Genre: Martial / Neoclassical
Perhaps I am being nostalgic, but I tend to think of live releases as archival footage of sorts. A particular moment in time captured and then frozen for posterity for those of us who could not be there or for those that were, and would like to recall that time.
An inspired first outing from one of the well-known acts in the scene, which took place in Leuven, Belgium in 2002, and given the audience participation it sounds like it was well received by the intimate gathering.
From the excellent pipe playing, which we can thank Ivo Meex, to the militaristic atmosphere that forms the backbone of many of the pieces, while others are unobtrusive and on the ambient side of things, if only for just a little while.
A good portion of the tracks have surfaced on previous releases, although slightly altered from their studio versions, no sonic trickery present, from the martial “Dum Pater Familias” which comes across in a more traditional style without losing any of the momentum of the “Only Stones Remain” version.
The track “Nibelungenland” presented here without the Nico vocals flittering through, and in the end making it a stronger piece of work. A few other tracks of note on the disc would be the mysterious sounding “Dragon’s Breath” a dark ambient piece evocative of early industrial fused with a bit of classical for good measure. I also have to mention the version of “Europa the Gates of Heaven” that turns up here, it is a driving piece with foreboding synth and not short on the dramatic, it is enough to make one smile warmly.
Peter Savelkoul has to be one of the busiest artists out there with operating his own record label, Vrihaspati Recordings as well as being involved with several other musical projects, the most recent of which is Laharis, an entirely different affair and a much-needed diversion.
With this release one can see how far A Challenge of Honour have progressed over the years, letting the usage of samples have less of a prominent role in the construction of his pieces, and paying a bit more detail to musical arrangements and in the end continues to release works of quality and substance.
http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20070512040425362