The Legions of Testament fans all over the world will enjoy the decision to re-issue this VHS release on DVD format. Seen Between The Lines was originally released in 1991 and for the DVD the footage has been cleaned up and remastered to better capture the quality available in this format. Primarily the footage is shot from the audience perspective or is not of a pro-level yet it is a great way to remember what Testament was like back in the day. The lineup for this piece was often referred to as the classic lineup of the band and featured Alex Skolnick, Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson, Greg Christian and Louie Clemente. Much of this footage was filmed during the "Clash Of The Titans" tour where the band was featured on the bill with Slayer and Megadeth.
As far as productions go this one is only so good and has a number of limitations. The sound is not all that clear and has a tendency to be muddy at times or too much on the high end at other times. The video quality suffers mainly because it is not professionally shot; either being done from the audience perspective or the side of the stage. Still, the idea of having a good record of the band in their heyday is pretty cool. The band has yet to release a full form concert DVD and I don't even know if one exists from this lineups era, so only time will tell with what they choose to release. In addition to the live footage the band includes a couple of videos, and my favorite of theirs to this very day being "Nobody's Fault" since it was done so tongue in cheek. The band was definitely having fun doing this one.
Being honest, this particular piece has some amount of appeal but truly is more for the die-hard Testament fan than someone who wants to have a perfect vision of the band. This will also appeal to anyone who is building a DVD library of the giants of 80's and 90's Metal. It is a great way to replace that worn out copy of the VHS as well, as those fans should pass it on to any younger Metal Head they know. I applaud Testament for re-issuing this on DVD as there are other bands that should be doing the same. As I look at my book shelf I see far too many old Metal VHS Tapes that have yet to surface on DVD. It is about time that more of those people take an example from Testament by their release of this DVD.
Song Listing
Eeris Inhabitans
Face In The Sky
Greenhouse Effects
Souls Of Black
Sins Of Omission
Disciples Of The Watch
Nobody's Fault – video
Practive What You Preach – video
Souls Of Black – video
The Legacy – video
Bonus Features: Dinner with Testament, and Testament in Tokyo.
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