Iron Maiden-Rock in Rio
   © 2002 Sony Entertainment
Hammerfall-Templar Renegade Crusades
                   © 2002 Nuclear Blast Records
Specifications:
NTSC 4:3 Format
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, Dolby Surround
2 Discs
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
Running Time  Disc 1:  125 Mins.  Disc 2:  50 Mins.
Region Code 1

Special Features:
Candid Interviews
A Day in the life feature
Ross Halfin Photo Diary

Video Quality:
A-
Very good quality although it is in 4:3. Would have loved to have seen this one shot in widescreen. After viewing videotapes of this band, it is great to have a nice transfer that is visibly free of defects. Nice clarity. Looks awesome on the big screen!

Audio Quality:
A
The audio on this presentation sounds great. I actually prefer the Dolby Digital 5.1 scheme on this one. The DTS has good clarity, but not quite as much in the low end. I believe the Dolby Surround option is available for the special features only. The DD 5.1 and DTS schemes are the only 2 found on the concert portion.

Extras Rating:
A
Being a fan of the band from way back, I really liked what they added. The features are located on the second disc. There are some interviews with the members of the band that also feature some of their personal hobbies and examples. The day in the life feature shows what goes on in the life of the band while on tour. It is also fun to watch and a bit candid. The photo gallery is pretty self explanatory. Most will remember Ross Halfin due to his photos of musicians in the past and high credibility.

Summary:
Disc Overall Rating - A
While the band has released a few other titles (Raising Hell, Classic Albums-Number of the Beast) on DVD, this is the one the fans were waiting for. The Rock in Rio has established itself as one of the premier festivals in the world and draws a very large amount of people. The band as usual commands the audience with their intense set and cover a pretty decent span of their career including some stuff from the Blaze Bayley days. With good audio schemes and a decent transfer for visual presentation, it's hard to go wrong with this set. Maybe next time we'll get the widescreen??

Track Listing

1. Program Start
2. Intro
3. The Wicker Man
4. Ghost of the Navigator
5. Brave New World
6. Wrathchild
7. 2 Minutes to Midnight
8. Blood Brothers
9. Sign of the Cross
10. The Mercenary
11. The Trooper
12. Dream of Mirrors
13. The Clansman
14. The evil that men do
15. Fear of the Dark
16. Iron Maiden
17. The Number of the Beast
18. Hallowed be thy name
19. Sanctuary
20. Run to the Hills
21. Credits
Specifications:
NTSC 4:3 Format
PCM Stereo
1 Disc DVD-9
Running Time  140 Mins.
Region Code - Free

Special Features:
N/A

Video Quality:
B+
The quality of video is pretty good. It's hard to ding this type of presentation for not being widescreen due to the content. Some of the content looks to be shot in widescreen but the presentation as a whole is 4:3. Nothing really distracting in the way of quality.

Audio Quality:
B
A bit disappointing is that there is just a PCM Stereo scheme on the disc. It would've been nice to have something more, but due to the content of the disc PCM is probably adequate.

Extras Rating:
N/A
I put N/A in this area and above because this disc is oriented more to a collage of things. More like a disc full of extra  features. What is here on the disc is really cool especially for the die-hard Hammerfall fan.

Summary:
Disc Rating B+
I really like Hammerfall. The content of this disc provides for a pretty lengthy and enjoyable viewing. There are concert segments, more interview oriented segments, promotional videos, etc. Quality is good overall. This disc really offers a wide variety of things and sets a tone that should be followed by others who produce these kind of packages. If you are a fan of the band, you probably already have this. If you are a fan of just great Heavy Metal with a lot of melody and have checked these guys out, you really should!


Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Hansen Studios
3. The Templar World Crusade Europe
4. The Templar World Crusade USA
5. The Templar World Crusade Japan
6. The Templar World Crusade South America
7. Let The Hammer Fall
8. I Believe
9. Breaking The Law
10. WireWorld Studios
11. Renegade
12. Album Launch
13. Always Will Be
14. The Renegade World Crusade Europe
15. The Renegade World Crusade South America
16. Wacken Open Air
17. Heeding The Call Acoustic Version
18. Gold Album Party
19. A Legend Reborn
20. Outro