After releasing six full-length albums, each great in their own right, and a few EPs, Dark Tranquillity was more than overdue to deliver a live album, or in this case, a live DVD. Filmed in 2002, in Krakow, Poland, Live Damage is a DVD befitting of a band that is so consistently excellent. This retrospective is as diligent and meticulous as anything that DT has done, and makes an excellent bargain for the price. (I paid $15 USD)

The disc contains a whopping 195 minutes of material, and packed into these 3+ hours are a marathon concert recording, an interview, two music videos they made (“Therein” off of Projector, and “Monochromatic Stains”, off the Damage Done release.), as well as some bootleg clips and some random extras (bio, discography, artwork…). The concert is obviously the main focus of the DVD, and for good reason. This show was produced magnificently, with great camera work, and some of the best production that I’ve ever heard on a DVD. The songs are recorded so well that it almost sounds as if you’re listening to an album version. The only slight flaw is that the keys are raised too high, being on nearly equal footing with the guitars in the mix. This is mostly a positive point, but in one respect, it confirms that fact that Dark Tranquillity aren’t exactly the most exciting band live. Their works are more cerebral than forceful. While being fantastic on album, both times I’ve seen them, I’ve never really been sucked into the performance as I do with a band like Opeth. So what you really have is what feels like 20 music videos, with the occasional stage banter of Stanne.

The Krakow show is basically a best-of set for the boys, and they play the songs flawlessly. They hit tracks off of each of the full albums, with the exception of the Skydancer album. The Gallery is represented by “Lethe” and of course, “Punish My Heaven”. The Mind’s I is covered by “Hedon”, “Insanity’s Crescendo”, and “Zodijackyl Light”. Projector is supported with “Therein”, “Undo Control”, and “The Sun Fired Blanks”. Haven is represented by the song “Haven”, “The Wonders at Your Feet”, “Not Built to Last”, and “Indifferent Suns”. Naturally, the Damage Done songs make up the bulk of the concert, with a massive eight out of the total 12 album tracks getting played. The venue itself looks like a great place to play some heavy metal, with a roomy stage and a formidable light show. Now if only they weren’t so trigger-happy with that strobe light… The camerawork is a little too jumpy, with the view changing once per second or so, but the camera angles are perfect. Stanne has plenty of energy to spare, but the crowd themselves seem a little lame – not much real crowd movement, a far cry from my Vader DVD. There’s really not much more you could ask for from a concert DVD: 20 songs, recorded beautifully and played perfectly.

The extras are pretty nice as well. The bootleg shows are of acceptable quality for being shot by someone that most likely snuck the camcorder in. One features four very familiar songs, while the other is 12 songs from two different shows, with a little repeating. The sound is passable on the bootlegs. The documentary is a good listen for a short while, and the two music videos are as weird as you’d expect from this band.

Dark Tranquillity kept everyone in waiting for so long for this DVD, that you knew it would be of the highest quality. For less than the price of two CDs, you can get three hours of fine concert coverage. I can strongly recommend this purchase to any real Dark Tranquillity fan, or to anyone just interested in the band. Now I really can’t wait for the upcoming album!