Anthrax and Testament Play Tabernacle Atlanta 2-2-12

Review by Russell Eldridge, Photos by John Ward

Interview with Rob Caggiono of Anthrax below

Friday February 02, 2012, Death Angel, Testament, and Anthrax came to the Tabernacle in Atlanta, and set a high standard for all metal bands with their different flavors of aggression.

Testament’s back drop looked like the inner perimeter of an ancient coliseum. The people standing in front of the stage seemed like modern day warriors awaiting a brutal and bloody battle. The intro music definitely helped add to the historic scene.

Testament photos by John Ward

Mayhem began when Chuck Billy screamed “The Preacher!” to start off Testament’s set driving into the song. Four out of five of the original members of Testament began their assault, and seemed to do so with such ease. Gene Hoglan was on drums, setting the pace for the evening with his legendary skills. Hoglan will appear on the upcoming Testament album, The Dark Roots Of Earth, and was on the 1997 album Demonic. Although it has been a while, it still seems weird to see Alex Skolnick playing a Heritage guitar instead of an Ibanez, and Eric Peterson, who used to play Gibson, now endorses Dean. Testament played a wide range of material with tunes from their first album, The Legacy, all the way to their last release, The Formation of Damnation.

Anthrax photos by John Ward

When Anthrax took the stage they had a tough act to follow. Gene Hoglan also played with Anthrax, as well as Joey Vera from Armored Saint filling in on bass. Charlie Benante and Frank Bello both had a family emergency, and could not be there for the show. Hoglan gained a lot of respect that night playing two sets of demanding metal music. Joey Belladonna was playing with the crowd the whole evening, and his voice was dead on, which is a difficult thing to do with a voice of his caliber. It’s always nice to hear a singer who sounds just like the album when singing live. During the WARDANCE bridge of “Indians,” Scott Ian stopped the show because he wasn’t happy with the crowd reaction. After offering some advice on how they should have reacted, Ian re-started the song. The second time around, Testament’s Chuck Billy came onstage to sing the WARDANCE part, and the crowd was definitely more explosive. Even the people on the balcony went crazy. Cups of liquid fell onto the audience in the pit, but I doubt they even noticed.
The night’s show was a reminder of what metal music should sound like. Be sure to check this tour out if it hasn’t come to your town yet.

You can find more info online at:
Death Angel
http://site.deathangel.us/

Testament
http://www.testamentlegions.

Anthrax
http://anthrax.com/

Interview with Rob Caggiano of Anthrax