Dizzy Mizz Lizzy @ Copenhell 2022
It's in the veins somehow...
World famous in Denmark, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is an unlikely story. They got huge in the mid-'90s with two equal parts original, memorable, hard-hitting, and well-played albums that became part of my daily soundtrack for doing anything but my homework. The band, however, gave way to the sudden pressure of constant touring and creative differences after only a few years and called it quits in 1998.
Dizzy remained disbanded for more years than they'd been together, until in 2009 when they announced a reunion out of the blue. They've since released two new albums, which, while perhaps not as commercially successful as their classic ones, at least creatively they damn well are.
The band knows this, and they know that we know as well. This is perhaps why the bulk of the setlist on their shows since the release of 2020's "Alter Echo" – including tonight's set – consists of songs from this and its predecessor, "Forward in Reverse" (2016).
This works to a certain extent. Not only is it both bold and right that the band stands by their new, blinding material, but new songs like "In the Blood" and "I Would If I Could But I Can't" are as intense and heavy as the band ever was – though perhaps not quite as catchy.
Maybe it's just me who haven't listened to the new albums enough. (In fact, I totally haven't.) In any case, during the otherwise impressive +20 minutes "Amelia" suite, I find myself craving some of those songs that made the band big and my puberty tolerable.
The band knows this too, however. So as much as they might have kept a more well-balanced and dynamic set by alternating between old and new songs, the ensuing hit parade of the singalongs "Glory" and "Rotator", the progressive "67 Seas in Your Eyes", and the intensely syncopated riff-fest "Waterline" is nothing short of bliss for us all.
A sea of warm smiles and unconditional nostalgia surrounding me, this short time goes straight up there with my all-time Copenhell moments. And having attended 7 out of 10 since the first one, there are quite a few of those so far.
And of course it all lasts throughout the encore, "Thorn in My Pride" being straight in the middle on a continuum between melodic thrash metal and rockabilly, and the mandatory "Silverflame" – the world's only progressive power ballad, as somber and serious as it's gradiose and infectious.
Fucking immaculate songwriting right there. And there's definitely something to be said about the band's technical level as well. There always was.
Today, though, singer and guitarist Tim Christensen, one of the country's all-time most talented vocalists and guitar players, sings better than ever. Sometimes even better than on the goddamn studio recordings. And having long since passed the point of needing to prove anything, he delivers his solos with a confident, laid-back attitude supporting his unique sense of melody.
And I gotta praise the band's shamefully under-appreciated rhythm section as well. Bass player Martin Nielsen displays a neck-breaking versatility, and drummer Søren Friis is his perfect complementary, being straight up one of the most iron-solid tight and steady Danish drummers in and outside of hard rock ever.
I miss several songs. Say, "When the River Runs Dry" and my favorite, "Barbedwired Baby's Dream". So of course, this can't help but affect my overall rating. Still, though, this is as professional and admirable as Danish hard rock music gets.
In fact, any of our foreign visitors who's less biased and demanding than I, could very well have enjoyed this even more.
Rating: 4.5 out of 6
Rating: Hard rock / progressive rock
Venue: Copenhell, Helvíti Stage
Date: Wed., 15/6/2022
Setlist:
- The Ricochet (intro)
- In the Blood
- I Would If I Could but I Can't
- Brainless
- The Middle
- Amelia - Part 1: Nothing They Do They Do for You
- Amelia - Part 2: The Path of Least Existence
- Amelia - Part 3: Lights Out
- Amelia - Part 4: All Saints Are Sinners
- Glory
- Rotator
- 67 Seas in Your Eyes
- Waterline
Encore: - Thorn in My Pride
- Silverflame