Metal Masters plows its way through Bristow, VA…
To say that the Metal Masters Tour stop at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA was the greatest and LOUDEST concert I’ve EVER been to would be a complete understatement. Not only was it the best and loudest concert, it was absolutely surreal to finally see some of my favorite bands from around the ’70s and ’80s in action!
The first band to hit the stage was legendary Thrash metal band Testament. I was lucky to get a photo pass for the first three songs of their set, so I got to experience them up close and personal, and they put on an awesome show! Chuck Billy sounds absolutely incredible these days and the whole band looked great. I didn’t recognize a lot of there set because it was made of a bunch of older material and a few of the new songs, but I did happen to catch “Practice What You Preach” and “The Formation of Damnation” out of their set for sure. Overall, Testament put on a sick show and definitely deserved to be on this tour.
The second band to play also deserved to be on this tour as much as anyone, and they don’t call them “the loudest band in the world” for nothing. The band I’m speaking of is none other than Motörhead! As soon as Lemmy and the gang hit the stage and he announced “We are Motörhead and we play Rock ‘n’ Roll”, I knew “it was on” so to speak. Although Lemmy’s bass and Phil Campbell’s guitar were drowned out a bit by Mikkey Dee’s drums, the whole set was great (even though the only song I REALLY recognized was “Ace of Spades”) and Mikey Dee’s drum solo was the best of the entire night. this performance confirmed my thoughts that I need to look more into more of Motörhead’s material, because they absolutely tore it up!
Next after Motörhead was the third out of four bands to play and it was none other than the legendary Heaven and Hell! I was extremely stoked about seeing these guys live because I love Black Sabbath, Dio, and the mixture of the two from back in the early ’80s and in 1992 when they released Dehumanizer with Ronnie James Dio singing again. Honestly, this was one of the most surreal moments I’ve experienced at a concert because of the magnitude of this band and the fact that I have had such a huge respect and love for the music of Black Sabbath for so long. Although the band is reformed under the name Heaven and Hell, nothing has changed for this line-up of guys since Vinnie Appice started drumming for the band halfway through the tour for Mob Rules. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler absolutely tore it up as usual with Ronnie James Dio sounded just as good as he ever has as they played through songs from all three studio albums they recorded together (Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Dehumanizer). The set started off with “The Mob Rules” and they played songs including (if this isn’t all of the set) “Neon Knights”(encore), “Heaven and Hell”, “The Sign of the Southern Cross”, “I”, “Falling Off the Edge of the World”, “Children of the Sea”, “Time Machine”, and “Die Young”. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a much better set unless they played a few of the original Black Sabbath songs from the Ozzy years. After they got finished, I couldn’t believe there was still more to go, but my favorite band of all time was coming up next.
That’s right! It was time for JUDAS PRIEST! This set was just as surreal as Heaven and Hell’s since I’ve been a Priest fan for years and this night could not have ended any better than with their amazing set. The set consisted of a few new songs, but it was mostly classics. It all started with the recording of the first track from Nostradamus “Dawn of Creation” until the band ripped into the second track from the album “Prophecy”. After that, I didn’t recognize every song, but I do know they played “Metal Gods”, Breaking the Law”, “Hellbent for Leather” (with Rob Halford on his motorcycle), “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ “, “The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)”, and more. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for much more of a greater set from these guys either and it was pretty cool to see Rob Halford in about 10 or 11 different jackets and use the elevator and sliding doors in their awesome stage set up! Overall, Ron Halford sounded incredible and K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton absolutely tore it up with Ian Hill and Scott Travis blasting the outdoor venue with absolute bass power.
All in all, I will say once again that this was the best concert I’ve been to hands down and the whole night was just awesome and totally worth a six hour drive. I hope I get the chance to see any of these bands live again!
Testament – The Formation of Damnation
Nuclear Blast Records
(4.5/5)
The gods of Thrash are back and have struck again! Having been under the name Testament for 21 years (minus a few hiatus years), Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson have once again teamed up with most of the rest of the original members to put out their first new album since 1999’s The Gathering. Even though Testament hasn’t put out an album in almost 10 years, The Formation of Damnation was certainly worth the wait! With pounding drums being provided by Paul Bostaph (1993, 2007-present), heavy shredding guitars provided by Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick (1986-1993, 2001-present), thundering bass line provided by Greg Christian (1986-1993, 2003-present), and some of the sickest vocals to hit the Thrash scene provided by none other than Chuck Billy. Of the 11 tracks on the album, the two I would recommend most are “The Evil Has Landed” (Track 3) and “The Formation of Damnation” (Track 4/Title track). “The Evil Has Landed” stuck out to me for its lyrical content. Basically, the whole song is about the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This song really just portrays that day and really hits you in a different way because of what happened. “The Formation of Damnation” sticks out to me more along the musical lines rather than the lyrical lines. The overall song is heavy and showcases some of Testament’s great talents (plus, the breakdown is awesome). Overall, the whole album is definitely one that will go down in the musical history books as another great piece of Thrash metal!
Testament – Demonic
Prosthetic Records
(4.5/5)
One word can describe Testament’s album Demonic, demonic! This album has a straight up evil sound because it was written using Testament’s natural Thrash sound mixed with influences from old school Death metal and some Black metal, which translated right into their next release, The Gathering. Overall, Demonic truly captures the influences these other Metal style had on the band through Chuck Billy’s Death metal-like growls, Eric Peterson’s guitar progressions, Derrick Ramirez’s bass lines, and Gene Hoglan’s drum parts. Eric Peterson did record both the lead and rhythm guitar parts for the album, but guitarist Glen Alvelais did make a guest appearance and also played during the subsequent tour following the release of the album. Overall, I believe this album was really a much needed “speed bump” in the path of the fast paced Testament. It definitely has its share of quick guitar riffs and double bass, but the overall feel of the album is a bit slower and heavier than most of Testament’s other material. The added Death metal groove really emphasizes the heaviness of the guitar riffs and drum parts. As far as the actual tracks go, I’d have to say my favorites are “Demonic Refusal” (track 1), “Jun-Jun” (track 4), “John Doe” (track 5), and “Hatreds Rise” (track 7). Really, any of the tracks that stuck out to me are high on the list for overall quality and material. None of the tracks on the alum are any more important that the next, but the four I mentioned above are some I prefer to listen to when I stick the album into my CD player. All in all, Demonic is a very influential album to fans of Thrash and Death metal and should be a part of every metalhead’s arsenal!
Testament – The Gathering
Prosthetic Records
(4.5/5)
If you are looking for classic Thrash metal at its absolute finest, you need The Gathering by Testament! Time and time again, Testament has proved that they are a Thrash force to be reckoned with, but my personal favorite reason is this 12-track, non-stop energy filled, masterpiece. From beginning to end, the guys from Testament keep you moving with demanding vocals from Chuck Billy, insane guitar riffs from guitarists Eric Peterson and James Murphy, powerful bass lines from bassist Steve DiGiorgio, and thundering drums from drummer Dave Lombardo. As one of the many changing line-ups of Testament, these five really put their skills together to create an amazing piece of art that is The Gathering. As a whole, the album doesn’t have a lot of room for improvement, but there are a few tracks that stood out to me as being more exceptional tracks. My personal top favorite is track 5 which is better known as “3 Days in Darkness”. To me, this track really captures the sound of what you should get when you mash Thrash and Heavy metal together. Constructed of Pantera-like guitar riffs and drums, “3 Days in Darkness” is “mortared” with the yells and almost Death metal-like growls of Chuck Billy. The second song in my list of favorites is track 7, or “Careful What You Wish For”. “Careful What You Wish For” is another song that just has an overall dominance and power to it that contains truth among lyrics. Really, it has the feel of an anthem for a rebellion or some sort of uprising! My last top song from this album is the closing track, “Hammer of the Gods”. This track is completely instrumental, giving a slow yet heavy ending to a great album. Overall, it’s a great song and the instrumental aspect helps it to stick out from the rest of the tracks. With these three tracks and the rest of the talent that went into this album, The Gathering is definitely an album for the ages!
