When something is announced as an official bootleg, I always hold my breath about the quality and therefore I don't collect bootlegs. Still, I dared to order the live CD with Blu-ray of the Dutch top band Chain Reaktor being discussed here. I still think their debut album Homesick (2021, see review) is one of the very best Dutch progressive rock albums ever. And on top of that there have been some great clips of a live performance on You Tube for a while. Also on our website you can enjoy those recordings made by our very own Roel Strik. They were added to the review of the concert which the band did at Parkvilla in Alphen aan den Rijn November 24, 2023 (see review). They look really good. Because the quality of the recordings of their concert in Alphen aan den Rijn was simply too good not to do anything with it, it was decided to release a live CD in combination with a Blu-ray or a DVD. Released in a very limited edition (100 copies). While watching the concert we see the band around the Laan family (father Erik on keyboards and vocals, Arjan on drums and Bart on guitar/flute and vocals) at work. Supplemented by Mark op ten Berg on bass, just like on the album, and vocalist/guitarist Arianne van Nieuwenhuijsen, not on the album. That turns out to be an excellent move because Arianne's vocals complement the harmony vocals perfectly and because of her rhythm guitar Bart Laan can fully concentrate on his guitar and flute playing, and he can play wonderfully. The guitar solos are really fantastic and show a perfect mix of technique, aggression but especially melody. Another difference with the studio album is the lack of the violin and saxophone parts and I really like that, I don't miss them. The order of the songs is not the same as that on the album and there is a big surprise in between, namely Amazing Flight written by Arjen Anthony Lucassen for his Ayreon project. This is my favourite song by Ayreon and comes from the album Into The Electric Castle. The fact that this song is perfectly performed shows how good this band is, but it does take some getting used to to see Arianne interpret the rather heavy vocals of the "Barberian". She looks dead serious, which she does throughout the whole concert. I assume this is a concentration thing because she could radiate a little more fun like the rest do, without coming across as too frivolous by the way. How great it is that you are able to put on a performance like this so early in your career. For those who would like to read more about the songs, I refer to all available reviews on the internet like on our website. Then to the quality of the images and the sound. Let me start with the latter, I can be brief about that, it sounds very good. There are no surround mixes available but the stereo sound is very good on both the CD and the Blu-ray. Many renowned bands don't manage to do this, so compliments. There is a lot to be said about the image quality. If you consider the limited budget, it all looks very good. It is noticeable that the images of one camera are better than those of the other, and especially where the sober stage lighting shines into the camera, it becomes a bit more impure. Roel Strik has used several fixed positions for his cameras, but the variety of the various shots is really great and the sometimes applied split-screen editing is also very successful. The transitions between the tracks are sometimes made by means of a fadeout and that does detract from the flow of the concert. I assume that technically it could not be otherwise. After all, we are not talking about a complete team that takes care of everything and then it is all the more impressive how Roel has worked. The Blu-ray is of the self-branded type and the future will show whether it can stand the test of time. My experience with self-burned CDs is that they all eventually break down at some point, no matter what quality burner or carrier you use. Of course there are Blu-rays available that are of an even better quality, but they are often from established bands with much more financial possibilities. It is clear that what is offered is of very high quality, the playing of the band but also the CD and Blu-ray. There are some minor flaws with the latter, but then again, it's fantastic to have this concert on video. For those who want to purchase this beautiful product, remember that only a very limited numbers have been made, so be quick and order on the site of Dutch Music Works. Compliments to everyone, of course Chain Reaktor but certainly also Roel Strik! **** Erik Fraanje (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
