Sixteen Horsepower has split, because of "spiritual reasons". Do not ask us to feign surprise: that David Eugene Edwards was Bible-mad was obvious from day one, we had been feeling the depression in the 16 Horsepower camp for four years. Completely analogue to the two latest albums this farewell DVD too is a shameless cash-in.

Still the Sixteen Horsepower story started strong as iron: the debut album Sackcloth 'n' Ashes was an instant-classic in 1996, and at once the band gained a following in Western Europe that was as loyal as a dog. There wasn't much time spend on the fact that we were dealing with a Jesus-crazy band here: for the music fitted seamlessly between Joy Division and Nick Cave. And let's not pretend that the latter never mentioned the Great Absent Landlord.

Successors Low Estate (1997) and Secret South (2000) kept the band on that high level, but then suddenly it was all over. Both the 2002 cover album Folklore and the rarities compilation Olden that was released one year later were humiliating efforts to suggest a flicker of life in the band. The accompanying live shows proofed that the fire had already died down. If you ask us (and if not: please just let us be nostalgic just for a moment): we never saw the band play as intense again as they did on the ridiculously named Rock Flanders festival on the windy Saint Peter Square in Ghent in 1998.

The impudence with which the band keeps blemishing its good name is plainly embarrassing: this DVD too - which because of the recent news can be viewed as a farewell - is nothing more than an easy buck. We get some interviews, videos and uninteresting backstage goings-on spread over two discs. What's missing: the substantives coherence and quality.

For instance the first interview with the band on CD1 is nearly unintelligible because of the poor sound quality, the second with only David Eugene Edwards is toe-curlingly bad. What we do remember is the oh-so honest statement "I don't know much about decadence, I guess". Well, you're not allowed to lie. Throw in some behind the scenes material, a short historic round-up from the mouth of the band members and the first DVD has been crammed full. Fortunately the second DVD offers a bit more of what we sometimes like a band for: music.

The five videos the band shot in its career for starters, which pretty well visualize the growing and then shrinking again budgets. And then some live footage, followed by an RTBF (Belgian French-speaking TV) documentary at the time of their last concert at the Ancienne Belgique. The latter doesn't amount to much, but among that concert footage is a pearl in the form of a seething rendition of Joy Division's "Heart And Soul", a pearl like "Day Of The Lords" was on the live album Hoarse.

Most fascinating perhaps is the bunch of songs in the "surround" chapter: a combination of live recordings, ambient images and other visuals offers the most original viewing material. Which doesn't say much about this hotchpotch.

Fortunately the bright spot of this sad review comes from the band's camp. "For those of you who were disappointed by the DVD, and there are quite a few of you, there's good news. There's a fair chance that a "real 16hp live DVD" will see the light of day." Going by Hoarse and a dozen live memories that would be a worthy end to the story. Much more than this cock-up.