Thrash metal titans Anthrax, Kreator, and Testament delivered an electrifying, theatrical spectacle at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. With fiery pyrotechnics, tight performances, and unforgettable energy, this was a metal extravaganza to remember!
It’s not a common venue for a trio of old school thrash metal bands, but here we are at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, Arena. For people like me, who grew up watching these types of bands in smaller, more intimate venues, this size of venue is a change of pace.
However, thanks to a surge in popularity in such bands, the crowds are getting younger and younger, and venues sizes are expanding but sadly the ticket prices are getting higher and higher, as are the merchandise prices! Is £40 an acceptable price for a tour shirt or a tad expensive? I know some venues, controversially, take a large bite out of merchandise sales, so bands do put prices up to keep their cut up. I did hear a few grumblings from disgruntled punters complaining about the inflated costs. There’s much to debate about prices, but for now I’ll concentrate on the job in hand, the live show!
Tonight, one of the ‘Big Four’ will grace Glasgow with their brand of ‘Metal Thrashing Mad metal’. Yes, Anthrax are here and there is much excitement about them in this old toon! The lads have brought their own touring acts in the shape of ‘Testament’ and ‘Kreator’ both bands who have cemented their place in a world of metal music. If there was a ‘Big Five and Big Six’, then Testament and Kreator would most probably fill those wellies!
Opening tonight’s show is Testament who I have seen many times and really enjoyed their shows. Tonight, Chuck’s voice was on-point! It sounded so good that I’m looking to see if he’s lip synching – nope, he’s not! He’s just a metal-mashing-machine who can belt out those notes as and when needed. Chuck always looks happy and looks delighted to be up there doing his thing. Testament had their own Pyrotechnics too which added a nice touch. Hey, it’s an arena, so give them an arena show! And that they did!
Next up were Kreator, and anticipation was high for this one. As the lights went down and the band came on stage, they wasted no time in diving headfirst into their set. Right away stage pyrotechnics go off as flames dance and licked across the stage, offering a glimpse at the background and stage setting which is reminiscent of a William Blake painting. The band are heavy, tight and kicking ass! Their sound is pleasing, and their performance is mesmerising as the whole band catches the groove and like a juggernaut with no brakes, races on and on making the listener wonder what will become of it. Just as things could not get any cooler, several red cloaked corpses fall from the rafters. These condemned souls sway as the music pumps and chugs along. WOW! That was epic, nicely done! See folks, you can’t have theatrics like that in your local 200 capacity rock club!
I’ve been a fan of Anthrax since State of Euphoria came out in 1988 That album was my introduction to the band and has always held a special place in my musical heart. The band have come a long way since then, a few minor lineup changes, but the staple which is Scott Ian, Franky and Charlie have remained constant. After an indulgent video that was kick started with Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves praises Anthrax’s musical worth, followed by a whole cornucopia of celebrities saying their piece on the band. I know it’s a cool introduction and I’m sure the fans loved this, but it was a bit poncy for my taste! We want Anthrax and do not want to watch Slash projected on a screen talking about them. Anway, the forementioned screen fell away and dimly lit Anthrax members appeared on stage and the crowd went nuts! The lightning for Anthrax was not the best, the previous two bands had the better lighting. The purple colour washes and green did little to enhance the guys on stage, but there were moments of clarity when white light was thrown into the mix, to help separate the band from the background.
Joey Belladonna is absolutely one of my favourite frontmen. He is energetic, fun and can hit those notes while running about the stage like Linford Christie. At one point a Mexican hat appeared at my feet (for no apparent reason) and I saw Belladonna look at it, probably as puzzled as I was. I bent down, picked it up and handed it to him who put it on his head! So yeah, that was my fault!
Scott Ian’s guitar playing, and stage presence was nothing short of great as he launched into ‘A.I.R’ and then ‘Got The Time’. He’s always a pleasure to watch as was Charlie too. Franky was up and down, left and right and doing his bass thing while looking as cool as Snoopy in Shades! Epic job! Jonathan Donais did his lead guitar job well, very understated and solid
In a nutshell. Yes…Anthrax played a fantastic show and Testament and Kreator did not disappoint. The stage performance was superb, and I appreciate the time and effort that goes into putting a show like this together. Well done and a big thank you to all who worked behind the scenes to make this the event it was. This was not just a metal show, it was a theatrical, Hollywood blockbuster, special effects driven extravaganza and if you get the chance, go and see it!
Words & Pictures: Stevie Oi! @gig_photography_glasgow