Unearth
Alive From the Apocalypse
Metal Blade
There ain’t no party like an Unearth party and an Unearth party never stops
Hi, I’m Kevin and I’m addicted to band documentaries. *This is where you all say, “Hi Kevin!”* I recognize my addiction began with VH1’s Behind the Music when I found myself able to live my non-existent drug and alcohol problem and lack of success as a musician vicariously through those far more successful, drunk and high than I. After every extreme music band who’d ever compiled old camcorder footage and chronological back-slapping interview footage started issuing DVD releases, well, that was the beginning of the end. And as poorly constructed as some of them are, I admit it: I’m hooked. Shit, I’ll sit down and watch a documentary of a band I don’t even like, so addicted I am to rehearsal room minutiae and tour footage of dudes throwing up on each other. However, I must mention that this is pretty much where my addiction begins and ends; I can’t express to you how dull I find videos of live shows, photo galleries and promo video compilations. Logic dictates that only half of this release, Unearth’s first official (Huh? There are unofficial ones?) DVD, is going to truly appeal to my addiction.
Included here is a full gig from Pomona, CA featuring professional cameras and sound capturing the usual antics (beer bongs, overhand guitar playing, wrestling and the always entertaining Ken “Dirtbag” Susi), single songs from massive overseas festivals and a compilation of the band’s eight (!) promo videos. The highlight, however, is the documentary that traces the band’s history from their inauspicious metalcore beginnings in Lynn, MA to their far thrashier and immensely popular present state. Old video footage and photos are, ahem, unearthed, and the history of the band is related via side-splittingly hilarious tales by present and former members, giving you a strong sense of the who, what, where, when, why and how of Unearth. You also get the sense that these dudes could keel over from cirrhosis of the liver at any moment, so much malt liquor do they imbibe. It’s amazing to be partial witness to the fact that no matter how badly and how often they get hammered, Unearth always manage a killer show and have been able to get to where they’re at now. —Kevin Stewart-Panko
