Legends of Thrash Tour 2013 featuring Kreator and Overkill – REVIEW

The Legends of Thrash Tour 2013 featuring co-headliners, Kreator and Overkill, as well as the opener, Warbringer, recently came through our area. Luck for us, we got to attend the show. You can check out our review, after the break.

Can you say thrash metal trifecta?! Absolutely! There is a reason this tour is one of the hottest in the metal scene of the fall season. Two legendary bands doing a co-headline tour with a worthy opener that thrashes as hard as the seasoned veterans.

“OPEN FIRE!” What a perfect line to get the show started and the traction rolling by California’s own Warbringer. The very second you hear vocalist John Kevill belt away on the mike, you know he was born and raised to perform this style of music. Now four albums in, their no longer the rookies and they are very well coming in to their own with their Demolition Hammer meets Exodus infused style of metal. It is with great irony they have a song titled ‘Living Weapon’ as truer words couldn’t be spoken to describe the sound coming straight off the PA. Closer ‘Combat Shock’ had the floor living in a whirlwind as bodies were flocking in droves for an old school circle pit. A half hour so fun, also means a half hour flown by but it was all worth it!

Hailed by many as the ‘SLAYER’ of thrash metal in Germany, Kreator were poised and ready to strike at the hordes of fans in the venue. The teutonic 4-some may play fast thrash but unlike a lot of their peers, their version of thrash is anthemic with stick in your head choruses and guitar solos even a crowd can sing a long too. Vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza commands an audience like a Baptist preacher, only he preaches in the name of heavy music. The heads were banging and the pits were all good friendly violent fun. Their 70 minute tenure drew heavily from their latest 2012 offering ‘Phantom Antichrist’ while still pleasing old school die hards with flagship anthems like ‘Pleasure To Kill’ and a medley of insta-classics ‘Flag Of Hate’ and ‘Tormentor’. Their sound was so perfect that anyone who would think it was any less than that may as well consider themselves insane!

Jersey boy’s Overkill closed out tonight’s show with their ironbound thrash attack. The five piece may only be at 2/5ths of their original line up, but this incarnation gives the original line up a run for its money any day of the week. The unit had a god-like wall of sound that still came across clear and effective. Bobby Blitz possesses the fountain of youth as a frontman. No sign of age shows in the sound of his voice, and his massively enticing stage presence. Even after 30+ years they demonstrate why they are still rotten to the core. Bassist D.D. Verni’s bass tone had the ability to break buildings down cause of how beefy it sounded. Even with songs like “Thanks for Nothin’” the band and the fans had much to be thankful for here as the energy between the 2 were a seamless yin and yang. In traditional Overkill fashion they went out in style with their version of the Subhumans classic ‘FUCK YOU!!’ and crowd participatory was at an all time high for such a simple chorus that borrows from the namesake of the song.

It’s plain and simple. Old school. New school. It doesn’t matter as there is something here of the thrash variety for all age groups. If you had to describe this show as a 3 course meal, Warbringer were the appetizer. Kreator were the dinner and Overkill was a fine dessert! Act now and catch this package while it’s still going!

Information about the review…
Tour: Legends of Thrash Tour 2013
Bands: Kreator, Overkill, Warbringer
Reviewer: Nicholas Wier
Date: November 6, 2013
Venue: Mojoes in Joliet, IL