Hardline's' first live album is a mixed affair, on a positive note the band turn in an excellent performance and play the older material from 'Double Eclipse' faultlessly. There are however a few disappointing points, the first and most obvious is the production and to be honest it's just not good enough for a 2003 release as some tracks sounds muffled with a distinct lack of clarity throughout. The other is 'Johnny Gioeli', don't get me wrong I think he's a superb vocalist who turns in an excellent performance, but it's his banter with the crowd that's discouraging. Between most tracks he seems incapable of not saying "That's f**king great" or a variation on this theme, change the record 'Johnny', 'Hardline' aren't a Death Metal group. At one point he asks the crowd what the sound is like and goes on to comment that it sounds "F**king shit up here", he obviously knew they were being recorded for album and DVD release, so why the hell say something like that (I hope he doesn't have anything to do with their marketing!). Female backing vocals are used to add depth to the vocals and in some cases this works very well, 'Axel Rudi Pell's' 'Knights Live' springs to mind, unfortunately here it seems the ladies in question have never heard 'Hardline' before and sound out of key, out of sync and overall their input is very questionable.

After a melodic lead-in the band spring to life with a lively rendition of 'Hot Cherie', this was one of the best songs from 'Double Eclipse' and one of the best here, 'Johnny Gioeli' sounds strong while 'Josh Ramos's' fret work equals that of 'Neal Schon'. Continuing in fine form is 'Life's a Bitch' and for those who don't know this track it's great plodding melodic rocker, as with a lot of songs present the female backing vocals are more irritating than beneficial but it takes a lot to spoil a song of this calibre. Next up is 'Everything' and while this version is swifter than the original, It's a decent version with a choice mid track guitar solo. The pace drops for the ballad 'Face the Night' and 'Johnny Gioeli' turns in a superb show, unfortunately he is overshadowed by some absolutely shocking backing vocals on the choruses (these have to be heard to be believed). The tempo is restored with possibly their best ever song the pulsating jewel 'Takin' me Down' and although it lacks a little crispness of the original it still sounds superior live. The fine run continues with the hard rocking 'Weight', my pick from the album 'Hardline II' and here it works pretty well to, despite the backing vocals which don't help proceedings. It's back to the ballads with 'In the Hands of Time' and while I personally find this track a little dull, I must mention the splendid melodic vocals which are complimented by delicate fret work. The flow is maintained with 'Only a Night' a fairly ordinary album track and this live rendition while steadfast still fails to impress. As with the previous cut 'I'll be there' isn't one of my favourites but the backing vocals make this rendition even weaker. The customary drum solos slips in at this point and will no doubt have most of us, including myself reaching for the remote control. Back on track is 'Rhythm from a Red Car' a quality album track that fails to disappoint live and although the backing vocals do their best to spoil this rocker it's comes across strongly. Entering a time warp back to the mid 70's we are presented with a keyboard solo and while I don't doubt the skills of 'Michael T. Ross' this really sounds dated and reminds me of early 'Deep Purple'. Lastly we are gifted 'Dr. Love' another gem from 'Double Eclipse' that comes across well live.

Three bonus studio tracks are included with the version I own and make a nice addition, along with putting the album well past the 70 minute mark. First up is 'Hypnotized', not really in the traditional 'Hardline' mould as it features a very bluesy approach along with a plodding almost 'Sabbath' rhythm despite this it's probably the strongest of the three, with great vocals and steadfast bass work. 'Only a Night' is an acoustic version of the track from the album 'Hardline II' and earlier in the live portion of this release, all in all a bit tame for my liking but still a respectable rendition. The album concludes with 'Mercy' a subtle ballad which builds into a more electric guitar driven number and while lyrically pretty basic it's still effective.

Although there's some prominent shortcomings in 'Live at the Gods' the overall performances are strong and the bands quality's still shine through. Better production and mixing along with no backing vocalists would go along way to making this an excellent release, but as it stands it makes for a decent offering and a must for 'Hardline' fans though.