Raising Hell

Customer Reviews:

Is this what you call remastered 5.1 sound ?.......2006-04-21

Despite having a 5.1 soundtrack,the whole show can only be watched with the Dolby Stereo 2.0 mode,which leaves much to be desired.

The so-called remastered 5.1 sound is TERRIBLE.Bruce's vocal is partially submerged by the cranking guitars.It's advisable to use it only if you want to start watching the second half of the show,i.e.,from track 10 (The Number of the Beast) onwards as it gets normal here.

Regardless of the remastering defect,this release is still worth watching only if you are a MAIDEN fan.

OK, but not great.......2005-12-28

Oveall, this was a good video. Originally broadcast on Pay Per View in August 1993 from London, England, this was Bruce Dickinson's final performance with Maiden after eleven years. Billed as a mixture of Rock Concert and Horror Show, there was a lot of excitement generated.

Sadly, it falls somewhat short of the mark. The band itself is tight, giving a solid performance. However, Janick Gers is not Adrian Smith, and his attempts to recreate Smith's solos just didn't work. He's alright on his own material, but the melodicism and technical mastery of Smith is lacking. The rest of the band is superb, turning in a solid performance overall.

Then, there's Mr. Drake himself. I found the Illusions to be rather cheesy, and somewhat obvious. On my VHS copy that I've owned for ten years, I have a tendency to fast forward through the illusions.

The VHS/DVD is nice because it features five songs not shown on the original broadcast. The Clairvoyant, Transylvania, Heaven Can Wait, Afraid to Shoot Strangers, and Sanctuary.

Overall, I thought the quality was better than A Real Live/Dead one, but not up to the quality of "Live After Death" or "Maiden England" If you're really into Maiden, buy it, if not, I'd recommend waiting until one of the previously mentioned videos are released on DVD.

Classic Iron Maiden on a sophisticated stage.......2005-09-18

Iron Maiden joins Simon Drake for a joint exhibition of heavy metal and horror show. Iron Maiden plays in presence of a rather small audience (I think the tickets must have gone for a whole lot of money). But for the same reason the perfomance seems more intimate with close contacts between the band and the audience and Simon Drake. In many cases the audience are involved. Bruce Dickinson seems to be at his fittest as he goes skillfully over his heart-stirring vocals (specially the one at the end of "Hollowed be thy name"). Adrian Smith is missing in this concert and Janick Jers is in his place.

Simon Drake does his shows mostly in between music pieces. His shows are really nice and sometimes funny (don't worry, they won't give you nightmare). Sometimes you can say that what he does is stun and sometimes it is difficult to figure out how he did it. Altogether, I think, he puts up a good show.

This is a DVD with a lot of different elements of music and showmanship in it. I think you won't regret buying it, specially if you are an Irona Maiden fan.

Lost glory.......2004-12-24

I have been a maiden fan for several years and I'm very sad to write this review. This concert was broadcasted by a cable channel in my hometown in Southamerica. I was very excited before the bradcasting day, then I ended up being dissapointed by the low quality of the performance.
I give two stars for Dave Murray and Steve Harris only. They both play masterfully and not for nothing they have been working together for so long. Bruce's vocals really dissapoint, don't expect him to sing like Live After death or Beast over Hammersmith. Nicko plays with a big and incredible drum set, but his playing is lacking a lot energy and technique that we were used to hear. Furthermore, he was never able to duplicate Clive Burr's fast drumming, no matter how much he tried (if he ever did). Janick Gers is by far, the worst Maiden guitarist ever, his playing is totally annoying, and ruined every guitar solo. I don't understand why he is still in the band. He would do better wearing the Eddie mask and doing the same tricks with a cardboard guitar. That would be the perfect job for him if he wants to continue in Maiden.
Other features complicate this concert, the magician and his cheap tricks have nothing of talent. My little nephew could do better than him. The sound production ends up killing this terrible gig, even when the song selection was good.
This concert was shown several times on cable, but I never ended up enjoying it. I really tried. That's why I did not bother to buy it. Hope this "Raising hell" really burns in hell.

For Completists Only.......2004-12-06

Being such a big Maiden fan, this DVD comes as a major disappointment.

Part of it was anticipated.
I already had the material for years on tape, and I knew what to expect. The sloppy band performance. The zombie-like Bruce, his blank stare into a void just above the audience's heads. Janick hopping all over the stage, destroying every solo in his wake. Dave missing his parts. And, that illusionist. That horrible, corny illusionist. Yes, I knew all of that already.

Part of it was not anticipated.
This being a DVD, I expected to see some more clarity, soak in some more detail. Nope, wasn't there. And the 'remastering' to 5.1 surround format really destroys everything. An already sloppy concert became totally inaudible. Maybe for good? :)

I'm just glad by owning this DVD I have never missed any major Maiden release.

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