IN FROM THE COLD

So I stopped by Prog Archives to see how people were reacting to Camel's latest DVD release, and I was surprised to find no reviews yet. I had no intention of writing a review myself since I can hardly be viewed as unbiased. As director/editor of the project (this is my 8th DVD project for Camel Productions) I won't address the directing or editing quality as that would be, well, kind of silly of me. I will say that 8 cameras were used, the lighting by the stage crew was brilliant, and the audio mix by Andy and Denis was spot on. What I can truly be objective about is the music since I had nothing to do with it, and having watched this now at least a hundred times during post production, all I can say is, wow! It is truly amazing and inspiring to see and hear Andy at the top of his game after the events of recent years.

Set 1 consists of the newly revamped Snow Goose in its entirety while set 2 consists of some of Camel's best epic compositions, many of which serve to showcase Andy's trademark lead work (Hour Candle, Watching the Bobbins, For Today). Camel has always been a bit more powerful live than on record and this performance reinforces that point. The dual keyboards of Guy LeBlanc (Nathan Mahl) and Jason Hart (Renaissance) combine to form a symphonic sound of staggering proportions, while Denis Clement's drumming (Never Let Go, Lady Fantasy) is some of the most aggressive ever to grace the Camel stage. Highlights include the gorgeous Tell Me (where drummer Denis plays fretless bass no less!!), the prog-epics Echoes and Foxhill, and of course the Snow Goose suite.

The question is... is this Camel's best DVD to date?

The answer from my unbiased perspective, easily.