Review Summary: Don't let your previous notions of Aiden fool you, they put on a damn good live show.
Aiden: their very name can strike fear into the most noble of music enthusiasts. Since their debut record, Our Gang's Dark Oath, Aiden has been criticized for their lack of originality and their appearance (their overuse of the color black and many outfits that one could find at their local Hot Topic), but they've managed to evolve their style with every record. Some may say for the better, most will say for the worse. Only one thing is clear with Aiden, and that is that they put on an incredible live performance.
From Hell... With Love is Aiden's second live DVD, the first being released with their Rain in Hell EP in 2006. A lot has happened since then, but the passion and energy that they put into their concerts is the one consistent thing about the four-piece punk rock outfit. From Hell... With Love is pretty much the biggest thing since sliced bread if you're an Aiden fan, as it includes every music video they've ever done (sans We Sleep Forever), the live CD that also features four acoustic tracks, a fold out poster and the DVD itself. The quality of the feature is excellent, and it covers their entire career, spanning all the way back to their debut.
The album kicks off with a barrage of noise leading into The Asylum, one of the more 'punk' songs off of Knives, their latest record. From the get-go you're welcomed into vocalist William Francis's open arms and nasally shouts, which one can easily tell are way over-produced on their studio albums, because his voice sounds more raw and more powerful on From Hell... With Love. After The Asylum, a shorter version of The Last Sunrise, off of Nightmare Anatomy, kicks in, but it isn't really one of the highlights off of this album. On Nightmare Anatomy, Aiden had another guitarist, Jake Wambold, and without him the track really doesn't feel the same. The guitar parts feel hollow, especially because they cut the track short.
Fan favorite Die Romantic comes up next, but this song also doesn't feel right without Jake. Angel tries his hardest to replicate the guitar, but this version doesn't come close to the version on Rain in Hell's DVD. After that, the band breaks into newer material, finally feeling at home. Black Market Hell and Crusifiction are excellently and powerfully done, along with Let the Right One In and Scavengers of the Damned. We Sleep Forever suffers from a lackluster vocal performance, but I Set My Friends on Fire feels more agressive than ever before.
The album ends with World by Storm, one of their best songs, and Aiden is joined by Chris #2 and Justin Sane of Anti-Flag (who headlined the tour this DVD was filmed at), really ending this record on a high note. There are a few acoustic tracks but nothing that really stands out. They aren't recorded with very good quality, and they're all weaker tracks than the rest on the DVD.
From Hell... With Love was filmed at Chicago's Bottom Lounge on January 13th 2010, at the very start of The Economy Sucks, Let's Party! tour. It features a wide variety of goodies for any fan of Aiden, but people who are unfamiliar with the band or people who aren't fans to begin with should steer very clear, as this live record will not change your opinion of the band one bit. It's more of a fan piece, and it captures the intensity of their live shows very well.
I'm going to recommend a few tracks here as well:
I Set My Friends on Fire (for the wall of death)
Black Market Hell
World by Storm
