The Murderess Metal Road Show

Up until this point, Lizzy Borden had only released one EP and one studio album. So a live album should be something they'd be thinking of after three or four albums, right? Well, Lizzy decided they didn't want to wait and recorded one only the year after their debut. And what an album this is!

It begins with the announcer proclaiming them to be "the most outrageous band in the world", which is funny as that is what W.A.S.P are referred to as in the intro for "Live...In The Raw". Maybe they took turns using that title? Anyway, it then goes right into "Council for the Cauldron" and already you can tell that you're in for a treat. This is fast paced, balls to the walls California metal at it's finest right here, folks! Don't let their looks deceive you, this band means business. The guitars, bass and drums all sound kick-fucking-ass here, but what stands out here is, of course, Lizzy Borden's voice. It sounds like it was created in a lab where scientists combined aspects of Rob Halford's, Bruce Dickinson's, Geoff Tate's AND Blackie Lawless' voices to create one insane hybrid and this was the result. Seriously, even Halford himself would be impressed by some of Lizzy's screams on this album.

I must say, "Warfare" is my personal favourite track on this album (just as it was on "Love You To Pieces). The sheer aggression, power and energy they put into this song is just awesome. That's not to say the other songs are lacking in any of those fields, either. "No Time To Lose" , for example, might be the fastest song on here. You can really hear the Judas Priest influences on that one. I particularly like how "Psychopath" and "Love You To Pieces" are connected in this show. The former shows Lizzy going after a woman dressed in lingerie until he finally traps her in a toy box and decapitates her. "Love You To Pieces" shows him both mourning and swooning over her head. This is from the VHS of course, but just thought I'd point it out here. Oh by the way, this album features a cover of Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die". Five years before Gun's N' Roses covered it. That's right, Axl, Lizzy beat you to it!

The show ends with the climactic, and patriotic, "American Metal". A perfect way to cap off such a brilliant show. So much so that this song would become their most played song in the bands thirty year career.

So there you have it. One of the finest, and most overlooked, live albums that heavy metal has to offer. It captures an amazing band in their prime, ready to take on the world! Was it enough to compete with the mighty W.A.S.P.? Not really, but I'm sure Blackie and co. were certainly impressed upon hearing this. Long story short: Get this album!

I would have thought the mid 80s a bit early in Lizzy Borden's career to release a live record, what with their second studio album still on the horizon; and yet the medium was quite an important one for the Californians, whose frizzed up looks weren't made just for their photo ops, but for prancing around the stage setting and entertaining an audience largely weaned on glamorous drunken cock rock at the clubs. Fortunately, The Murderess Metal Road Show curbed any trepidation I might have had, a thorough treatment which was issued on both VHS and audio formats with a fat play length of around 70 minutes, and wisely, oh so wisely, a few bonus studio treats to tide over the band's followers until fall of the same year, when the sophomore Menace to Society arrived.

I've never watched the actual video, an admitted travesty for one who has enjoyed the group this long, so my knowledge extends only to the audio version, which in of itself is quite satisfying. For one, this is not a pastiche pulled from an entire tour, but a single gig, which to me is always a more authentic experience in judging a group's capabilities in the live venue. They include the ENTIRETY of the Love You to Pieces album, so all of those favorites are present here and even a few that aren't, but the consistency of the writing there makes for one hell of a solid night. Staples like "Warfare" and "American Metal" sound about as good as you'd expect, with a good balance of drums and vocals, though occasionally the flightiness of the guitar melodies takes on too much of a life of its own, breaking away from the rhythmic mold beneath, and the bass can often get lost. Lizzy sounds as sharp as the studio recordings, without ever straining himself, and in general I'd say the bound is spot on, the album exponentially better when experienced at a higher volume.

Beyond that material, they've also worked the originals from the Give 'Em the Axe EP into the set, and they replaced their Rainbow cover here with a version of Paul McCartney's "Live And Let Die", which is to me, the de facto rendition of this tune on any metal or hard rock release. Naturally, it irked me to no end when Guns 'n' Roses came along and exploded with their version, not because that was crap, but because I really thought the drama of Lizzy's timbre was the perfect fit with its screaming, while the little melodic breaks of the upbeat guitars totally pop out of the amps, not to mention the trebled thrust of the bass and the atmospheric transitions. I can live without the clamor of the closing 'finale' medley, but it wasn't and is still not uncommon for a band to end a gig with some further crowd tuning, so it's pretty sincere to leave it on the recording. All in all, a truly fulfilling set for any and all fans of the formative years of the band, and a great introduction for their newer guitarist Alex Nelson who seamlessly replaced Tony Matuzak.

The studio tunes are also quite nice, though I can see why the band might have been hesitant to include them on Menace to Society, as they're slightly less catchy than much of the sophomore. "Dead Serious" is a mix of classy melodic speed licks with loads of leads, but I didn't find Borden's vocal progressions all that memorable, even when he gets lower pitched and creepy over the bass lines in the bridge (a good shriek follows, though)."(Wake Up) Time to Die" is potentially more ambitious, over 6 minutes with loads of King Diamond-like screaming and a triplet canter redolent of classic Iron Maiden, and this is slightly sticker than "Dead Serious" what with the gang shouts and variation. But the best thing about the song is that the lyrics are based on Blade Runner, from the replicates' point of view, so how cool is that?

Ultimately, you come away from The Murderess Metal Road Show knowing that the band and label put their all into its conception. It might not be a top shelf live record when compared to the bigger names in its class, but the commitment to such a complete set and then the bonus material ensures that it never comes across as some premature, commercial ejaculate attempting to capitalize on the hot streak of a fresh new artist. Worth the time and coin if you're into the band's 80s fare, or just seeking out glistening US power or speed from the period in its birthday suit.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

"Hello Suckers !!!", when you hear that line you know its Lizzy. This is a great look at how metal shows used to be.Another classic Lizzy quote from the video, "Every Body Knows L.A.'s The Heavy Metal Capital Of The World ",and when this video was shot L.A. was.This video cannot be out done. Even when you count the fact that Joey Scott was playing with an injured arm ,something I learned when I got my copy autographed.
Filled with great theatrics one is entertained with the music and funny stuff. Like during the song Love You To Pieces.A woman in lingerie comes out on stage and Lizzy sings to her.Eventually laying her in a box and smashing an axe against ,what you assume is her neck, and blood begins to shoot out. Lizzy takes mouth fulls of blood spiting it into the crowd and rubs his face against the bloody box lid eventually being covered in the blood and giving the camera a weird,I'm insane, kinda look. Also another humorus stunt is when Lizzy and the band beat up some guy dressed in a Santa costume then breaking out into Psychopath.
Another classic moment is the solo's of Alex Nelson and Joey Scott.Alex Nelson is one of the best shredders you will find doing this kinda music.Joey Scott does a decent drum solo,nothing to special but done in a total metal fashion. I'd metion the bass solo but I think it was pretty shitty so it needs no more metion than that.Yet it still doesnt take any thing away from the performance on a whole.
The cover song is also great, and reworked so its not exactly like the original.In changing the cover the band makes it more Metal and more vocally amped.
I'd go into the songs but to truely give it justice you really have to see this. One cant describe this in simple terms other than superb.
Another badass attribute to the bands murderous legacy.Check it out.
I'd also like to mention I bought this in a used record store which had no clue of this original rareity and after the first viewing I have been a die hard Lizzy Borden fan ever since.The band also is an awesome bunch of guys cause after there shows they do autographs and talk to there fans,and have stayed underground.Whatever thats due to it still counts for something.
You cant go wrong here.