punishing rhythms, each group wisely showcases their more than considerable talents through a series of ingeniously varied sets that, while managing to accentuate their individually distinct and unique sonic personas, somehow avoids engulfing the average listener (i.e. you, the ever-faithful reader) amid an avalanche of mind-numbing virtuousness.
Directed and co-produced by a seemingly unlikely--yet highly effective--combination of Michael Sarna (Anthrax, Orgy and Smashmouth) and Shalini Waran (Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Home The Horror Story), other standouts, including Lamb Of God’s impossibly thunderous “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For”, and Megadeth’s equally impressive “The Scorpion”, and the thought-provoking “Washington Is Next!”, only further reinforce Mustaine and his not-so-merry tour mate’s much-celebrated penchant for ‘…delivering the goods…’. Fortified throughout via a wealth of behind the scenes footage and a variety of audio options (DTS 5.1, Dolby 5.1), the end result of the groups’ collective efforts ultimately yields a collection of material that is, without a doubt, an absolute must-have for any genuinely serious Thrash Metal aficionado.
I know what you’re probably thinking. So what does all of this really prove? Quite a lot, actually. With the tour’s latest Platinum-encrusted incarnation now easily surpassing the once-mighty Ozzfest as the perennial Summer Heavy Metal tour de force, the majority--if not all--of the decidedly ferocious wares contained herein effectively serve as an idealistic multimedia showcase for what can only be described as some of the genre’s most undeniably entertaining (and in the case of Megadeth and Overkill enduring) acts. Needless to say, if kickin’ back on a Saturday afternoon (or, for that matter, any other day or time) with a mind-blowingly airtight collection of ridiculously high octane, slightly ‘...Old School…’ Heavy Metal is your idea of a good time, then this, my friends, might just be your proverbial cup of tea. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Select Discography
Gigantour 2 (CD/DVD) (2008)
Gigantour (DVD) (2006)
Gigantour (2005)