Unglued Reviews

Seattle straightedge hardcore band Champion called it a day in 2006, having released one album, two EPs and a split CD since forming in 1999. They secured a final addition to their discography, however, by recording their last live performance (a show in their hometown) to be released as this CD/DVD package.

While most live albums are only for existing fans, this album is particularly so, given that it confuses newcomers by not including a proper tracklisting, but rather a photo of a setlist using abbreviations (such as PK for Promises Kept) instead of the full song titles.

Said fans will lap this up, though, as the band are in fine form ā€“ the breakneck guitars are meaty and the drums pummelling. However, frontman Jim Heskethā€™s vocals are often lost as heā€™s swamped by the crowd, or kicked in the eye, or breathless from the energetic performance required of a hardcore show.

This latter aspect is only a concern when listening to the audio CD ā€“ when watching the DVD of the show (which, oddly enough, includes a few live cuts that arenā€™t on the CD, as well as featuring interviews with band and audience members, plus early footage), these lapses are easily excusable as the cameras put you right in the thick of the action, with stage dives, sweaty hardcore kids, and a guy dressed in a cardboard robot costume.

One caveat is that, while I do admire some aspects of the straightedge lifestyle, when the CD runs for only just over half an hour, devoting several minutes to preaching (to the converted) on multiple occasions about the evils of alcohol amounts to a significant percentage of the stage time lost ā€“ not to mention that it detracts from repeated listening to a fairly impressive gig.

That aside, this release stands as a good monument to the band.

Owen Heitmann