BRUISED REVIEWS: ANTHRAX LAYS DOWN THE LAW

(Note: This blog review originally ran on the Heavy Metal Buzz Radio Blog. Just filling a slot as I prepare one more blog and then my year end lists, thanks for your patience metalheads)

ANTHRAX has been riding high of late and perhaps for the first time since the early 1990s, the band is where is firing on all cylinders musically and commercial success wise. With the release of the excellent Worship Music(Megaforce) album and the recent Big Four concerts the band is undertaking their first headline tour of America in several years. Making this night even more special for fans of thrash was the inclusion of TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL providing a real treat for hungry fans. Plus it was National Metal Day and I couldn’t think of a more appropriate show to witness and rock out at in person.

DEATH ANGEL's Mark Osgeuda is one of the best performer's in metal.

DEATH ANGEL hit the stage first and were immediately on fire. The crowd was clearly amped for them which was nice to see. The band always puts on a great show and tonight was no exception despite the short set time. The entire band was really active and running all over the place, especially singer Mark Osegueda and lead guitarist Rob Cavestany. They opened with “I Chose The Sky” and Rob’s guitar was so loud it was deafening compared to any other club show I have been to this year. Mark is a wild man, running all over the place and screaming his ass off. He really makes the show fun for the fans and himself too. The entire band was lock tight as well. Guitarist Ted Aguilar jammed out with Cavestany a bunch of times and they were really in a zone, feeding off of each other. The rest of the set was highlighted by some great tracks like “Evil Priest”, “Relentless Retribution” and the closer “Thrown To the Wolves”.

TESTAMENT was in the middle slot tonight. They could easily be headlining by themselves and have been putting on great shows for years and years. They have been killing it with the current lineup of the band and were augmented tonight by drumming god Gene Hoglan who is filling in for the injured Paul Bostaph. They flat out crushed it playing a hot set of songs and playing balls out great. The straw that stirs the drink is front man Chuck Billy. He is so killer as a singer and stage performer it is hard to not give him your undivided attention. He also had a cool glowing mic stand held in his typical half-staff style. Starting with the one-two punch of “The Preacher” and “The New Order” was just a terrific choice. The band really knows their fan base well and always mixes up the old with the new songs. Guitarist Eric Peterson and lead axeman Alex Skolnick just blaze and sounded great together. Along with bassist Greg Christian, they really have found their musical center again. Billy alternated between his melodic voice and his growling evilness with ease and mastery. Another old-school gem to hear was “Envy Life” off of Practice What You Preach. It was heart warming to hear so many fans know the track. Of course Hoglan was excellent filling in with his insane fills and triple fast kick drums. I might have appreciated it if Gene under played just a touch for the sake for the songs, but that is a personal point for me and not a knock on “The Atomic Clock” at all. The best mosh pit of the early night was during “Henchmen Ride” with its breakneck speed and thrash tempos. After a few songs from the classic The Gathering album, they closed with another classic jam, “Disciples of the Watch”. As they took their customary group bow, I was thrilled to have heard such a complete performance from the band.

Chuck Billy of TESTAMENT has a lightsaber microphone stand.

At last the stage was readied for ANTHRAX. As I looked around I could not believe how nearly sold out The Palladium was. The rafters were teeming with headbangers and even the aisles leading to the floor were jam packed. The ominous banner hung from the rafters and you just felt like the crowd was going to explode at any second. As a siren went off announcing the band was coming to the stage I have to say I must have had a grin on my face a mile wide in anticipation.

ANTHRAX proves to still be one of the premier legacy bands in thrash.

For their part the band was every good as advertised and delivered to the fullest. Opening with “Earth On Hell”, the track is tailor made for the live setting with blast beats and razor wire riffs. Just like on Worship Music, Joey Belladonna was dominating as the lead signer. I doubt many would say that about his first tenure in the band, so this is a real compliment to how great he is right now. ANTHRAX is often counted among one of the best live bands of the 1980s American thrash era and everyone in the band was going off tonight. You expect Scott Ian and Frank Bello to be animated madmen night after night, but even shredder Rob Caggiano got into the act with some great showmanship. “Fight Em Til You Can’t” is another new song and the entire crowd seemed to loudly echo and chant the words. It was awesome. Finally we got our old-school jammage on with “Caught In a Mosh” and “Antisocial”. Fun times and these fast thrashin hits that had everybody singing along. More of the new material came next in the form of “I’m Alive” and “The Devil You Know”. They are excellent songs and go over really well live too. Scott Ian hasn’t just made his career on writing great riffs and lyrics, but he might be the best single performer in metal who is not a front man. He gives his all, for every second is on stage. Of course the fans tonight wanted to revel in the history of the band, so especially with Joey in tow tracks like “Indians” and “NFL” cut the deepest. Not enough credit goes to Charlie Benante as one of the best drummers in metal history. He continues to perform at a super high level after all these years and went about his business with class and power on this night. The encore was extra long and full of tremendous performances. I’m not sure I have heard three songs in a row this year as amazing as “Among The Living”, “Madhouse” and “Metal Thrashing Mad”. Joey once again was the star of the show with his sick range better and stronger than ever. Then after a little goofing around by Scott and Charlie with the “I’m the Man” main riff Scott led the band through a spirited run of SEPULTURA’s “Refuse/Resist” with Scott on lead vocals. After the chorus the band launched in to their closer “I Am The Law” and an amazing show was brought to a close. If you love thrash metal catch this tour and see three of the genre’s lasting greats tear it up!

Joey Belladonna dominated live, just as he did on "Worship Music".

Charlie still don't cheat!

Set List:

Earth On Hell
Fight Em Till You Can’t
Caught in a Mosh
Antisocial
I’m Alive
The Devil You Know
Indians
In The End
Got The Time
NFL
Encore:
Among The Living
Madhouse
Metal Thrashing Mad
I’m The Man/Refuse Resist tease
I Am The Law