At the moment the world is drowned in DVDs. Will Maurice Swinkels’ (OCCULT) company Lowlifemedia be able to compete with all those big money projects? To cut a long story short: no, not really, I’m afraid. That’s because I’m quite unhappy with parts of the concept. "To be Thrashed by OCCULT" turns out to be a little annoying because there is a female voice telling you the history of Holland’s OCCULT. And doesn’t shut up. Sorry, but at least the cool live sequences (especially the old ones with a "cult" sound) should have been delivered as the pure experience. What is Maurice hiding from us? In a way, this could have been a documentary about ABBA (or whatever) on a big TV station. Only then there would have been complete songs, I guess. I always get the feeling: oh, wait! This is cool! Let me see (and hear!) more of it. But after a minute or so the story rushes on. Yeah, OCCULT’s history is a pretty long and interesting one but: why not let the music do the talking? At least every now and then! One could read the history in a booklet or online, dammit! Especially that ‘Mutilation’ cover at the Chuck benefit in Tilburg together with Wannes (PENTACLE). Aaahhhrrrggghhhh! Have mercy! Pleasant voice but also a little emotionless. Whatever. Apart from that, the DVD does have a certain underground charm and it does provide you with a bit of insight into the life and work of a terribly underrated band. Furthermore, the possibilities of the medium DVD seem to be neglected. No impressive sound effects (who needs that anyway) and the menu is probably the most spartanic I ever saw. On the other hand, you’ll be able to watch this DVD even if you’re completely drunk. Try this with the MOTÖRHEAD DVD, for example: no fucking way! So, in a way, this could have simply been released as a video tape just as well. It’s got the same linear concept, just like the history lesson on OCCULT. Probably the most boring concept of history anyway: to start at the beginning and present everything step by step. But it’s also the safest way for a teacher. Shit! I’m getting mean and neither the band nor the video deserves this, sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes: "To Be Thrashed…" would have been a nice bonus-DVD in addition to a complete concert or maybe one song from the most important and best performances in the history of OCCULT. I think it’s not enough to be sold alone. The 2 low-low budget bonus video clips (the okay ‘Killing For Recreation’ and the… interesting? funny? amateur! ‘Doomsday Destroyer’) support the underground charm of this project. In a way I really like "To Be Thrashed…". Mostly because I like OCCULT but this might not be enough considering the price (20,- Euros incl. p&p). Sure, for an underground product this is probably already cheap considering the costs Maurice had, but that doesn’t really change the outcome, does it? It definitely shows that underground Metal cannot compete with the big names. At least not in the DVD department in 2003. This one’s limited to 2000 and available exclusively through Lowlifemedia. But get your OCCULT CDs first for the world needs OCCULT but not necessarily this DVD. I’m just glad I have it. www.lowlifemedia.net, www.occult.nu