All Reviews
Notre Dame - Creepshow, Freakshow, Peepshow!
Release: 2005Label: White Trash Records
By: Anders
Posted: Sep 24, 2005
It was kinda sad when it got announced that Notre Dame had split up, the band lead by the charismatic Snowy Shaw had delivered some good records and many many killer tracks. It was for a long time rumoured that the band's last show, would get released as a DVD entitled "Creepshow, Freakshow, Peepshow", but the rumours got swept of the table, as the fire one day will sweep clean the earth, and the real "Creepshow, Freakshow, Peepshow" was to contain the band's performance in Gothenburg on new year's eve between year 1999 and 2000, what a way to celebrate the cross into a new millennium.
I had a hard time to believe that the band could transform the atmospheres and theatrical moments onto the stage and from there onto the live recording and into our living rooms. Though the band does that task to perfection, and to be honest this recording is more gripping and enchanting than the real albums, and that says quite a lot. The atmosphere are perfectly moved out of the speakers and into the listeners head, guided strongly by a Snowy in the shape of his life. His energetic vocals and theatrical effects from the band, rolls like a movie inside the head, while the music moves forward.
The entire band is on fire… the performance is very energetic and the music gets delivered with full blown passion for the trade. Especially the vocals from Snowy Shaw are magnificent, more alive than on the albums and much more in your face, and later entangled up in the labyrinth of the mind. His vocals are really enchanting and they are a big part of my fascination for the band, together with the enchanting theatrical atmospheres and moods, and of course the great composed and crafted songs of metallic shock rock with all it compliments. The super sexy voice of Vampirella, which creeps down into ones pants, and makes a thing or 2 happen, both for males and females. And the solid backbone from Mannequin and Jean-Pierre De Sade. All goes into a higher wholesome.
The recording does naturally enough only consist of early material due the time of the recording. The band's first full length "Vol 1: Le Theatre Du Vampire" wasn't even released at this time. That doesn't make this album weaker in my opinion, hence I think the early material from Notre Dame are some of the strongest, even though I could have used a couple of the songs which later was released on "Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You, The 2nd", but again, it’s nearly impossible to satisfy all fans' urges for a live set. And as a thing of pure genius, they deliver a cover version of Accept's 'Son Of A Bitch' in the middle of the set, a really well played track that goes perfectly with Snowy's voice and the band manages to invoke their atmosphere on the classic, such a killer transformation.
The sound on this live album is top notch, not as refined and overdubbed as your usual nowadays live release. This is the real live sound, but it has a tremendous punch and you catch all the details. It is more or less like being at the venue, and that is how it should be… powerful, with all the details in the sound picture, but still raw and with the live feel, and all that is present here. And the atmosphere the recording has preserved, nothing but beyond amazing, since I received this album, I have had a really hard time putting it away, due to it sucking me into the world Of Notre Dame, from the first note of 'The Bells Of Notre Dame' until the circle is completed with the last breath from the band to the tones of 'The Bells Of Notre Dame' which returns before Snowy thanks the audience. And my sincere thanks go to the band for the great music they have delivered in their way too short career… tak som helvete Notre Dame! This is a killer live album, offering a couple of tracks that strangely enough never made it onto an album of Notre Dame, even though they works perfectly in this live setting and are some killer tracks, one of them have even become a personal favourite of mine… A good live album would normally top at 7, perhaps 8 when we speak grades, but with the never before heard tracks on this album, together with the outstanding performance it can easily wear the 9 that I end up giving it.
I had a hard time to believe that the band could transform the atmospheres and theatrical moments onto the stage and from there onto the live recording and into our living rooms. Though the band does that task to perfection, and to be honest this recording is more gripping and enchanting than the real albums, and that says quite a lot. The atmosphere are perfectly moved out of the speakers and into the listeners head, guided strongly by a Snowy in the shape of his life. His energetic vocals and theatrical effects from the band, rolls like a movie inside the head, while the music moves forward.
The entire band is on fire… the performance is very energetic and the music gets delivered with full blown passion for the trade. Especially the vocals from Snowy Shaw are magnificent, more alive than on the albums and much more in your face, and later entangled up in the labyrinth of the mind. His vocals are really enchanting and they are a big part of my fascination for the band, together with the enchanting theatrical atmospheres and moods, and of course the great composed and crafted songs of metallic shock rock with all it compliments. The super sexy voice of Vampirella, which creeps down into ones pants, and makes a thing or 2 happen, both for males and females. And the solid backbone from Mannequin and Jean-Pierre De Sade. All goes into a higher wholesome.
The recording does naturally enough only consist of early material due the time of the recording. The band's first full length "Vol 1: Le Theatre Du Vampire" wasn't even released at this time. That doesn't make this album weaker in my opinion, hence I think the early material from Notre Dame are some of the strongest, even though I could have used a couple of the songs which later was released on "Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You, The 2nd", but again, it’s nearly impossible to satisfy all fans' urges for a live set. And as a thing of pure genius, they deliver a cover version of Accept's 'Son Of A Bitch' in the middle of the set, a really well played track that goes perfectly with Snowy's voice and the band manages to invoke their atmosphere on the classic, such a killer transformation.
The sound on this live album is top notch, not as refined and overdubbed as your usual nowadays live release. This is the real live sound, but it has a tremendous punch and you catch all the details. It is more or less like being at the venue, and that is how it should be… powerful, with all the details in the sound picture, but still raw and with the live feel, and all that is present here. And the atmosphere the recording has preserved, nothing but beyond amazing, since I received this album, I have had a really hard time putting it away, due to it sucking me into the world Of Notre Dame, from the first note of 'The Bells Of Notre Dame' until the circle is completed with the last breath from the band to the tones of 'The Bells Of Notre Dame' which returns before Snowy thanks the audience. And my sincere thanks go to the band for the great music they have delivered in their way too short career… tak som helvete Notre Dame! This is a killer live album, offering a couple of tracks that strangely enough never made it onto an album of Notre Dame, even though they works perfectly in this live setting and are some killer tracks, one of them have even become a personal favourite of mine… A good live album would normally top at 7, perhaps 8 when we speak grades, but with the never before heard tracks on this album, together with the outstanding performance it can easily wear the 9 that I end up giving it.
Rating: 9/10
Notre Dame website
Kindly supplied by White Trash Records
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