How Does It Feel To Be Live...

Decided to resurrect this neglected piece of the Internet with some fresh albums once again. I've decided once again to move forward with a new theme. Of late I've tried to get back in the habit of seeing Live music when I can. And in this current time of unrest, what better release then Live music to lighten the mood and improve times. I recently left my job working in an entertainment venue to pursue something a bit more full time. I'm saddened by that fact because I don't get to go to work and see some great shows. However branching out again, I recently saw Agalloch make their live debut here in STL. Amazing show. 2 hrs of unequaled musicianship. Couldn't ask for much more. On the horizon this week it's some Nerdcore with MC Frontalot and Dr. Awkward. As the year moves on, looking forward to King Diamond after almost a decade away. Live shows are nothing short of a natural high. Being there with your fellow music nerds, embracing this momentous occasion.Headbanging, screaming along to the words, leaving everything you have there. That's what Live music is about. So I've rummaged though my collection of stuff and pulled out some choice Live records. Some you may be familiar with, others maybe not so much. Each have their own unique quality about them. So lets crank it to 11.

Up first is a band I'm sure I've posted about before. At the least I know the lead singer has been mentioned in a fair amount of posts. I'm talking about of course, Agua De Annique. Or more commonly referred to as, oh yeah the band that Anneke formed after she left The Gathering. Anneke van Giersbergen of course was the voice of The Gathering for many years. Many fell in love with her voice and the band. Of late she's collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, most notably Danny Cavanagh of Anathema and Devin Townsend of SYL and DTP fame. After splitting from The Gathering, Anneke formed her own band called Agua De Annique.  She was quick to release a few albums which while still had some Gathering like tracks, were a bit more uptempo and dare I say a bit Radio friendly.

The band gained some attention in Europe, not a whole lot of attention was paid sadly Stateside. The band having toured a bit through Europe decided to release 'Live In Europe', a collection of material recorded Live throughout a trek through Europe. Released in 2010, this record was pretty much only available as an import stateside. The album is 12 Live cuts, rounded out with a wonderful rendition of the classic Gathering track, "Shrink".

This is a good album to start with for someone new to the Metal genre. While I wouldn't really classify anything The Gathering did as Metal, well save for the first two LPs, which were a Doom/Death mix. This has more an an 'lite metal' feel to it. Great female fronted band with an amazing voice. And more importantly a great Live album to put on when you need to relax.

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