Thrash Metal Tuesday should be a thing, it’s almost like Throwback Thursday, but then with more guitars and metalheads. This specific Thrash Metal Tuesday 20 March, was especially epic because three epic bands were performing the same night in The Circus, yes I’m talking about Vader, Annihilator and Testament. It’s no surprise that The Circus was close to being sold out and that on a Tuesday and the crowd is energetic, even though the gig starts right after a day of work. Check out the gallery here.
The turnout for Vader already was massive, I’m guessing those who could, came from the start, which is quite exceptional. The band has caught the audience attention immediately with an amazing setlist. Even though Vader has just been here in May, there is always room to see Vader again. An amazing setlist and great moments later, the crowd looked pretty happy and warmed up, sweating as well, because of all the headbanging. Last time during May I attended the gig to write a review for Tempelores Magazine. I stated the following: “Other than that, Vader has been able to fulfill all of my expectations: high precision, determination and the ability to make us believe that the complexity of their songs is not really an issue, because they all make it seem so easy. The crowd went completely wild, banging their heads, screaming along, jumping or whatever way it deemed best and after an evening like this. Crushed by happiness and excitement, the evening ended and has left me with one of the best gigs so far of 2017 and the memory that even boring Tuesdays can become brutal!”
And this gig was no exception, the setlist was slightly different, which kept things really interesting. And the set was tight, and the atmosphere was great. A great start for a normal Tuesday.
Next in line was Annihilator. I hadn’t seen Annihilator since 2007 during a tour with Iced Earth. At the time I had no clue who they were and what they were playing, but I soon realized that Annihilator is awesome. Ever since then I’ve been listening to their music, but never had the chance to see them anymore. The lineup has changed quite much since then, but no need to worry. The band is still great. Their drummer Fabio Alessandrini, who apparently is also younger than me (seriously, what am I doing with my life?) plays very skillfully and watching Rich Hinks on bass and Aaron Homma on guitars play is very amusing. The gang are really active in their playing and that makes the gig not only great, but just really fun to look at. Even though you’re just an audience, you kind of feel included in the whole thing. Proof of that is everyone shouting along with “Alison Hell”.
After a very short half an hour, it was finally time for Testament. And what can I say about it. Man what a show. I’ve seen Testament play live a couple of times and it always seems like the band really plays flawless. Their music is fast and brutal and yet it seems so easy when they do it, especially for about two hours. And even though the music often seems aggressive, they all have a refined technique. Unfortunately for me I had to cut the evening short. Even though Testament was great, my fatigue rose up again and I couldn’t help it, but I just had to go and get some sleep, but not to worry, Testament is still playing lots and lots of shows, I’ll see them again! Those guys are really legends. Thus concluded a really splendid night filled with thrash metal.
