One thought kept going through my mind as I watched KING'S X's "Live Love In London": "Not only am I not getting any younger (I'm 23), but many of the bands that I love are not either." Profound, I know. The truth is, however, that many bands that I have watched videos of from 20 years ago just cannot live up to those standards anymore (SLAYER, OZZY, just to name a couple). Now, to be fair, I have a lot of respect for KING'S X; they've never blatantly sold out and they have been releasing albums and touring regularly since the beginning. I just felt that a lot of the performance was inferior to what it would have been even in 1995, but more on that later.

Instrumentally, the band is on fire. A lot of their older albums suffered from terrible production, so to hear the songs with heavier guitar and better sound overall is a definite advantage. The DVD itself does a fine job of capturing the sound. Visually, however, there is much to be desired. This DVD suffers from what I like to call "hyperactive editing," where there are far too many shifts from one camera to another, so much so that some people will find it jarring and may even get nauseated (although it's not quite as bad as what Steve Harris does to the IRON MAIDEN DVDs).

I have to admit, the band members look pretty good, especially considering that they are near sixty years old. And instrumentally they are in top form. But vocally, they have deteriorated significantly, especially Doug Pinnick. This is especially noticeable on "Lost In Germany" (perhaps my favorite song in the band's catalogue). Not only has Doug's range decreased, his voice honestly sounds shot.

Also, and this is a common complaint about the band's setlists in general, they stick to too many of the "safe" songs; singles like "Black Flag" and "It's Love." Do not get me wrong, I still love hearing "Summerland" and "Over My Head," but for me, the gems of KING'S X's discography were non-singles, like "Cigarettes" and "It's Not Just For The Dead." Although I wonder if vocally they can even pull those songs off anymore and have them retain their effectiveness.

Some of the more recent songs like "Pray" and "Alright" take off in the live context, but the highlight of this DVD comes at the end, with "Visions" and "Moanjam," two songs that are pure ecstasy, complete with full-on jams. The former, in particular, truly benefits from the improved sound. When all three members are rocking out, there are few bands, even ones in their prime, that can top that.

Tucked in with the bonus features are two live clips, "Everybody Knows A Little Bit Of Something" and "Fall On Me," two decent songs that would not make my top 10 KING'S X songs. However, despite poor video and mediocre sound quality, I sat mesmerized at the screen. Few bands, ever, can perform with such power. It made me crave more videos of them live from back in the day (see if you can find them performing an unbelievable cover of "Manic Depression" at Woodstock if you ever get the chance).Sadly, it also brought to life just how far the current band is from what they once were. I saw them live earlier this year, opening for ACCEPT, and even then I was only mildly entertained.

It may sound like I am just using this as an outlet to bash KING'S X, but I'm really not. I like them a lot and even though I think certain fans of the band overcompensate to make up for the mainstream that has mostly overlooked them, I consider them one of the best rock bands of the past 30 years. I just need to justify a relatively low grade for a release which reviewers unfamiliar with the band would probably give a high score. For a lot of people who are not able to get their hands on the obscure "Gretchen Goes To London" DVD or be lucky enough to be near a town where the band tours, "Live Love In London" will be their first opportunity to experience the band live. I'm sure most diehards have already pre-ordered this, but the casual fan might want to approach with caution.