Nightwish – “Made in Hong Kong (and in Various Other Places)” [LIVE]

I have always felt that for the most part I can do without live records. I believe that it is very difficult to accurately capture the energy of a live show onto a piece of plastic and then reproduce it months later in a CD player. With very few exceptions, I don’t think live records ever live up to their hype. Without the atmosphere of the venue and the visuals of the band and stage it all seems very sterile to me.

I said all of that just to say that, Made in Hong Kong (and in Various Other Places) is the latest release from Nightwish and unfortunately I think it fits right into this aforementioned category. While this is not a bad disc by any means, it does seem to be one dimensional and at times a bit boring. This was my first exposure to Nightwish and while I feel the songs are decent they are a bit too progressive and contain too many keyboard parts for my liking. At times the music is heavy at others almost dreamy and otherworldly.

The CD is also packaged with a DVD that includes a documentary from the bands 2007-2008 world tour as well as three promotional videos. I found the documentary portion of this DVD informative and quite interesting. It offered a good insiders view of the band and it’s members, which for someone like me (who was unfamiliar with Nightwish) was a welcome addition.

At the end of the day. Made in Hong Kong (and in Various Other Places) is an okay package. I suspect if you are a fan of the band than you will probably really dig this. As a relative outsider I just did not dig it. It was decent the first time through but I have serious doubts I will revisit it anytime in the near future.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Bye Bye Beautiful
02. Whoever Brings The Night
03. Amaranth
04. The Poet And The Pendulum
05. Sahara
06. The Islander
07. Last Of The Wilds
08. 7 Days To The Wolves
09. Escapist (album b-side)
10. While Your Lips Are Still Red
11. Cadence Of Her Last Breath (Demo Version)

Run Time: 76:13
Release Date: 03.31.2009

DVD Track Listing:

01. Back In The Day Is Now (2007-2008 Documentary)
02. Amaranth
03. Bye Bye Beautiful
04. The Islander