It was a crisp fall night, as I headed out to the Northern Lights club in Albany, NY to see a triple threat of some CLASSIC “old school” metal. I was excited, being as how it was my first time witnessing this kind of thrash extravaganza, & I arrived to a huge line of hungry metalheads ready to pounce. The show would include Anthrax, with the return of singer Joey Belladonna & guitarist Dan Spitz to the fold, Testament (fronted by the heroic Chuck Billy), & Death Angel – who remain a vital & virulent band in this new millennium. Their performance, as the first band on stage, was evidence enough that they remain hungry & capable. Death Angel’s set was short, but came out firing with “I Chose the Sky” & “Evil Priest”…two songs that represent both “NEW & OLD” of the band’s catalog. The crowd was psyched to celebrate thrash in all its forms, regardless of legacy or sales. They cheered for “DA” with equal fervor to any of the bands that came after, & singer Mark Osegueda made a point of thanking everyone for coming out early just to see their set.
I have heard (for years) that Testament is a great live band…& that they “never disappoint”. On this night, they surely didn’t let their reputation down. Gene Hoglan (Devin Townsend/Dark Angel/Strapping Young Lad) manned duties behind the kit, & was perfect with ever hit & beat. Testament’s set was REALLY STRONG. They played a good mix of back catalog & the pit quickly grew as Alex Skolnick, Chuck Billy, & company roared through a setlist spanning their 20+ year history – including “Over The Wall” from 1987’s The Legacy, “Into The Pit” from 1988’s The New Order, “Envy Life” from 1989’s Practice What You Preach, & a handful of songs from their most recent offering The Formation Of Damnation. The highlight, with this group, would have to be Chuck Billy & the “air guitar”. Truly that is (part & parcel) a huge part of Billy’s legacy, as he’s been playing along with his bandmates in four different decades, only now…he comes equipped with an LED mic stand.
Finally, we were treated to ANTHRAX. Fresh off their historic “Big Four” show with Metallica, Megadeth, & Slayer…Anthrax took the stage armed with material (both familiar & new) as they promoted “Worship Music” – their just released, comeback studio album with Joey Belladonna on vocals after twenty-one years. Without a doubt, it is loaded with some of the best guitar riffs & pounding drums that metal fanatics have ever heard, & it’s getting rave reviews from fans & critics alike. Opening with two songs from a newly released album can be risky, but the material on Worship Music is so jaw-dropping, that the audience went into a feeding frenzy as soon as they heard the opening notes of “Earth on Hell”.
Belladonna sounded better than ever, & the band was perfect as they delivered hit after hit including “Caught in a Mosh”, “Madhouse”, & “Got the Time”. During the heralded “Indians”, from 1987’s Among The Living, Scott Ian stops the band & makes sure to let the crowd know he’s watching what is going on. He said it was the best turnout (at this club) for them, by far. The pit was especially brutal, as the fans did the proverbial “war dance”, which took me WAY BACK to my younger metal years. Covering songs from their thirty year history, & ending the night’s festivities with “I Am The Law”, your body knew exactly how much METAL GREATNESS you had just experienced. I’m so glad I was able to cover this show…cause there’s no school like “Old School” – when it comes to metal.
Jason Kotas – November, 2011
