Eclipse: Viva La Victouria (Frontiers, 2020)

Remember live music? Seeing bands in concert may seem like a distant memory in 2020, but thankfully bands like Eclipse are here to save the day with killer live releases. The Swedish melodic rock sensation served up their first-ever live video release this year, and it’s every bit as electrifying as you might have hoped for. It’s titled Viva La Victouria, and it’s a hell of a show.

Of course Eclipse wasn’t going to give us some half-assed 10-song set here. Viva La Victouria features a full 17-song set captured in Gothenburg last fall. It’s a large club show, but the band plays like it’s Madison Square Garden, dominating the stage and mesmerizing the very excited crowd. The setlist is heavy on their latest (and greatest?) album Paradigm, but has plenty of favorites from Monumentum, Armageddonize and Bleed And Scream. The band sounds great, and the crowd seems pumped up. Erik Martensson seems to stay put most of the time, which is odd compared to past performances, but he still sounds amazing.

There haven’t been many chances to catch Eclipse live here in North America. If you’ve seen them, Viva La Victouria is a great way to relive that experience. If you haven’t, it’s the next best thing. Either way, this is a mandatory release for all Eclipse fans.

Edition Notes: There are a few different versions of Viva La Victouria available, from the lo-fi (LP) to the hi-fi (Blu-ray). Your best bet might be right in the middle, since the DVD version comes with two audio CDs that include not only the full live show, but bonus live, acoustic and cover songs. Both the Blu-ray and DVD also include the band’s Live From The Quarantine performance, which is almost as much fun as the main show, and a bonus documentary.