Review of Superjoint Ritual: Live In Dallas, Texas

Introduction

Superjoint Ritual are: Philip Anselmo (Guitar/Vocals), Jimmy Bower (Guitar), Kevin Bond (Guitar), III: Bass and Joe Fazzio (Drums).

Apart, they are known from their work in more widely known bands like Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity, Hank Williams III, Eyehategod and Down. If you`ve heard the album, Use Once And Destroy, you`ll certainly be familiar with the band`s blend of extreme sound taken from more than a decades worth of experience.

The band cites its influences as Black Flag, Righteous Pigs, Celtic Frost and Voivod, to name just a few, and, according to guitarist Jimmy Bower, "getting f***ing loaded, and loud, in-your-face, making you want to bang your head constantly kind of music", is exactly what this DVD might do. :-)

Video

Originally filmed with what looks like a bunch of camcorders, the look and feel is just like the lo-rent establishments where you might expect to see a band like Superjoint Ritual. Believe me, I`ve been to quite a few gigs in and around London getting my ears blasted. This isn`t dismissive of the band however, rather it`s a very grounded look and feel of the dirty raw energy the band emits. The quality is better than VHS, but not by very much. Lots of closeups and a few out of focus shots lend itself well to the live feel and works surprisingly in favour of this DVD.

Audio

There are three audio options present. Dolby Digital 5.1/2.0 and DTS5.1. DTS?! That`s what I thought too when I saw the option. The 2.0 soundtrack sounds a bit plain and lacks the punch of the 5.1 soundtracks. Both the DD and DTS audio tracks are loud and clear in terms of dynamic range so there`s nothing really between them. The surround effect isn`t that great though and I got more coverage from across the front three, which I think is perfectly fine.

Features

Static and easy to navigate menus lets us play all songs, pick individual tracks, check out the bonus features and change out audio options.

• Bonus - Two fullframe music promos. One for "The Alcoholik" and one for "f*** Your Enemy". Quality isn`t that good, but the video for "The Alcoholik" is. A bit disturbing, it reminds me of headdy days!

• Photos - 23 stills of the band. Some posed for camera while the others look like grabs from videos and are uninteresting.

It should be noted that between tracks there are soundbites from band members and this wasn`t a bad way to break up the live tracks. These are merely average extras though and the lack of any subtitles is poor since I couldn`t even have a sing-a-long. Would have been nice to replicate some of the band info from the band`s official website for newcomers, so perhaps Sanctuary will get the extras right next time.

Conclusion

How do you like your rock music, sir? I`d like my ears to bleed, with a load of head banging followed by a lot of serious moshing. Have you got any thrash metal?

If you like your music a bit on the extreme heavy, intense metal side, then I`m sure you`ve heard of Superjoint Ritual. I wasn`t quite sure what I let myself in for and as I couldn`t hear the lyrics, I was hardly going to get in on the band`s angst. Having said that, the riffs are brutal, the drumming hard and the swearing comes thick and fast.

The venue for the gig is small, perfect then for a band to get that `intimate` feeling with its audience. Everyone looks as though they had a good time, and I`m sure I`d agree if I was there in person, with a crash helmet and padding of course. The band do what they do best, perform, there are no tricks to the camera work, no out of place special effects, no effects period. It`s just a raw and energetic live performance.

This really is a brutal aural assault for which your neighbours will probably never forgive you for, so turn it UP! Metalheads will like it for sure as it`s the band`s only DVD release so far and at just 60 aggressive minutes long, there`s a lot of noise to enjoy. If you like your metal nice, hard and a little bit on the fast side of the metronome, give it a spin and get ready to get dirty.