Ahhh...the Japanese heavy metal fans. It's long been understood that they happen to be some of the most loyal and educated fans in the world, and it's pretty evident that this is the case after you watch Tyrants of the Rising Son, the latest live DVD from Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, who are true rock stars in the 'Land of the Rising Sun'. Filmed in High Definition at the Studio Coast in Tokyo in March of 2008 in front of a huge audience, Tyrants of the Rising Sun is a great companion to 2006's Live Apocalypse DVD. The band is completely on top of their game here, fueled no doubt by the returning Christopher Amott, who came back to the band for the Rise of the Tyrant album. No offense to the talented Fredrik Åkesson (now with Opeth), but Christopher is the only other guitar player who should be in Arch Enemy playing alongside his brother Michael. These two together are a sizzling duo, Michael's more melodic phrasings perfectly working with Christopher's explosive attack. In fact, Michael looks like a red haired version of Michael Schenker circa 1978, his flying V guitar resting on his knee, churning out plenty of melodic leads and harmonies that sound very similar to the German guitar god.
The set list is quite strong here, with many of the Arch Enemy classics played alongside some newer songs, and it's so wild to hear the Japanese fans singing along to the guitar harmonies on songs like "Nemesis", "We Will Rise", and "Blood On Your Hands". These fans obviously know these songs well, not just the lyrics, but the music as well. Angela Gossow takes command of the stage, dressed in a white tank top & matching white pants, running from side to side spewing her ferocious growls to the delight of the crowd. Guitar fans will love both solo spots from the Amott brothers, and there's also a fun drum solo from Daniel Erlandsson.
Bonus features include a near hour long documentary of the band's experience in Japan, and three music videos. It all amounts to another stellar live DVD from Arch Enemy, and one that you will want to add to your metal collection.
Track Listing
1. Blood On Your Hands
2. Ravenous
3. Taking Back My Soul
4. Dead Eyes See No Future
5. Dark Insanity
6. The Day You Died
7. Chris Amott guitar solo
8. Silverwing
9. Night Falls Fast
10. Daniel Erlandsson drum solo
11. Burning Angel
12. Michael Amott guitar solo
13. Dead Bury Their Dead
14. Vultures
15. Enemy Within
16. Snowbound
17. Shadows and Dust
18. Nemesis
19. We Will Rise
20. Fields Of Desolation / Outro
Bonus Features-Documentary (with interviews), 2 versions of "Revolution Begins" video, and "I Will Again" video
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