Trouble – Live in Stockholm
Trouble – Live in Stockholm
Hammerheart Records
Release date: 02/09/2022
Running time: 01:17:00
Review by: Alun Jones
8/10
Stockholm, Sweden: sometime in the early 1990’s. At this point in their career, legendary Doom Metal instigators Trouble were signed to Def American records and starting to shift a few extra units. The Chicago band were invited to play in Sweden by fellow pioneers Candlemass, and it’s this gig that provides the music for this double LP live extravaganza. The release covers the never before available, complete set from that evening. Fully remastered by Erwin Hermsen at Toneshed Studio , it’s now unleashed as a double album on seductive, alluring vinyl.
Track wise, the PR blurb casts this as a “greatest hits” set, and rightly so. Of course, there’s a healthy selection from the Def American albums, such as a blistering ’Come Touch the Sky’, the brilliant ‘Memory’s Garden’ and a crushing ‘End of My Days’. Older tracks also get a fair showcase too, with ‘Psalm 9’ and ‘The Skull’, amongst others, proving how this band achieved their legendary status.
So, this live collection is a great overview of Trouble’s music at this point in time. What’s also encouraging is that the sound really is impressive, the remastering has done a fine job of polishing these tracks. Unlike many live offerings, this album has a reassuringly clear – yet still live and raw – finish. ‘The Misery Shows (Act II)’ is a great example – the mellower parts shimmer, though the crunch is still present when needed.
“Live in Stockholm” is indeed a good place to dive in for anyone who wants to sample Trouble’s catalogue. For the long-term fans, the performance and sound both offer a worthwhile addition to the collection. Personally, there’s nothing new, song wise, here for me – so I really can’t mark this release any higher – but a solid release nonetheless.
You might think that characters like Ozzy, Tommy Lee or Lemmy would’ve been terrible for getting me in trouble in the past, but they were all sweethearts really. The person who got me in more trouble with crazy antics than anyone was actually, believe it or not, new wave pop princess Belinda Carlisle. She was a total deviant. Scary. I can’t tell you anymore because she still thinks I died of an overdose in a Tijuana brothel in 1985. And quite frankly, I’m scared of her.
TRACKLISTING:
01. R.I.P.
02. Come Touch the Sky
03. End of My Daze
04. Plastic Green Head
05. Fear
06. Memory’s Garden
07. The Misery Shows (Act II)
08. Psalm 9
09. Run to the Light
10. All is Forgiven
11. Psychotic Reaction
12. The Skull
13. Revelation (Life or Death)
14. The Tempter
LINKS:
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