As one of the bands that gets tossed in and out of “The Big 4’s” shadow, Testament continues to roll on as one the pioneers of metal. Continuing to release new music after all these years, they came in to town to show their fans what they’ve been up to, supporting their latest album, “Dark Roots Of Earth.”
Chuck Billy sounds as good live in 2012, as he did the first time I heard him on their 1987 album, “The Legacy.” I’ve been a fan of them since then, but had yet to attend one of their shows. If I had to make a bucket list of bands that I wanted to see, Testament would definitely be at the top.
As they took the stage and ripped into one of their newest songs “Rise Up,” I couldn’t help but feel a smile start to creep across my face. I’m not usually one to show any kind of emotion while attending a show, I try to stay focused and analytical while watching the performance. This was one instance where I felt like a true fan, and had been transported back to a time when metal was new, and we just couldn’t get enough of it.
Playing through a blistering 16 song set, Alex Skolnick dazzled the frantic fans with his amazing fret work, as Billy belted out every song out, giving one of the best performances I’ve witnessed in some time. At one point in the show, Billy called up two lucky fans who purchased the VIP packages, to help them sing “Into The Pit.” They were placed front and center next to him, and were treated like members of the band, not roped off to one side of the stage, like I’ve seen with other bands.
As they ended their set, Billy thanked everyone for keeping real metal alive and well, and that this night would be go into his greatest memories of Buffalo, NY. As they left the stage, the crowd tried to coax them into an encore, but it was not to be.
Testament is clearly still one of the best metal bands in the business. Nevermind the fact that they have been around since metal’s inception, these guys are legit, and one of the tightest bands of any genre. If you are a fan of any form of metal, you owe it to these guys to get to one of their shows.
Set List:
Rise Up
More Than Meets The Eye
Burnt Offerings
Native Blood
True American Hate
Dark Roots Of Earth
Into The Pit
Practice What You Preach
Riding The Snake
Eyes Of Wrath
Trial By Fire
The Haunting
The New Order
DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)
3 Days In Darkness
The Formation Of Damnation
We would like to thank Charles Elliott of Nuclear Blast Records for the credentials to cover the show.
