Three of the biggest Thrash bands had descended upon Manchester for an evening of uncompromising Extreme Metal courtesy of Testament, Kreator and Anthrax, and the house was absolutely rammed to the rafters and pretty much bursting at the seams. This is what all dreams are made of for any Thrash fan and in order to contain it all we saw early doors at the Apollo but this didn’t stop the fans piling in in their droves, the place was heaving by the time the Bay Area legends took to the stage and literally set the place on fire.
As ‘D.N.R (Do Not Resuscitate)’ hit our souls we knew we were in for a battering lesson courtesy of Testament in how Thrash should be delivered in a timeless manner so that it is still as relevant in today’s live setting as it was all those years ago when Peterson, Skolnick and Billy first opened their eyes and gave birth to Testament. The set sadly omitted any tracks from ‘Souls Of Black’, ‘Practice What You Preach’ and ‘The Legacy’, but they did treat us to an intense ‘Into The Pit’ and a detonating ‘The Formation Of Damnation’, with pyros dancing around the stage as if marionettes under the watchful eye of the Testament juggernaut. Chuck Billy brought his iron lungs tonight and his vocals were masterful and dominating, unleashing authority with every word he delivered while Skolnick exhibited his intricate skills and beautiful navigation of the fretboard with ease. A savage, passionate and decadent ‘Electric Crown’ was the highlight of the set for me, the response from the crowd was deafening and the way Peterson and Skolnick intertwined to create mesmeric riffs and leads sitting upon the Dovas backbone all formed to create a spectacle like no other. As the band departed after their sixty minutes we were left in tatters, and that was just the beginning.
With two huge devils taking up residence on each flank of the stage the Germanic Thrash gods, Kreator, hit us like a sledgehammer with the fast becoming anthemic ‘Hate Uber Alles’, the whole place erupted and it was utter pandemonium. Mille was a tyrant front and centre and spat his lyrics out with a defiant and imperious superiority, each word on point and dispatched with venomous aggression and measured violence. The pyros were on point, pretty much the whole set was ablaze with the amount of fire that was being exuded and the audio which escorted the blaze was intense and enchanting. ‘Phobia’ was absolutely brutal and barbaric while ‘Enemy Of God’ and ‘Hordes Of Chaos’ were obliterating and vicious, true psalms in the Kreator arsenal and ones which the gathered ensemble simply absorbed and then used this energy to unleash their own mancunian brand of might. As the set progressed with a toxic ‘Betrayer’, a solid and bruising ‘Phantom Antichrist’ and a charismatic ‘Terrible Certainty’ it was obvious to see why the band have been in existence for forty years and why they thrive in the live arena, they are technical and lethal in equal measures and this only goes towards their endearing quality which they radiate which was only too obvious in the dual attack which they signed off with, a malevolent ‘Violent Revolution’ and an absolutely perfect ‘Pleasure To Kill’.
Vielen Dank Kreator, Vielen Dank.
So, with the pyros stripped from the stage Anthrax brought nothing but out and out Thrash Metal and a true masterclass in how it is delivered. After a brief montage on the huge curtain which was hiding the stage, with all manner of artists pouring their hearts out about their own personal experiences and memories of the New York Thrashers, the curtain dropped and it was masterclass time. Belladonna hit the stage in his usual trademark animated way with Scott Ian managing his wing with his energetic and vigorous flamboyancy and they launched into a colourful and lively ‘A.I.R’ before we were carved open by the Joe Jackson cover, and pretty much a staple in the Anthrax live itinerary, ‘Got The Time’. The Thrash giants were certainly on form and showed no signs of opening night jitters, in fact quite the contrary, they were here to prove a point and were like a pack of rabid dogs straining at the collar to be unleashed with every chord, riff, vocal and beat that passed. ‘Madhouse’ was delivered with an energy which had been dialled up and ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ was absolutely flawless, a spectacle on how a thrash anthem should be constructed and packaged while ‘I Am The Law’ was muscular and emotive beyond belief. As the set progressed the band just seemed to be feeding off the energy and adoration being flung at the stage from the packed and sold out Apollo crowd. ‘Antisocial’ and ‘Indians’ rounded off the evening with absolute ferocity and intensity which proved just why Anthrax sit atop the history books and any current roster of Metal warlords, they simply are untouchable in the camps they occupy.
Many pondered as to whether the overflowing choice of gigs in Manchester tonight (Delain, The Sisters of Mercy, Alien Ant Farm, Solstafir all playing in the near vicinity) would have any impact on the attendance here at the Apollo ?
Relax everyone, it was never in doubt and certainly not with this billing. Thrash or be thrashed !
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