Various Artists - Hellfest Open Air 2008 Live (2008)

I just received my DVD on the mail a few day ago since it took almost 1 month to get from France to the USA, but anyways, I was pretty anxious to pop it on my DVD player, which by the way the DVD says is region free, but PAL format, however my regular DVD player played it to perfection, so you don’t have to worry about it. The DVD contains the following recorded performances listed by day:

       Day 1 (June 22, 2008)

1. red mourning - rolling thunder
2. ava inferi - viola                          
3. septicflesh - communion             
4. rotting christ - athanati este          
5. kruger - holy fire                          
6. marduk - materialized in stone
7. mayhem - ancient skin
8. katatonia – evidence
9. ultra vomit - je collectionne des canards 
10. venom - welcome to hell                 

       Day 2 (June 23, 2008)

1. benighted - saw it all    
2. nightmare - wicked white demon
3. haemorrhage - deranged for loathsome
4. treponem pal - dirty dance
5. anaal nathrakh - bellum omnium contra omnes
6. shining - neka morgondagen
7. watain - legions of the black light
8. punish yourself - mothra lady
9. impaled nazarene - mushroom truth
10. legion of the damned - son of the jackal
11. anathema – closer

       Day 3 (June 24, 2008)

1. forbidden - off the edge
2. obituary - drop dead
3. my dying bride - and i walk with them
4. at the gates - slaughter of the soul
5. morbid angel - chapel of ghouls
6. misanthrope - le passager du hasard
7. eths – naocl
8. rose tattoo - 1854

While there are 29 bands captured for immortality in this DVD there are still many more missing, and this is what most reviews that I read about this DVD say that the release lacks. Well to be fair with the festival organizers / DVD producers is understandable that bands don’t agree to appear in this DVD since there are hundreds of licensing issues and hops that legally speaking have to be jumped in order for this to be possible. Or the band just does not want to be featured in the DVD for whatever reason you can think, I don’t this that the producers of this DVD decided not to have X or Y band because they don’t like them.

Focusing on what is featured on the DVD all recordings are professionally made allowing the viewer to almost feel like they are there, like most well done live recordings should do. If people stop bitching about their band not being featured and actually paid attention to what bands are on the DVD you can find very solid performances from Rotting Christ, Marduk, Venom, Shining, Watain, Impaled Nazarene, Anathema and My Dying Bride just to name a few.

The sound and video quality of this DVD is top notch and the extras: people interviews and photo galleries, really provide a good insight into the festival to appeal more people of attending to Hellfest 2009, and hopefully is as good as this one. Of course Infernal Masquerade will be there to cover the event.

Trailer:

Country: France