���� Man, if you're hooked on classic death rock, this recent haul of Christian Death vinyl reissues will make your head spin. One of the most exciting LPs to come out recently is this reissue of an early performance from the band; originally released on CD back in the 1990s under the title The Doll's Theatre, Christian Death's Halloween 1981 performance is once again available on vinyl with this new limited edition color-wax release, documenting what may be the earliest existing live recording from this iconic and highly influential American death punk outfit.

���� Recorded live at the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles on October 31st 1981, the band delivers a bunch of songs that would show up a few months later on their iconic debut Only Theatre Of Pain. This sees 'em tearing through a spirited set, featuring classic material like "Cavity - First Communion", "Spiritual Cramp", "Romeo s Distress" and "Deathwish". The sound quality is surprisingly good, considering the nature of this recording; most likely sourced from a soundboard tape, the recording has been cleaned up well enough to make this album quite listenable, with a minimum of audience noise and other audio murk (although just enough of the audience's rambunctious energy is left intact, and for the sake of verisimilitude, left the between-song tunings, crowd chatter, and room noise as well). Most importantly though, the band sounds awesome, with guitarist Rikk Agnew slashing the hell out of his axe for the entire performance, the rhythm section driving these tunes into states of morbid delirium, and frontman Rozz Williams delivering his macabre visions, perversions, and various blasphemies in that uniquely fey and decadent delivery of his. "Figurative Theatre" comes off especially ferocious, and somebody even breaks out a harmonica on the song "Skeleton Kiss". A key live document of this pioneering band during what some feel is their most powerful period, it's one of the coolest death rock sets from the 80s put to vinyl that I've heard. The sleeves features a much-improved design over the original CD release, and the record comes on limited edition purple vinyl.