The Haunted - Live Rounds In Tokyo (CD)

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Let me start of this review by saying two things about this release, the first off that this live album is only available as part of a double CD set, with the second disc being the 2000 release The Haunted Made Me Do It, and the second one being the fact that I absolutely dislike it when bands with only 2 studio releases find it necessary to release a live album already, as if the metal scene at current isn't already flooded enough with unnecessary and dubious live albums and/or ep's.
Having said this however, it must also be said that The Haunted are one of the best trash bands around, and Live Rounds In Tokyo kicks serious ass from beginning to end. The band even manages to sound more aggressive and furious than on their studio releases, which is very impressive indeed. Just listen to the singer, who occasionally tries to catch its breath between songs, or the drummer, who seems to play as if every second might be his last.
The track listing is evenly divided between the previous two releases, containing eight songs from each, as well as the Japanese bonus track for the Made Me Do It album Eclipse. And this is, for me at least, the main fault of this release, the fact that as pointed out above, the band has only released 2 albums so far and therefore really has a lack of diversity, which makes this album seem more or less a quick cash-in from their record company than anything else.
Conclusion, definitely worth having if you're a die hard fan of the The Haunted or want to experience how real trash metal is supposed to be played, as the musical abilities of this band are without a doubt superb. As far as I'm concerned however, it's released far too early in the bands career and adds nothing to the studio albums.