From Hell…With Love

Released as a low price CD/DVD combo, From Hell… With Love captures Seattle goth-punk quartet Aiden's performance at Chicago's Bottom Lounge this past January, and it does a pretty good job of conveying the Aiden live experience. The 10-song set leans heavily on 2009's Knives but gives a nod to choice cuts from their back catalog. Among the best tracks are an energetic "Die Romantic", an epic "Black Market Hell" and "I Set My Friends On Fire," which is accompanied by the band's now de rigueur Wall Of Death. Bringing Anti-Flag's Justin Sane and Chris #2 out to lend a hand on the closing "World By Storm" also means that proceedings climax with a suitable bang, the three vocalists injecting a ton of heart into the raucous track.



Throughout, there is a pleasing rawness to both the video and the audio, which suits the band's scrappy but heartfelt performance. The former is filmed professionally but not overly flashily, and the footage is predominantly comprised of close-quarters shots and footage from the pit that helps convey the energy in the crowd. The inclusion of interview clips with the various members recounting the history of the band seems a somewhat dubious choice since it's a safe bet that the vast majority of those purchasing it will already be dyed-in-the-wool Aiden fans, but, they at least keep these brief. The fact that they've left the band's bum notes in the audio mix rather than finessing it after the fact is also quite appealing (although a couple of these are maybe a little painful), but stripped of the visuals, the CD ultimately falls somewhat flat and seems a little superfluous.



To perhaps counter these claims, four solo acoustic tracks featuring frontman Wil Francis are tacked on to the end (one of which, "Silent Eyes," also appears on the DVD). To be fair, Francis conveys the emotion at the heart of the songs powerfully– but, the desire for a "raw" or "real" feel means they sound like they were recorded on a Dictaphone in a stairwell, and the effect is more grating than complimentary. But, while this package may ultimately fall into the non-essential category, as a fan-oriented release, it's definitely had some real love put into it, and their faithful should not come away feeling short changed.

Victory http://www.victoryrecords.com