Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Mary Boukouvalas (What’s My Scene)
Last night we ventured out on an icy cold Melbourne winter evening to see American thrash metal rock gods Testament play at the Northcote Theatre. The Metal community is like one giant family where everyone knows everyone else at these gigs. We all come together like rock’n’roll warriors going into battle and we rock hard with so much enthusiasm. The whole experience is chaotic but euphoric and all in a good natured way, involving moshing, headbanging, crowd surfing, stage diving and wild circle pits.
It’s been far too long since Testament were in Australia. The last headline tour they did here was back in 2010 and they also played at Soundwave Festival in 2014. Testament have released two further albums since then with Brotherhood Of The Snake (2016) and Titans Of Creation (2020). Lead singer Chuck Billy said they were all geared up to come to Australia back in 2020 and then something happened in the world and we all know what that was.
Northcote Theatre was packed to the brim and everyone arrived early to secure their spot and defended it like it was their own piece of turf. There were many metalheads proudly wearing their sleeveless denim battle jackets with all their favourite band patches sewn on. The rest of us were all in black Metal band tees promoting our favourite bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, etc. The energy in the room was electric.
The current Testament line-up is Chuck Billy – Lead Singer, Alex Skolnick – Lead Guitar, Steve Di Giorgio – Bassist, Chris Dovas – Drums, and Eric Peterson – Rhythm Guitar.
Hailing from California, Testament formed back in 1983. They’ve had many line-up changes over the years but the band lives on and still plays an incredible fast and furious thrash metal rock’n’roll show. Last night they came out blazing with PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH from the album of the same name (1989). This was a great choice for an opener as it’s as heavy as fuck and one of Testament’s most popular anthems. Immediately everyone was fist punching the air and rockin’ out hard. This song has a super fast tempo, powerful riffs by all three guitarists, thumping drums along with Chuck’s fierce and aggressive vocals, which combined deliver a strong metal message. We were standing up near the front about 12-deep and directly in front of lead guitarist Alex Skolnick. Watching Skolnick’s technical proficiency and intricate guitar work was mindblowing. This song just happens to be one of my favourite Testament songs, so for the band to kick start the evening with it was daring and set the bar high.
Next was SINS OF OMMISSION also from the 1989 album. To me, these songs are reminiscent of early-days Metallica before they became commercial. THE PALE KING from Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) was incredible. The powerful riffs on this song would put a smile on the Iron Maiden lads faces for sure. It’s a kick ass song! Next was an oldie from The Legacy (1987) album, THE HAUNTING. They also played OVER THE WALL and FIRST STRIKE IS DEADLY from this 1987 album. Chuck told a short story about making the video clip for Over The Wall and how they went on a tour of Alcatraz Prison and smuggled cameras in. They hung at the back of the tour and kept filming around Alcatraz and added this into their music video.
RISE UP from Dark Roots of Earth (2012) is another anthem and this was one of my favourite songs of the night. I love Chuck’s vocals and the intensity of this song. They also performed NATIVE BLOOD from this album. Chuck acknowledged the indigenous ‘First Nation’ people of Australia and said he too is a proud indigenous man. Chuck also announced he was about to celebrate his birthday in Australia in a few days time, so obviously everyone sang Happy Birthday to him.
Testament played a good overall mix of their back catalogue. D.N.R. (DO NOT RESUSCITATE) from The Gathering (1999) got a wild circle pit going with some fuelled fans running in a circular formation, colliding and pushing against each other. Some take a fall but are quickly swooped up by others to ensure nobody gets hurt. Watching these fans in the circle pit is so entertaining. I’m a bit too old to participate these days and I don’t know whether I’d get back up if knocked down! LOW from 1994 album of the same name kept up the aggressive, fast-paced energy.
However, their show is not all full boar, thrash metal. They mix it up with some melodic slower paced songs too. Chuck laughed and said “Let’s slow it down for a minute” and they played the ballad TRAIL OF TEARS also from Low (1994). Skolnick’s guitar work shone through in this song and Chuck showed us he can sing softer, more melodic songs. Chuck’s vocals are so strong and I love the way the guy smiles throughout the whole show, engaging well with the audience. It was then back to the fast and the furious with Chuck saying: “Let’s pick it up a bit and get heavy!” as they launched into THE FORMATION OF DAMNATION from their 2008 album of the same name which I think was the fastest and heaviest song of the evening. It’s a wonder we didn’t see the band members catch fire they were seriously playing so fast and hard. They also played MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE from this 2008 ALBUM.
Di Gorgio then performed a bass solo as the intro for SOULS OF BLACK from their 1990 album. Chuck said “It’s time to shift gears” as they slowed things down again and played RETURN TO SERENITY from The Ritual (1992) which was another ballad that I really loved, as did the crowd. Dovas played a drum solo while the other lads had a short break. They returned to play ELECTRIC CROWN from the 1992 album.
The encore saw the lads play INTO THE PIT from The New Order (1988) and the crowd went off tap. The circle pit was the wildest and most chaotic it had been all night and the band played with such ferocity. At the end of the show, sweat was beading off fans faces as they smiled with that look of satisfaction and victory as though they had just won the battle. What an epic night seeing these rock’n’roll veterans rock like no other.
TESTAMENT have two more Australian Shows –
22 June – The Governor – Adelaide, SA
24 June – Metropolis – Fremantle, WA
SET LIST:
Practice What You Preach
Sins of Omission
The Pale King
The Haunting
Rise Up
D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
Low
Native Blood
Trail Of Tears
The Formation of Damnation
Bass Solo
Souls of Black
Return to Serenity
Drum Solo
First Strike Is Deadly
Electric Crown
More Than Meets The Eye
Over The Wall
ENCORE:
Into The Pit
