Lars Rettkowitz

It isn't hard to understand why young headbangers who aren't old enough to remember the '70s/'80s heyday of power metal are drawn to Freedom Call's live shows. On-stage, Freedom Call take listeners back to a time in which metal concerts were more than concerts; they were shows, theatrical events, musical circuses, larger-than-life spectacles. And Live in Hellvetia captures everything that was extravagant and pompous about metal shows back in the '70s and '80s. Recorded at the Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland on December 29, 2010, Live in Hellvetia (which is available in both DVD and double-CD versions) documents a 21st century show by a band that didn't exist until 1999 but has remained stubbornly dedicated to the metal of a bygone era.