Tonight sees the Thrash Of The Titans tour roll into Manchester. Due to working late, I miss the Brazilian thrashers Nervosa, which is a common problem I have with these multi band bills. They may look great on paper but life just means I often end up missing the first band.
The first song I catch of Destruction's set is 'Nailed To The Cross' which is fast and industrious but seems to be more perspiration rather inspiration. 'Scumbag Human Race' is much more like it with its mid-paced stomp. The twin guitar solo during 'Mad Butcher' is fun but the primitive proto-thrash is decent but nothing more. I know that will be sacrilege to some as this is one of their standards. The fist punching, heads down thrash of new track 'No Kings - No Masters' is good. The newer tracks fare better than the older songs as they are more powerful. The rampaging 'Thrash Till Death' is great. Destruction are about as old school metal as you get. Schmier's vocals are rough and ready but they suit the music perfectly well and he still has some power in his lungs. The hooky vocal lines and meodic guitar lines of 'Destruction' is a great way to close the set. As you can probably tell, I was never the biggest fan of Teutonic thrash, preferring the American and British scenes, and Destruction haven't really changed my mind about them but they are decent enough fun nonetheless. They get a good reaction from the crowd but I suspect they were mainly preaching to the converted anyway.
Although 'Redneck Stomp' will always be the perfect Obituary opener, with its driving, crushing, full on mosh, tonight it almost acts as a palate cleanser for what is to come. John Tardy joins the band onstage for the savage 'Sentence Day'. The guitars are set to kill and the intensity is increased almost immediately. The rocking groove of 'A Lesson In Vengeance' follows and the band are already into their stride. The drums sound apocalyptic at the start of newbie 'The Wrong Time' which has a memorable chorus. As with much of the newer material, it has a NYHC feel, sounding like Madball or Merauder with deathly vocals. John is in superb voice, his throat shredding vocals dripping in vehemence and at odds with his amiable persona. The foreboding opening chords of 'Infected' herald a run of songs from the 'Cause Of Death' album. The slower sections are suffocating whilst the faster parts are a blur. The doomy and ominous 'Body Bag' is a headbanger's delight. It almost seems damning to describe them as dependable but they are. They are brilliant but you also know with absolute certainty that they'll never let you down. The devastating groove of 'Dying' is amazing. The crushing dirge at the beginning of 'Cause Of Death' is excellent and this gives way to punchy, groovy death metal. 'Circle Of The Tyrants' is probably as much their song as it is Celtic Frost's these day but it is as punishing as ever. The band are a tightly honed unit. You don't generate this much groove and pummel this hard if you're not completely together. The opening drumbeat of 'Chopped In Half' elicits a big cheer from the crowd. It possesses all the scything glory that the title suggests and is awesome. 'I'm In Pain' harnesses a killer NYHC groove and Alan Tardy's drum solo in the middle is pretty cool. Obituary's brand of death isn't death by a lightning fast strike or shotgun blast, it's crushing through sheer weight or suffocation, leaving you gasping for breath and it's an incredible musical experience. 'Slowly We Rot' eviscerates as it always does. The ovation at the is such that you would think they are the headliners but I suppose to many they are, and the crowd thins out somewhat for Testament.
'Fight For Your Right To Party' helps to get the crowd in the mood before Testament step onstage. It doesn't sound loud enough for the opener 'D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)'. Chuck Billy's vocals sound quiet too but from what I can hear, it sounds like he might be struggling a little as he is a bit croaky. Although 'WWIII' sounds louder, I 'm still not feeling it although Alex Skolnick's guitar solo is impressive. 'Practice What You Preach' has a denser sound than the record and the increase in intensity is a big improvement on the first two tracks. The start of 'Sins Of Omission', with the crowd bouncing along, sounds urgent as fuck and then the intensity just drops for some reason. The guitar work is the shining light in all these songs: Alex is a prodigious player and Eric Peterson is a capable lieutenant on the rhythm guitar. The twisted, spiralling groove of 'Native Blood' is excellent, and the combination of rapid fire drumming, melodic guitar leads and hooky vocals on the chorus make for a memorable centrepoint. 'Trail Of Tears' slows things down but is really good.
One thing that is often overlooked is how good Testament are at writing ballads. I think back to when I first heard Testament in 1989/90 on a late night metal show called The Power Hour (which subsequently changed it's name to Raw Power and then Noisy Mothers). The played the video for 'The Ballad' which blew me away with it's emotional verses and amazing solos before turning into a pacy gallop for the climax.
'Trail Of Tears' still contains enough crunch to satisfy the thrashers and has the crowd clapping along. A thunderously heavy 'Low' is absolutely crushing. 'More Than Meets The Eye' is galloping thrash and the crowd singing along to the eastern tinged guitar riff of the chorus is a thing of beauty. Chuck may be the frontman but Alex is the star man. He's the one who leads the crowd in singalongs and gets the crowd going as well as pulling off those dazzling solos. Chris Dovas' drum solo is a bit unnecessary but is thankfully brief. A pummeling 'First Strike Is Deadly' is savage as hell and grabs my interest back. The dual guitar solo is glorious too. The grindcore opening of new track 'Infanticide A.I.' is blistering and although it gives way to Testament's usual aggressive thrash style it doesn't let up in intensity and is utterly bloodthirsty. 'Return To Serenity' puts the power in power ballad and Chuck sounds great on it, having recovered from his shaky start. Again, the guitar solo is stellar. A driving 'Electric Crown' shows that no-one did melodic thrash like Testament although it helps when you've got arguably the best guitarist in thrash. Chuck abruptly stops the song when he thinks someone has hurt themselves in the pit, showing them as a band of the people. A furious 'Into The Pit' closes the show. There were a few uncertain moments but Testament were excellent overall.
Testament ****
Obituary *****
Destruction ***
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