I’ve been reviewing the multitude of retrospective Gary Moore blues based releases, and after the tragic death in 2011, his last visit to the annual Swiss festival is now making the rounds. For more than 30 years, I’ve been a fan of the former Thin Lizzy guitarist, who remained the same apart from a thickening of the waist, but who hasn’t in that time? Over the last decade and a half, he’d been out of the metal spotlight, apart from the odd Nightwish cover, so the fact he’d finally re-connected with his rock/metal lineage only makes his untimely passing more painful. Of all the Montreux re-releases, this is truly the one metal fans should seek out: six-strings, feedback and aggression, even though the accompanying CD drops two songs (rocking ‘Military Man’ and the oft aired ‘Still Got The Blues’).

Opening with a decidedly non-blues track ‘Over The Hills And Far Away’ signals Moore’s vintage mindset, although there are new songs included here, ultimately meant for a studio release that will never see the light of day (although the Chuck Schuldiner/Death posthumous archives might say otherwise). This is the real, blues based UK rock that launched the metal we all love, yet most under 30 have probably never heard (nor appreciated). Virtually sedentary onstage, in velvet shirt and blue jeans, Moore commands an audience, without ancillary props: he lets the music do the talking, with a virtual greatest hits repertoire. Even then, the ghost of one Phil Lynott can be heard in the melodies!

Sorry Eagle Vision, there’s little to warrant investigation of the DVD, apart from the added pair of audio tracks, as the visual aspect adds nothing. That said, the music NEEDS to be heard by a new generation, regardless of format (so pick up the CD instead). Sadly, there’s no postscript interview or otherwise, which somehow seems warranted (ie. the final Heaven & Hell DVD).