Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel
February 03, 2012
Atlanta, GA
The Tabernacle
I’m really loving this trend of old school metal bands bonding together and hitting the road. First it was the Jaegermeister Tour with Slayer/Megadeth/Anthrax, then we saw Megadeth/Testament/Exodus and now we have Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel. These bands know and value the power of “family” and these tours have been so much more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Anthrax, Testament and Death Angel are not only classic thrash metal legends but they are still very much relevant in these modern times by still putting out consistently great music and putting on face melting, jaw dropping live performances.
Unfortunately I missed Death Angel’s set because of my interview with Anthrax’s Rob Caggiano running a bit late. I did manage to get back in time to catch Testament’s set and what an amazing set it was. The last time I saw Testament they were opening for Megadeth and performed The Legacy in it’s entirety which really underwhelmed me. This time around Testament’s set played like an anthology of their career which covered all of the bases. Opening with “The Preacher”, the crowd was absolutely ape shit and right off the bat I knew that this was going to be an epic set. Chuck Billy’s vocals were in top shape and getting to see Alex Skolnick back on the guitar just sweetened the deal. Every song was played with all the passion and energy of a band 1/2 their age and it was very obvious that time has been good to these guys. The highlight of their set for me came in the form of “Disciples of the Watch” which brought the house down with a thunderous roar from the crowd. Anybody who has not seen Testament lately really needs to get out there and see them. They are an even more powerful force than they ever were and that’s saying a lot.
This leg of the Anthrax tour was struck with some tragedy as drummer Charlie Benante and bassist Frank Bello both had to leave the tour due a serious family illness. Any other band would’ve cancelled their entire tour for far less but Anthrax proved to be a class act and stuck it out in true “the show must go on” fashion. Testament drummer Gene Hoglan pulled double duty and took over the drum stool for Benante while Armored Saint and former Anthrax bassist Joey Vera was flown in to pick up the pieces. Most bands would have crumbled under this kind of pressure but not the mighty Anthrax. The band took to the stage to a roar and launching into “Earth On Hell” it was obvious that these guys weren’t missing a beat. I was in total awe at what I was seeing and if I didn’t know better, I would have never known in a million years that Hoglan and Vera weren’t actually part of Anthrax all the time.
Much like Testament, Anthrax used their time wisely to create a sort of anthology covering all of 
the bases. The new material from Worship Music like “Fight ‘Em Till You Can’t” and “The Devil You Know” went over extremely well and felt perfectly at home among the hefty list of classic tracks. Worship Music will fast become a classic Anthrax album and it’s so nice to see them pulling some choice songs for the live show. “In The End” was an absolute treasure to hear as singer Joey Belladonna paid heartfelt tribute to Ronnie James Dio during and after the song. The classic songs were played with all of the passion and energy that you would expect from Anthrax but the band seemed to be so much more energized than I had ever seen them before. Maybe it was the fact that they had these new guys sitting in that kind of had them kicking it up a notch. Not so much compensating but almost as if they were so pumped that they were still able to kick so much ass on the fly.
Joey Belladonna has to be one of the most unsung lead singers in Heavy Metal. The man doesn’t stand still for more than 5 seconds and even then he’s in some form of motion. Scott Ian was in top form jumping and running as always and at times you could see the band just looking at each other and smiling ear to ear. Anthrax knew they were killing it and totally putting to rest the naysayers. Both Joey Vera and Gene Hoglan played amazingly and more so than just guys sitting in. They completely integrated with the band on not just a musical level but a personal level as well. Anthrax really has this kind of “family” vibe to them and on this night it was completely obvious that these guys have the respect of their friends and vice versa. Vera was totally tearing up the bass on “Got The Time” in a way that would’ve made me a little nervous if I was Frank Bello and Gene Hoglan isn’t called “The Atomic Clock” for nothing. That man is a monster on the drums and really shined on songs like “Indians” and “Among The Living.” Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Anthrax dug way deep into their past and pulled out “Deathrider” from their debut album Fistful of Metal which completely melted the faces of everyone in attendance. The encore of “Madhouse”, “Metal Thrashing Mad”, and “I Am The Law” had me feeling like I had just been hit by a Mac truck and had me jumping up and down yelling “RESPECT THE BADGE! FEAR THE GUN! I AM THE LAW” with my fist in the air like I was 14 years old all over again.
Anthrax really proved themselves to me with this performance. They proved to me that they really 
do respect and value their fans so much that they will continue to perform even without core members. Most people might look at this as bait and switch but hey, they were offering refunds and nobody seemed to take them. That alone earned my respect from them but it seemed that the crowd was even more into it and feeding them some good, positive energy. Anthrax took that energy and gave it right back to us in the form of a stellar live performance. Not only has Anthrax put out their greatest album since 1990’s Persistence of Time but they are putting on some of the best live performances of their career, with or without Charlie and Frank. Time has definitely been good to Anthrax allowing Anthrax to be good to their fans. Last but not least, a huge salute to Gene Hoglan and Joey Vera. You both stepped in and took a damn near impossible task and ran with allowing the fans to still experience a very high quality Anthrax performance. If I knew you both personally, I’d buy rounds for both of you but instead, I’ll toast you from here.
Anthrax Set List
Worship (Intro), Earth on Hell, Fight ‘Em Till You Can’t, Caught in a Mosh, Antisocial, The Devil You Know, Indians, In the End, Got the Time, Deathrider. Medusa, Among the Living
Encore:
Madhouse, Metal Thrashing Mad, I Am The Law
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