In 2002, heavy metal was alive and well in Brazil !!!
(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
rcg2
from Phoenix
"Rock In Rio" packs a lot of punch from a truly great band. Sound production is crisp, yet I do feel on some songs the guitars are simply not loud enough. Steve Harris and Dave Murray, the two original bandmates that have appeared on every Iron Maiden album, are still in great form and they remain the true core of the band. McBrain continues to pound the skins and provide a steady beat. Bruce Dickinson can still wail. Gers still pisses me off - and I wish that he and his flashy self indulging style of guitar picking would get the boot. While "Rock In Rio" is very good, it will never be what "Live After Death" is. "Live After Death" captured Maiden at their peak, playing all their (now) classic material... truly a LIVE metal masterpiece. Hence, "Rock In Rio" is years beyond the unimpressive "Real Live One", "Real Dead One", and "Live At Donnington"... not that Maiden was bad, but sub par song selection and dismal sound production did all three of these in. "Rock In Rio" concentrates heavily on the songs from "Brave New World". The band plays more than half the songs here from "BNW". Fans of the new Maiden will find this live performance essential to their collection. The best songs for me were "Blood Brothers" and "Sign Of The Cross" from disc 1; and the classic 1-2-3 punch to end disc 2 featuring "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "Sanctuary" and "Run To The Hills". This disc also features 2 enhanced videos for your computer. A sneak peak of the upcoming DVD... song featured is "Brave New World" and a look at the band on the road "A Day In The Life". Sound quality was okay, but the frame speed seemed "off" and it looked like Bruce was singing ahead of what you were hearing. The CD also comes with a 22-page booklet jam packed with band pictures and lyrics to all 19 tracks. In 2002, heavy metal was alive and well in Brazil.
