Search - Vio-Lence: Blood and Dirt on DVD

Damian M. (ratchet)
Reviewed on 3/11/2009...

I have to admit Vio-lence has never been one of my favs. They never did for me what other Bay Area thrashers (Exodus, Heathen, Testament, Metallica or even Ulysses Siren) could. I also have to admit Possessed, Forbidden, Sadus, or Death Angel aren't my cup of tea either. Maybe I will have to give them all a try again after viewing this documentary. Despite not having any real connection with the band, I enjoyed the hell out of this. It was very in depth and followed trials and mistakes this band made. A frequent point of discussion was the rivalry with Forbidden (Evil). Also the role Debbie Abono played in their musical careers was explained in good detail. Worth a watch for anyone with an interest in 1980s thrash, I suggest starting with Iron Maiden & New Wave of British Metal, followed by Get Thrashed, then Rat Skates: Born in the Basement, and finally this one.

Long live to Thrash Metal!!!

Mario Jose Quintanilla | El Salvador | 08/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great band and I never imagined that they will have a Live DVD, this is a great oportunity to see them in action. I'm waiting for the 7 dates of Hell ( VENOM ) , the new DVD from Nuclear Assault and the new DVD from Metal Church!!!! this is a great Thrash/Black Metal Year!!!"

Oppressing The Classes

Darkslide | New York, NY USA | 02/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Metal fans rejoice!! Just in time for the re-birth of the American thrash scene comes the story of one of the best and underappreciated metal bands of all time. Let's face it, they were never going to get a Behind The Music. Vio-lence were one of the late-comers to the bay-area thrash scene that produced Metallica, Exodus, Testament and a slew of other classic bands. Like the bands that came before them, Vio-lence were determined to play harder, faster and go even further lyrically than their metal peers and they succeeded to a certain degree (I guess depending on who you speak to). This DVD gives you the band's story from their humble beginnings as San Francisco teens to their eventual break-up in the early 2000s. Featured throughout are interviews with all the band members including original members Troy Fua and Jerry Birr as well as several industry folks and the mandatory insane fans. One of my favorite parts is actually the fans getting nuts and hitting each other/air guitaring / headbanging / screaming VIO-LENCE!!!. And, of course, what retrospective bio would be complete without groupies flashing? The interviews are intersperced with classic live footage that has surprisingly good sound. The live footage on the second disc alone would make this DVD purchase worthy. The music still sounds as good as it did back then, if maybe a little bit dated, but the live versions featured here trump their album counterparts anyday. Fans of Robb Flynn and/or Machine Head owe it to themselves to own this chapter of Robb's and Phil's history. The bond that they formed here obviously led to some truly brutal songs both in Vio's heyday and in Machine Head's current line-up. All metal fans should find something of value on this but any fan of thrash/speed metal need to add this to their DVD collection."