Anthrax & Kreator Team With Testament At The Hammersmith Apollo, London

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Anthrax & Kreator Team With Testament At The Hammersmith Apollo, London

Thrash metal is a fascinating field. Arguably the first metal sub-genre, fusing the anthems of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden with the “fuck you” attitude of punk icons like Discharge and Dead Kennedys, it kept the youthful spirit alive in metal and was a perfect antithesis to the glam stylings of Motley Crue and Poison. Over forty years on from the debut albums of its stalwarts like Metallica and Slayer and thrash still has an important place in metal, with many of its big names just as popular as ever. Recently, three of these iconic names joined forces for a tour fans will never forget, even if the bands and fans alike are now more concerned with mortgages and car insurance than skateboarding and day drinking.

Only a few months ago, Kreator and Testament trekked across the United States and Canada for the North American leg of the Klash Of The Titans tour and with Anthrax replacing Possessed for the European portion, it was Testament’s turn to kick off the evening of metal. Rarely can it be claimed with legitimacy that Testament put in a bad shift and that was the case tonight, as the Bay Area representatives got things going in style with “D.N.R.,” a personal favourite and a highlight from the excellent 1999 effort, “The Gathering,” which was followed immediately by “3 Darks Of Darkness” from the same record. Twenty five years after the release of the cult favourite album, it was good to hear its songs alongside older and fresher favourites alike.

Being in the special guest role, there was only so much time Testament had to make their impact felt but they did just that with a number of songs from their reunion era onward, including “More Than Meets The Eye” from “The Formation Of Damnation,” along with the album’s title track, plus “Native Blood” from “Dark Roots Of Earth” and two numbers from the band’s latest album, “Titans Of Creation.” “The Ritual” is often represented by the exciting “Electric Crown” when it comes to live shows, but tonight Testament had another surprise in store as they performed “Return To Serenity” for the first time since the year 2000. Of course, most sets end with an old school classic and that was just what happened tonight when the quintet finished with “Into The Pit,” the only song from their eighties material. A furious end to a storming set.

Next, we have the first of our co-headliners. Germany is always mentioned quickly when it comes to thrash metal, having given the world so many great bands, and most commonly, Kreator is named top of the pile. All these years later, the band continues to grow and craft exciting new music which manages to be both theatrical and brutal, which was evidenced right away with the opening number, “Hate Über Alles,” the title track from their latest album. Accompanied by two giant inflatable devils either side of the stage (which I admit, brought back memories of Spinal Tap’s appearance on the Simpsons,) the quartet put on one hell of a show. As they launched into the next song, “Phobia,” gallows above them opened and several mannequins dropped with nooses around their necks. It’s the kind of thing which detractors will dismiss as corny, but for those of us who like a good show, and are mindful of the genre’s beginnings with Alice Cooper and Black Widow, it’s wonderful to see such tactics still in use.

Of course, Kreator’s greatest strength is in their music, which was covered quite broadly in this setlist. “Violent Revolution,” “Enemy Of God,” “Hordes Of Chaos” and “Phantom Antichrist” were all represented by their title tracks, which are all bonafide Kreator classics by now, and there was some older favourites too such as “Betrayer” and “Terrible Certainty.” The 2018 release “Gods Of Violence” was a very successful one for the band and so it got a little more attention with two songs; “Hail To The Hordes” and the magnificent “Satan Is Real,” while Kreator also returned to “Hate Über Alles” via “Strongest Of The Strong.” As usual, every member put a great deal of energy into the set and frontman Mille Petrozza’s voice is as fierce and piercing as ever, inciting mosh pits galore with his battle cries. Kreator is a band which can thrill fans in any environment, big or small, but in a larger setting, they really do capture both the grandiose and the grim with their music. Interestingly, I believe this was the first time I’d seen Kreator not play “Flag Of Hate” but the finale of “Pleasure To Kill” was as intense as ever. Terrific stuff.

It seemed like a bit of a wait, but eventually, the lights went out and a short film began playing on the stage curtain, with actor and internet messiah Keanu Reeves talking about his love of Anthrax, followed by similar testimonies from Lady Gaga and Stephen King. Call me crazy, but I think Anthrax are getting ready to come on. There were plenty more appearances from the likes of Tom Morello, Mark Osegueda of Death Angel and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons (who received quite a few boos,) before a brief cartoon featuring a skateboarder decapitating Nazis and klansmen, which is always a welcome sight. As cool as this was though, at six minutes, it did feel like overkill and was time that could have been spent performing another song, especially as the 11pm curfew was fast approaching.

Sure enough though, the curtain dropped and the kings of New York thrash metal began tearing through “A.I.R.,” the first of three songs from “Spreading The Disease.” People love to dismiss Anthrax for some reason, but when it comes to performing, they’ve always been razor sharp. Scott Ian is as precise and cutting as ever, alongside fellow guitarist Jonathan Donais, who’s eleven years with the band seems to have flown by and of course, the ball of energy that is Frankie Bello on bass. It’s been nearly forty years since it was released but the song sounds as fresh and heavy as ever. There was a problem though, one which still causes arguments among fans, which is frontman Joey Belladonna. Belladonna still has his fans, but there are many who will say that Anthrax should never have brought him back into the fold and his live vocals will fuel many of these detractors. He’s definitely not lazy or anything like that, he puts his all into the show, running around the stage with energy that men half his age don’t have, but it was honestly a struggle to make out the lyrics and while he’s no Vince Neil when it comes to the state of his singing, it was the weak link.

No one wants to focus on the negatives however, and as I said, neither Belladonna nor the rest of the band slow down, keeping the fun and fury going with their superb rendition of Joe Jackson’s “Got The Time,” before giving fans their first taste of the classic “Among The Living” album in the form of “Caught In A Mosh.” There was some more recent material thrown into the mix too as Anthrax brought out “Fight ’em ’til You Can’t” and “The Devil You Know” from 2009’s, “Worship Music,” which went down pretty well. They still had plenty of big guns in their arsenal too, with “Madhouse” receiving a raucous reception, as did their tribute to one of Britain’s greatest comic book characters Judge Dredd, “I Am The Law.”

Fans will also know that their interpretation of Trust’s “Antisocial” is always a highlight of an Anthrax show and tonight was no different. The band then announced that the show was drawing to a close before performing “Indians,” before Scott Ian asked if the crowd were up for one more, declaring, “Well you’re getting one whether you like it or not,” and closed the show with “Gung Ho.” Despite the criticism I have regarding the vocal showing, Anthrax are always impressive with their skill and energy and may very well be the tightest live thrash metal band going and tonight was a great reminder of why they still deserve respect and admiration.