DVD Review
With shows like Headbanger’s Ball back on the rise, the call for metal videos has been quite up and coming. Record companies know this and the push for their bands to get videos done has been ever on the rise as well. Trustkill Records is no different. In fact, about 3/4ths of the videos on this DVD are from this last year or so. Trustkill Video Assault: Vol. 1 features videos from bands like Bleeding Through, Eighteen Visions, Most Precious Blood, Throwdown, and more. With twelve videos in all, plus commentary before each, you definitely have tons to watch here. Now the question is… do you even like bands on Trustkill?
I for one enjoy most of their bands, some more than others, but I think it’s safe to say I easily like about 3/4ths of their roster to some degree or another. Each video is well done and directed well, none of them looking overly cheap or anything. The commentary before each video is a rather nice addition as well. Each band gets their introduction as well as some cool facts about the video and what took place during the making. Like for instance, in Throwdown’s video for “Forever,” the “Fight Club”-esque scenes actually involve real fighting. Every one of those mammoth punches landed in the video are real, and in fact, one of the dudes broke his hand hitting another guy in the head. Talk about tough… damn. I found most of the videos quite enjoyable (well, from the bands that I like) such as the intensity found in Poison the Well’s “Botchla,” the sexiness of Eighteen Visions’ “You Broke Like Glass,” and the sweet camera work in Throwdown and Bleeding Through’s videos for “Forever” and “Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire.” The DVD also includes clips and trailers for other DVD’s offered through Trustkill like the ones for Hellfest and the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.
I guess my one big complaint with the DVD is the censoring of the language during the videos. This is especially apparent in Throwdown’s video (which is lame, because that’s probably one of my favorites) where every “shit” and “fuck” is completely censored. Come on now Trustkill, could you not have just slapped a “Parental Advisory” or something to that degree on here? I really don’t think that would have killed the sales at all, but who knows. I just found it to be quite a bit of an annoyance. Other than that, I can’t really come up with any complaints of the DVD, it's cool actually watching these on the full screen as opposed to my computer screen, since I don’t watch any of the music video shows on TV. I can say that I would recommend this, however, obviously only to those that enjoy the bands on the label.
The DVD includes music video from the following…
Bleeding Through: “Love Lost in a Hail of Gunfire” & “On Wings of Lead”
Roses Are Red: “White and Gold”
Eighteen Visions: “Waiting for the Heavens” & “You Broke Like Glass”
Most Precious Blood: “The Great Red Shift”
Throwdown: “Forever”
NORA: “I Should’ve Sent Flowers”
Open Hand: “Life As Is”
Hopesfall.: “The Bending”
Armsbendback: “The Arms of Automation”
Poison the Well: “Botchla”