LIVE AT METROPOLIS STUDIOS

A bunch of people had the opportunity to see the band in a studio, close like they were in your own home. The recording of the show in the studio have probably has to do with the excellent DTS sound of this concert. The picture is in high definition. There is no visuals, but who cares when you see and hear this legendary band in a small venue.

The band have decided to move forward by playing most of the material from 2005 to "The Grounding Numbers's" CD. Only 3 old songs are played. I always been seduced by the unique voice of Peter Hammill and the sounds of the keyboards of Hugh Banton. Banton complex playing is the perfect fit to go with the simplicity of the piano and guitar playing of Peter Hammill. Vander Graaf music while very well structured allow for some almost improvise segments where the music is getting loose with extended piano and guitar passages. The old song "Lemmings" is a illustration of this, with the guitar intro of Peter Hammill, who looks like a musician that is learning to play, and when the legendary guitar riffs kicks in with the rest of the band to join him, it all seems to connect harmonically.

Like it's the case in most of Live recordings, the songs are all very good here, but my favorites were "Nutter Alert", "Childlike Faith" and "Over the Hill", the last two containing some nice tempos changes and different atmosphere, and finally the old classic "Man-Erg" that offers some nice heavy and dark moments.

So this DVD/2CD package is a improvement from the latest but still good "Paradisio" DVD. I would recommended both, but the DTS sound and the picture quality of this one, make it more enjoyable. And i was happy to hear some new songs, showing that this band is still capable after many years to make beautiful music.

Also in the DVD, some interesting and recent interview with all three members of the band.