Lair of The Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master DVD Review

Southern Lord is releasing the first DVD from Lair of the Minotaur in January. The disc contains the uncensored video for "War Metal Battle Master", the edited version of the video (as shown on MTV Headbanger's Ball) and a behind-the-scenes featurette and interview. Rounding out the disc is an additional 45 minutes of live footage that was filmed at various tour stops between 2004 - 2008.

For anyone who hasn't seen the "War Metal Battle Master" video - the story line sums up some of the reoccurring themes in LotM's metal attack. The video opens with the quote "These men were fighting in warlike harness, behind them awaited the bloody Keres, dragging the wounded away and satisfying their souls with human blood." The video includes sword fighting, blood spattering and naked women dragging the wounded away to chew the flesh from their bones. While all of this is happening, LotM is laying down a blast of in-your-face metal beats.

Check out the trailer for the DVD and you will get the feel for the action.



The Behind-the-Scenes footage and interviews are interesting as they are fairly short (and don't drag on like a VH-1 Behind the Music episode) and you get a real sense for what the images that vocalist Steven Rathbone wanted to capture and how Monica Bailey (makeup artist) and director Gary Smithson realized this vision.

The video also contains 10 live tracks filmed at various locations in the US and Europe between 2004 - 2008. The band's live songs are hard and brutal and the intensity of their playing seems to have grown over the years.

The live tracks are:
* Horde of Undead Vengeance / Los Angeles, CA / Nov 2007
* Ultimate Destroyer / Nantes, France / June 2007
* Black Viper Barbarian Clan / Chicago, IL / Apr 2008
* Carnage Fucking Carnage / New York, Boston, Baltimore, Providence, Richmond, Buffalo, Cleveland / Apr 2006
* Juggernaut of Metal / Indianapolis, IN / Dec 2005
* Hades Unleashed / Vienna, Austria / July 2007
* Behead the Gorgon / Nantes, France / June 2007
* Caravan of Blood Soaked Kentauroi / Youngstown, OH / May 2005
* Burning Temple / Chicago, IL / Oct 2004
* The Wolf / Indianapolis, IN / Mar 2008

Most of these tracks were filmed with one camera, from either on stage or right in front of the stage. This isn't a high-gloss production but you really come away with a sense of the power of a LotM show.

The DVD also comes with some great original art by Orion Landau. Relapse Records is offering an exclusive t-shirt with this cover art on the front (and the phrase "Heavy F*cking Metal" on the back. This disc is a great companion piece to the LotM's War Metal Battle Master CD that was released earlier this year. The band rages hard on stage and the live tracks are a solid cross-cut of songs from the band's past CDs.

LotM are playing tomorrow night (Dec. 26th) at the Pearl Room in Mokena, IL as part of the "Holidays of Horror" show.

Links:
Lair of the Minotaur's MySpace Profile

Lair of the Minotaur Releases New Disc, Plays Knitting Factory on May 26th

Chicago's Lair of the Minotaur is releasing their third disc this Tuesday on Southern Lord. The new disc has a heavy sound and the band's press release describes it as "a concept album about solving conflicts with a big f*cking axe!" The band has made available an MP3 of the lead-off track, "Horde of Undead Vengeance".

Like most Southern Lord releases, this disc has beautiful packaging which features art by Jeremy Mohler and layout by Seldon Hunt. CD also contains a 20 page booklet with graphic illustrations for each song. There is also a limited edition version that contains a dropcard with a password activated web link to download exclusive live tracks recorded at a show in Chicago in October 2007.

LotM are touring with Kylesa (check out their cover of Interstellar Overdrive, which is a free download on Kylesa's MySpace page) and The Ocean.

Links:
Lair of the Minotaur's Website
Lair of the Minotaur's MySpace page