Black Label Society: Doom Troopin’ Live, The European Invasion Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Black Label Society: Doom Troopin’ Live, The European Invasion Blu-ray Movie Review

Initially released as a 2DVD set, Doom Troopin’ Live contains footage from two different shows Zakk Wylde and his Black Label Society staged during their 2005 tour of Europe to promote the Mafia album. The Paris show has a total of 16 songs while the London show has 4.

The Paris show begins with a wild guitar solo by Zakk that immediately makes it clear why he is regarded by many as one of the greatest rock guitarists around. Next are "Stoned and Drunk" and "Destruction Overdrive" from Blessed Hellride, two very intense songs, that quickly get the crowd in a mood.

"Been A Long Time" is the first song in the show from the Mafia album. It is a great song that proves that back in the days Zakk was paying close attention to Ozzy Osbourne's tricks while he was his right hand guitar man - his voice can easily be mistaken for Ozzy's. Somewhat ironically, next is a short but very good "Iron Man" interlude.

"Funeral Bell" has some of that industrial flavor Rob Zombie's early albums introduced. The rhythm is great and Zakk's solos very intense. Immediately after it is "Suffering Overdue", which has some great bass riffs.

Next is a terrific rendition of "In This River", a very emotional song, which Zakk wrote as a tribute to his friend "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, former guitarist of Pantera and Damageplan, who was shot dead while performing at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004. A music video for "In This River" is also included in the supplemental features section of this Blu-ray disc.

"Suicide Messiah" is an angry, heavy song from the Mafia album, which the crowd likes a lot. "Demise of Sanity" is from the 1919 Eternal album and has some great bass riffs in addition to a few of Zakk's top-notch solos.

"Spread Your Wings" has nothing in common with Queen's popular 1977 song. This one is dark and very intense. One could easily mistake Zakk's vocals in it with those of the late Layne Staley.

A great solo acoustic jam is next. Zakk is truly on fire here, blending blues, rock and even a bit of jazz. He also does a bit of Ozzy's "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The highlight of the night is "Spoke In The Wheel", a truly powerful ballad. Zakk gets everyone in the venue to sing with him and then delivers some of the best solos in the entire show. "Fire It Up" sends the crowd into frenzy yet again.

The last two songs are "Stillborn", which was initially released as a single (with guest vocals by Ozzy), and "Genocide Junkies" from the 1919 Eternal album.

Destruction Overdrive

Black Label Society: Doom Troopin’ Live, The European Invasion Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Black Label Society: Doom Troopin' Live – The European Invasion arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

I really like what the producers of Black Label Society: Doom Troopin' Live – The European Invasion have done. The stylistic enhancements - blown out contrasts, wild colors, split frames - work great for an organic heavy metal show like this one. The stage lighting is intense - considering the size of the venue - but very effective. The camerawork is also excellent throughout the entire show - there are endless close-ups of Zakk, great looks at the rest of the band members and the crowd having a terrific time. For the record, I did not see any transfer-related anomalies to report in this review). All in all, I really enjoyed the raw look of Black Label Society: Doom Troopin' Live – The European Invasion and sincerely hope that Eagle Rock Entertainment would consider releasing more similar shows, perhaps even promoting some lesser known rock bands. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Black Label Society: Doom Troopin’ Live, The European Invasion Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. I opted of the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid. The bass is potent, the rear channels effective and high-frequencies not overdone. Zakk's terrific guitar solos are crisp and notably clean. His vocals are also never overpowered by the music. The crowd noise is prominent (plenty of clapping and random noises) but never overwhelming. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing dropouts to report in this review.

The LPCM 2.0 track is pleasing but definitely not a match for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The organic sound of the show is a lot more effective on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. On the LPCM 2.0 track, for instance, quite a few songs sound surprisingly distant. The bass is also not as potent.

I quickly tested only a couple of songs with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Frankly, by now anyone who has serious interest in music released on Blu-ray should know that lossless audio is always better than lossy. This Dolby Digital 5.1 track makes it perfectly clear why.

Black Label Society: Doom Troopin’ Live, The European Invasion Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Backstage Pass - a collage of interviews with Zakk in which he discusses how he and the band prepare for their shows, their music, tour schedule, etc. There is plenty of behind the scenes raw footage from the band's trips to Sweden, Finland, England, etc. In English, not subtitled. (52 min, 1080i):

-- Interviews -- Zakk trains with son Hendrix
-- BLS compound prep for tour
-- BLS map of Europe
-- Ferry to Sweden
-- Bus stop for beer
-- Sweden Rock Fest
-- Backstage Helsinki
-- Backstage Munich
-- Metal Hammer Awards
-- Zakk in London
-- Backstage London
-- BLS day off
-- Zakk jams on the buss
-- Backstage Paris

Music videos -

-- Fire It Up (5 min, 1080i).
-- In This River (5 min, 1080i).
-- Suicide Messiah (4 min, 1080i).
-- The making of Suicide Messiah (6 min, 1080i).

Black Label Society: Doom Troopin’ Live, The European Invasion Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Loud and very intense, Black Label Society: Doom Troopin' Live – The European Invasion is arguably one of the very best entries in Eagle Rock Entertainment's impressive catalog of music releases. I liked everything about it. Zakk and his boys truly rock! The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed looks and sounds terrific. It is also Region-Free. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.