First, the light show entertains only the warmest hues from scarlet purple to hot pink.

Secondarily, their singer, Ray Alder, really sells this material. Rather than stay true to the how it sounds in the studio, he delivers his pitch with tremendous passion. Not to mention, he keeps moving as if there were smoldering coals between his toes. In addition to this fancy footwork, his hands are continuously pointing, waving, and gesturing. If there is a fault to be found, it’s that he pushes his voice so close to the limits that he gets hoarse early on. This is especially evident in “Memory”. Since the concert has no rest stops, you have to give him kudos for his ceaseless effort. Like blackened catfish, the peppery crispiness is a plus and paradoxically, his cardiovascular system seems to decongest once he finds his rhythm by the song “Release”.

Also, there is a third, fourth and fifth bit of biting wit when it comes to their supposed freezer burn, and it’s that they take off from the onset, keep pace, and finish strong. In comparison to the average concert, they burn substantially more calories.

If you don’t already have a reason to thaw out your slush funds and purchase this release, they’ve thrown in many valuable extras to make it worth your while. Most significant is the strictly-audio sister disc, so you can not only watch this on the boob tube but can hear it from the boom box. Other bonuses include a music video of “Bleed Me Dry”, outtakes, and a tour diary where you look for Homer Simpson, Mike Portney’s cake, and humanoid ants. Not to mention, the chronicles are accompanied by an awesome composition by Nick Van Dyk,

As stated, it’s hard to pick a highlight because they put forth consistent effort from the starting pistol to the ticker tape. Technically, they post their best split in “Fall On You”, but when referencing the metronome; they tear through every track. “Threads” and “Bleed Me Dry” are impressive purely for the fact that they’re a part of the warm-up. Rarely does any band get off the blocks so fast. To a degree, the accelerated gait leads to a short event. Nevertheless, it seems well-heeled.

Regardless of what they’re performing, the guitars are scuttling while the drums are stampeding. Breathing life into these pieces, the keyboards heave as the others find their pace. They even take the slower passages of “Sapphire” in stride and are quick to break free when gravity takes effect and its time to sprint downhill.

Under balmy lights, their riffs will be extra furious to those familiar with their tunes. Not only do they have trouble suppressing the sweat, you’ll get the heart rate going just watching this stimulating set. In other words, it’s hard to freeze a single frame when they have your fascination at a boil.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.