Live Reviews : Testament (Melbourne) – 06/08/2010

Testament
w/ Dreadnaught and 4arm – Friday 6th August 2010
Billboard, Melbourne

US thrashers Testament definitely aren’t strangers to our shores, with three tours over the past few years with only one new release between them. Usually that would mean less excitement amongst fans by the time yet another tour comes around, but when a band is this good live, that isn’t the case.

After a short wait in a relatively large line, I made my way straight to the bench in front of the sound desk and secured one of the venue’s prime viewing spots. Now sure, I admit, hanging further back isn’t exactly what thrash gigs are about, but after moshing fairly hard (and ending up on stage a few times) during the last two Testament tours, I thought I’d experience this one a bit differently. Half an hour later and the Pantera-esque openers 4arm hit the stage. First opinions; kudos to the band for having a big, good quality banner behind them. It might seem like a small matter but not only does it make your band look a lot more professional, it also means late-comers (which, that early in the night, is most people), don’t miss the name of the band. Keeping the talking to a minimum, the band blasted through a very strong set of groove-laden thrash, playing a good chunk of their new-ish album The Empires Of Death. With a nice, thick mix, the band replicated the tracks with ease and despite the crowd not having built up too much, the response was fairly positive. Like I said back when I reviewed said album, this is a band that groove fans don’t want to miss.

National support Dreadnaught were up next who definitely had a few fans in the crowd. I’m not overly familiar with their material so what tracks they played is a mystery to me, but despite a slightly muddy sound, they put on a good performance. Vocalist Greg Trull was constantly on the move, keeping the energy up high however it never quite hit the same level as they did back at the Corner Hotel earlier in the year. My guess is that the larger stage and venue just doesn’t suite the band and style that much, but having only seen once before this night, I don’t have much to base that on.

Despite the fact that I was dying of thirst already, I stood my ground and waited for the mighty Testament to storm the venue. After a far-too-long wait (which is always the case), ‘For The Glory Of…’ blasted out through the PA and the band jumped straight into the opener of their latest album. Chuck had said in his pre-tour interviews that to mix things up, the band were going to focus on their newer material for this tour, and that certainly was the case, with half of the setlist comprised of tracks from the last two albums. Considering The Gathering is quite easily my pick of the bunch, I wasn’t complaining. “D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)” and “Riding The Snake” sounded absolutely fucking monstrous thanks to a massive, thick mix and the fact that Chuck Billy has one of the best voices in metal. “The New Order” and “Electric Crown” kept fans of the older stuff content, and proved once again that their material hasn’t dated in the slightest. Interestingly enough, the ballad-esque “The Legacy” probably got the best reception of the night, and was a welcome rest for the ears. The obvious inclusions of “Into the Pit” and “Trial by Fire” were in there, giving the crowd a chance to go even nuttier than they already were. Of the whole set, the highlight for me was quite easily “3 Days In Darkness”, in which the band slowed the ending down to a crushing doom-like pace, with Chuck’s massive roar kicking the band back up to speed; a truly incredible moment.

It was the type of night were the crowd really got involved as well. Crowd surfing was on the cards from the get-go with a few guys making it onto the stage, only to be quickly dragged back off. There was a nice amount of crowd interaction by the band, and the mic even made it into the crowd at one stage, with a cringe-worthy result.

All in all, it was everything you would expect from a Testament show. Their performance was impossible to fault, and the energy in the room was sky-high the whole time. Chuck was air-guitaring and drumming to his heart’s content, and Eric even had a few goes at proving to everyone why he isn’t the lead vocalist.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Testament are one of the greatest live acts around.

Setlist (I think):

For The Glory Of…
More Than Meets The Eye
Dog Faced Gods
The New Order
Sins of Omission
Electric Crown
Riding The Snake
Legions of the Dead
The Persecuted Won’t Forget
The Legacy
Trial By Fire
Practice What You Preach
Into The Pit
D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
3 Days In Darkness
The Formation of Damnation