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Those looking for a crash course on Dimmu Borgir would do well to track down World Misanthropy, the Norwegian black metal heroes' insanely comprehensive double-DVD set. Disc One is the primary attraction: Compiled after completing a world tour for their 2001 album, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, it boasts eight pro-shot live tracks (culled from a Stuttgart gig and an appearance in front of thousands at the 2001 Wacken Open-Air Festival in Germany) which can be viewed either sequentially, or as part of a 90-minute film interspersed with backstage footage and interviews. The live footage is exceptional, leaning heavily toward material from Puritanical, 1999's Spiritual Black Dimensions, and 1997's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, and showcasing Dimmu's solid live presence and musicianship; it also gives nearly equal camera time to each individual bandmember, most notably drummer Nicholas Barker, whose skills are a sight to behold. The backstage camcorder footage is culled from the 2001 tour, and limited primarily to hanging out with tour mates (see if you can spot members of Judas Priest, Lacuna Coil, Nevermore, Sodom, Kreator, and others) and the heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages, interspersed with plenty of candid tomfoolery -- most notably, guitarist Erkekjetter Silenoz stuffing a hotel-room toilet with items various and sundry -- that most likely won't hold up on repeated viewings due to the number of inside jokes amongst band and crew members. And while the one-on-one interviews are informative, touching base with each Dimmu player on his influences and background, those searching for lengthier, more probing insights will be mildly disappointed. The second disc is more retrospective, compiling a collection of clips from the band's 1999 tour of the U.S. and Mexico, three live cuts from a 1998 gig in Krakow, Poland, four promo videos, and a photo gallery -- a solid 45 minutes of ocular entertainment for diehard fans who long for the days when lead vocalist Shagrath spewed blood on stage. The initial pressing of World Misanthropy also featured a bonus CD sporting, most notably, two bonus tracks from the Japanese release of Puritanical ("Masses for the New Messiah" and "Devil's Path 2000"), as well as audio versions of the four Wacken tracks from the first DVD; the special edition also features limited packaging, the DVD case folding out into, of course, a big inverted cross. The painstakingly thorough and first-rate production of World Misanthropy is designed to satiate the most ravenous Dimmu Borgir completist, and does so with much success. ~ John Serba, All Music Guide
Stones' world trek returns to US
Aging rockers continue to defy the odds as Bigger Bang tour enters its second year.
More than 40,000 Rolling Stones fans turned out as the four-decade-old band kicked off its latest US tour near Boston last night, looking for another chance to spend the night together.
The Rolling Stones
As the grizzled rockers, most of whom are in their 60s, approach the end of a year that has delivered some knocks for band members, fans said part of the draw of the tour is to get a look at the group while it's still around.
Alan Gadde, 57, said he'd first seen the Stones on an early US tour in 1965. This time around, he'd brought his family.
"I brought my daughter and her friends so they could see them while they're still playing," said Gadde, of Sandown, New Hampshire.
It has been a rough year for the Stones, who had to delay their European summer tour after guitarist Keith Richards, 62, suffered a concussion after falling from a tree while on vacation in Fiji. Guitarist Ron Wood, 59, checked into a London rehabilitation clinic in June for treatment of alcohol abuse. In August, the band had to cancel two concerts in Spain after lead singer Mick Jagger, 63, developed laryngitis.
While drummer Charlie Watts, 65, has maintained a lower-key image than his bandmates, he has not been without health troubles. In 2004 he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
"Everybody knows that these '60s bands aren't going to be around forever," said Nathan Brackett, senior editor at Rolling Stone music magazine. "You never know if this tour is going to be their last tour."
Despite their ailments, the band showed an energy that belied its years. Front man Jagger bounced around the stage throughout a two-hour concert that included the band's best-known hits, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Sympathy for the Devil," and "Paint It Black," as well as newer numbers "Rough Justice" and "Streets of Love" from their 2005 album A Bigger Bang."
Midway through the show, the entire band rolled out to the middle of the football field at Gillette Stadium, located some 30 miles south of Boston, continuing to perform from a platform in the middle of the crowd.
Foxborough was the first of 17 cities up for the Stones on this leg of their tour, with stops planned in the New York area, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Several fans said they admired the band members for being able to keep up such a vigorous touring schedule.
"It is an inspiration to us," said Leslie Ruggiero, 48, of Marlborough, Massachusetts. "They're the perfect example of your body following what your mind says."
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