Reviewed by Graeme Crawford

North Virginia hard rockers Messenger release the DVD version of their 'On Delivery (Live)' album. The sound and track listing are the same as the CD, and consequently suffers from the same rather muddied sound mix. The band come across as a mix between 1970s Deep Purple and '80s metal such as Dio, but without any of the stage presence. Visually, the band's show is unfortunately quite dull. With the recorded gig being on a small stage, in what would appear to be quite a small venue, it doesn't allow any room for the members to move around. Frontman Frank Herring does attempt to move somewhat, but he is limited by his keyboard and the proximity of his bandmates. There are no visuals, or effects on display. The director has attempted some cross-fading between close-ups of the individual band members, which just looks like Top Of The Pops from the 1970s, and some split screen work. Also at several moments, when they switch to a whole stage shot, you can clearly see the cameraman doing the close up shots, which takes your attention away from the band. In terms of extra features, there are 8 interviews on several different topics. They are quite interesting, if a bit short, but rather ruined by the music being played in the background. Also, there is no play all option which I found very disappointing. The two "Behind The Scenes" features, on the practice session and the studio mixing, are rather dull and don't reveal much about the band or either process. The sound in the practice session makes it almost unlistenable as the cameraman spends most of his time beside the drumkit, meaning you can't hear much else, especially the vocals. The band bios are also a waste of time as they reveal virtually nothing about the members. I would dare to suggest that if this is your thing, then you get the CD, as this DVD is seriously flawed in it's filming and the quality of the extras.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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