Band Web Site: http://www.odinscourtband.com

2006 was a groundbreaking year for Southern Maryland-based prog metal contenders Odin’s Court. In March, the band released the album ReDriven By Fate, which was a re-recording of the songs originally released on the 2003 album Driven By Fate. It was not your standard re-release, however. The lineup had changed dramatically since 2003, and now featured guitarist Rick Pierpont, bassist Craig Jackson and keyboardist Savino Palumbo teaming up with drummer John Abella and singer/songwriter/guitarist/founder Matt Brookins. Later that month, the band celebrated by recording a live headlining performance at Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield, Virginia. Being a huge fan of the band’s live sound, I was anxious to see how the energy Odin’s Court possessed on stage would translate to a live recording. Well, you yourself can find out now in full color DVD picture quality and stereo sound. The fruits of the toil under the hot lights of the Jaxx stage on that cold March night are to be seen and heard on their first live DVD release, Court Is Now In Session. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury…all rise and bang your heads!

Jaxx Nightclub is a venue that has seen the likes of many great metal bands over the years: Helloween, Dragonforce, Arch Enemy, Sonata Arctica, Kamelot, King’s X, Black Label Society, Symphony X…the list could go on into infinity. Love it or hate it, it is a place where you can be guaranteed that metal royalty will most likely show up to tear the house down. So, you can imagine the honor and pride that the members of Odin’s Court felt when they headlined a venue where they opened up for many of the bands that I mentioned. And, coming from someone who was there, I can tell you myself that they totally took advantage and gave our ears and our senses a major ass kicking!

The set features all of the songs that fans who followed Odin’s Court from their earliest days all know and love. “D2C,” “Utopian Rust,” “His Dark Materials,” “Paradise Lost parts 1 and 3” and “Homecoming” are all here and are all performed with an explosive vigor that is impossible to capture in a studio environment. Two brand new songs are featured in the form of “Animaulic” and “Manifest Destiny,” and they represent a growing maturity and sophistication in the musicianship and the songwriting that only comes with tireless practice and continued dedication to the art of music. You’ll here more about these songs later!

And now a musical moment that is sure to make Schroeder jump with joy…well, Ode to Joy! Yes, it’s a prog metal-powered version of the Beethoven’s legendary 9th Symphony-4th Movement, otherwise known as “Ode to Joy”. Classical music and metal truly are a match made in heaven. I am completely sure if our favorite pint-sized pianist from Peanuts was interested in heavy metal, this would be the band he would be into!

Odin’s Court is well known for having the stage presence to match their musical gymnastics, and this DVD brings it all home for you to see. Lead vocalist/guitarist Brookins is a monster figure on the stage, as the muscle-bound axeman buries the strings on his Ibanez Universe with his hair in his face. Pierpont is a whirling dervish of guitar wizardry mixed with a hurricane of curly hair. Savino Palumbo plays the keys with passion and precision, and the rhythm section of Jackson and Abella unite to lay the foundation for the band’s pyrotechnics. You can truly tell the band is having fun on stage and the crowd is right with them with their fists in the air to cheer them on. Sound-wise, the music is clear, heavy and intense. Your home stereo speakers may have trouble containing it! My only complaint is that the crowd noise was not prevalent enough and seems to have been drowned out in the final mix. I was right there in the middle of it all and it was noisy and rockin’ in the joint that night! Other than that everything is spot on!

You also get very good value for money on this DVD, as it is packed with extras. A spellbinding keyboard solo by Palumbo is featured, along with three slideshows that capture the band throughout the years. There is also plenty of after show footage, and an interview with the band conducted by yours truly. See if you are able to locate me in the after show footage and the slideshows! If you know me, I am pretty easy to spot.

As I began this review, I return back to my original point that 2006 was a groundbreaking year for Odin’s Court. After the release of this DVD, the band went on a tour of the Northeastern United States with Zero Hour, and also performed at BAR Fest in San Francisco, California. During that time, the band was hard at work on an album featuring all new material which would mark the next level in their musical voyage. To be continued…

Review written by: Matt B.        
Date: December 20, 2008             
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5