Anthrax / Testament Co-Headline Tour feat. Death Angel – TOUR REVIEW

The of the biggest names in metal, Anthrax and Testament, on the same tour? Count us in! Both of these bands have had so much influence on metal music. We couldn’t pass on the opportunity to review this amazing tour. Check out our review after the break.

“HOLY CLASH OF THE TITANS!” is really just the beginning in how I can describe this show in a nutshell. This same tour has now happened 3 times and Chicago is the ONLY city to have gotten this show twice! I can see why judging by not only the turn out, but the sheer madness and living monstrosities that this crowd was. Thrash metal took place in this battlefield and speechless fans were left in the wake.

Kicking this off was one of the lesser known but equally credible Bay Area band Death Angel. 30 minutes so fast left me felt as if I were living in a whirlwind. This was stage energy here! Vocalist Mark Osegueda, bassist Damien Sisson, guitarists Ted Aguilar and Rob Cavestany, and drummer Will Carroll came out swinging even harder than the New York Yankees did for baseball in the 90’s. “JOIN US OR STEP ASIDE!” Mark preaches and you would be nuts to step aside. These thrashers were undeniable. If you claim to love thrash and somehow have not gotten to around these guys, you are messing up bad! GET ON IT NOW NOW NOW!

The legendary Testament wasted no time keeping up the speedy frenetic thrash pace with opener “Rise Up” from their critically acclaimed new album “Dark Roots Of Earth”. Guitar virtuoso like solos, memorable stick-in-your-head choruses, and of course and a good old fashioned circle pit and then some sums up the greatness that was 70 minutes of thrash. Vocalist Chuck Billy has the voice of a warrior going into battle. A man who overcame cancer almost 10 years ago and sounds even better now is a true testament to how much stronger him and his band have gotten since.  You might as well say drummer Gene Hoglan was giving a drum lesson as he showed all folks, adults, kids of all ages how it’s done on the drum throne. The rest of the band was damn tight as well blazing through classic anthems as “Into The Pit”, “More Than Meets The Eye” and several more thrashterpieces. Final devastator the title track off 2008’s The Formation Of Damnation gave one last circle pit that spun faster than a tornado in sight. Long live Testament!

The next group of legends rose to the stage and they go by the name of Anthrax. Heralded as one of the “Big 4” of thrash, a memorable appearance on the 90’s smash televisions series “Married With Children”, and now a holiday in New York named after them, Anthrax showed exactly why they titled their new album “Worship Music”. The passion and energy was all over in the crowd and within the band. It was even a homecoming for drummer Charlie Benante as he now currently resides in the state of Illinois and Benante was on FIRE on his new Starbucks designed kit. This the only thrash band that could get away with writing a dawn of the dead like anthem in the vein of “Fight Em Till You Can’t” or pen a classic about character Judge Dredd in the 80’s anthem “I Am The Law”. “WAAARRRDANNCCEEE!” guitarist Scott Ian yells into the mike and the crowd was active from front to the top balcony. It was almost as if a riot happened but in a more strange sense of fun! These New Yorkers new this was their 3rd trip back in the Windy City in the last year alone, so they made good on changing up the set with some deep cuts including “In My World” and even “Deathrider” from their debut, the Neil Turbin fronted “Fistful Of Metal”. This isn’t the Anthrax we knew about a few years ago going through the motions, this is the Anthrax that survived their darkest days and is having more fun than they were destroying houses(literally!) in the 80’s. Last but not least, it is awe inspiring to see Joey Belladonna back at the front after all these years away. O how his voice has aged too well! But hey, you can’t have too much of a good thing! Here is to many more years of great shows and albums from these Bronx Bombers!

This 3rd tour between these bands is the last time they are doing this package. So if you missed this tour the first 2 times, then this is your last chance to fix this and make sure the 3rd time is the charm for you in favor of catching this! If I had to choose between a “Big 4 show” or this, I’d go with this in a heartbeat!

Information about the review…
Tour: Anthrax / Testament Co-Headline Tour
Bands: Anthrax, Testament, and Death Angel
Reviewer: Nicholas Wier
Date: September 27, 2012
Venue: The Vic Theater in Chicago, IL