Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
April 2nd 2015, House Of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood CA: In terms of maintaining an absolutely flawless touring reputation in recent years, Testament have done it as well as any band in existence. Since the release of their stellar 2008 album ‘The Formation Of Damnation’, whether it be as a support act or headliner, Testament have come through with some tremendous lineups. Their tour with Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell and Motörhead (2008), headline tour with Unearth and Lazarus A.D. (2009), Megadeth and Exodus (2010), Megadeth and Slayer (2010), Anthrax and Death Angel (2011 and 2012) and the once-in-a-lifetime gig with Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax and Overkill in San Bernardino in 2013 come to mind straightaway. Now, changing up their focus from presenting strong newer creations to delving into their earliest material, Testament are back on a North American headline tour to play their first two albums in their entirety plus some of the third album, along with fellow San Francisco Bay Area thrash veterans Exodus, and Texas six-piece metal band Shattered Sun in support. Following its first show in Testament and Exodus’ hometown, the tour rolled through Los Angeles for a sold-out gig at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. It was a story of a worthy opening band and two very contrasting performances from the main acts.
The show being completely sold out three days in advance, the fanfare and excitement surrounding it was expectedly huge, as ticket holders lined up in the early evening. Doors opened at 6 PM and the show began at 7, with Shattered Sun taking the stage for a very solid 25-minute set of melodic metal reminiscent of early In Flames and the like. Their music possesses elements the other two bands on this lineup do not, yet at the same time comes across heavy enough for most people in this crowd to be able to appreciate, and for these reasons Shattered Sun has turned out to be an apt choice for the opening band on this thrash extravaganza. Vocalist Marcos Leal laid down some excellent clean and growling parts, while the band’s guitarists and keyboardist combined for some well-crafted melodies. A majority of ticket buyers were oblivious to Shattered Sun’s inclusion on this bill and decided to show up late, as the most popular question pre-show was, “What time is Exodus going on?” Attendees of the remaining shows on this tour are encouraged to arrive early enough to catch Shattered Sun’s set.
Interview with vocalist Marcos Leal coming soon
Set List:
01. Awaken
02. Waging War
03. Victory Or Death
04. Hope Within Hatred
05. The Ultimatum
06. Reign Over Me
During the 35-minute intermission, the House Of Blues got considerably more filled, as everyone awaited the arrival of Exodus. Their recent reversion to a Zetro-fronted incarnation is perhaps one of the most disappointing lineup shifts in metal history, and I could not appreciate their 2014 ‘Blood In, Blood Out’ in the least bit. But, the same band on stage could be a whole different proposition, and thinking that, I decided to give them a fair chance. This was my first time seeing them with Zetro on vocals, and I naturally couldn’t help but compare this performance to that of the previous times I’ve seen this band, all with Rob Dukes on vocals. Their headline shows at the Key Club (2008 and 2010) and at the Roxy (2011), the gigs opening for Kreator (2009) and Arch Enemy (2010) at this venue, Megadeth at the Palladium (2010), the Ozzfest 2010 appearance, and that unforgettable hometown gig at Slim’s in San Francisco (2013), every single show came flooding back to my mind, because they were all significantly better than this one. Those were the shows that rendered Exodus the deadliest thrash band on the planet, the band that blew away anyone and everyone else they played with. Lineups do not matter to me one bit as long as the band writes solid material and sounds good on stage regardless of who’s part of the group, but the sheer aggression and dynamism Exodus possessed with Dukes at the forefront was completely missing from this performance, and it was easily the flattest, most one-dimensional set I’ve ever seen from them. Besides his technically proficient and bestially vicious vocal delivery, Dukes’ stage presence and crowd interaction was always excellent, and Zetro did not seem to come anywhere near matching it. His rendition of ‘Children Of A Worthless God’, the sole Dukes-fronted song in the set, convinces me that Exodus should not even touch any of that material now, which is extremely sad because those three albums constitute some of Exodus’ finest work. Longtime Exodus fans have always raved about how great Zetro is at singing the Paul Baloff songs, but based on this set I would have to disagree. I wish I could enter the minds of those that believe in this lineup change as a positive transition, because I really fail to comprehend what makes anyone think this is better for Exodus. Readers need to trust me when I say that I am not enjoying reviewing this Exodus set whatsoever, and the Exodus fan in me is crying oceans because I find it truly depressing to live in a world where I can no longer appreciate one of my favorite bands. I am not a fan of Zetrodus, but it seems like most other people are, so all that’s left to be said is, more power to them.
Related: Interview: In Conversation With Exodus Frontman Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza
More Exodus photos:
Set List:
01. Black 13
02. Blood In, Blood Out
03. Children Of A Worthless God
04. A Lesson In Violence
05. Salt The Wound
06. The Last Act Of Defiance
07. Blacklist
08. Bonded By Blood
09. War Is My Shepherd
10. The Toxic Waltz
11. Strike Of The Beast
In complete contrast, at 9:40, the five thrash luminaries that together call themselves Testament stepped onto the stage and spent the next 90 minutes putting forth the most crushing performance Los Angeles has ever seen from them. They looked and sounded well-rehearsed and more than ready to play a set that majorly comprised songs they hadn’t had a chance to touch in a very long time. Their combination of precision and power was second to none, and it seemed like they’ve been playing the same set for years. The towering personality and earth-shattering voice of Chuck Billy held the crowd captive from the first note of the opening track ‘Over The Wall’ until the very last moment of the set-ending ‘Disciples Of The Watch’, and the masterful exhibition by his four band mates on their respective instruments also furthered Testament’s cause. The mosh pits were a constant fixture on the general admission floor, and crowd-surfers were having a blast as the House Of Blues security staff were well-positioned in front of the barricade to bring them down safe and uninjured.
It was a privilege to bear witness to Testament playing ‘The Legacy’ and ‘The New Order’ both in their entirety, made even more interesting by the fact that they mixed up the track ordering and did not exactly play the albums from start to finish. Besides the musicianship, the energy and the personality, they also brought their A-game in terms of the stage production with the backdrops, fog-emitting props and the lights, which were operated brilliantly throughout the set and went through transitions in colors and intensities in accordance with the music being played. The fast thrashy parts even more brutal when accompanied by strobe blasts, and the guitar solos and melodies were rendered epic by the lighting color combinations. Testament brought the same production they would use on giant festival stages to this much smaller setup, and really gave the ticket buyer a show worth the price.
‘The Preacher’ is always a highlight in any Testament set, and it stood out once again, along with tunes like ‘A Day Of Reckoning’ and ‘The New Order’. But there was absolutely no dull moment in the entire set, as all variations and transitions in Testament’s ever-dynamic brand of thrash were strongly in focus. All thrash fans owe it to themselves to see Testament on this tour, as they have clearly attained a new peak in their performance level.
Related: Interview: Testament Frontman Discusses Retrospective Set List & More
More Testament photos:
Set List:
01. Over The Wall
02. The Haunting
03. Burnt Offerings
04. Raging Waters
05. The Preacher
06. Do Or Die
07. First Strike Is Deadly
08. A Day Of Reckoning
09. Apocalyptic City
10. Eerie Inhabitants
11. The New Order
12. Trial By Fire
13. Into The Pit
14. Alone In The Dark
15. C.O.T.L.O.D.
16. Practice What You Preach
17. Disciples Of The Watch
Remaining Tour Dates:
04/03/15 – Livewire – Scottsdale, AZ
04/04/15 – Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
04/06/15 – Aztec Theater – San Antonio, TX
04/07/15 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX
04/08/15 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
04/10/15 – Pop’s – Sauget, IL
04/11/15 – Mojoes – Joliet, IL
04/12/15 – Harpo’s – Detroit, MI
04/13/15 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
04/15/15 – Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON – CANADA
04/16/15 – Rapids Theatre – Niagara Falls, NY
04/17/15 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
04/18/15 – The Palladium – Worcester, MA, New England Metal & Hardcore Festival
04/19/15 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY 04/21/15 – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY
04/22/15 – Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, TN
04/23/15 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
04/24/15 – The International – Knoxville, TN
04/25/15 – Metropolitan Park – Jacksonville, FL, Welcome To Rockville Festival (Festival Date, NO SHATTERED SUN)
04/26/15 – Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL 04/28/15 – The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD
04/29/15 – The Chance – Poughkeepsie, NY
04/30/15 – The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA
05/01/15 – Farm Bureau Live – Virginia Beach, VA, Lunatic Luau 15 (Festival Date, NO SHATTERED SUN)
05/02/15 – Bogarts – Cincinnati, OH
05/03/15 – Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord, NC, Carolina Rebellion 2015 (Festival Date, NO SHATTERED SUN)