American thrash metal legends Anthrax and Testament tore through The Electric Factory in Philadelphia last Thursday for a packed house of old-school metal heads and rowdy young-bloods alike. Bay Area’s Death Angel rounded out the bill with an energetic opening performance that quickly saw the temperature rise on the floor.
Having formed in 1983, Testament was unquestionably one of the most popular thrash bands in America during the genre’s peak in the 80s and early 90s. Their influence still reverberates throughout the metal community as was evident by the diverse gathering of fans. Founding member, Eric Peterson has been with the band now over 28 years and has seen numerous line-up changes with Chuck Billy present on lead vocals since 86′. Testament has released 9 studio albums with the forthcoming, The Dark Roots of Earth, slated for an early 2012 release. While details around this forthcoming album have remained somewhat under wraps, major guest appearances including Chris Adler (Lamb of God) have been confirmed for several tracks. Last Thursaday’s performance found the band as energetic as ever with generations of metal and thrash fans singing along to song after song. And although the band rocked out for over an hour, fans pleaded relentlessly for an encore.
NYC’s thrash legends, Anthrax closed the bill exactly how you would expect a band that has been dominating the thrash scene since 1981. Anthrax brought the thunder, no twos-ways about it. Currently supporting their most recent LP, Worship Music, released via Nuclear Blast and Megaforce Records last year, the band played a plethora of new tracks and mixed in a solid chunck of classic material that saw the crowd erupt with energy. Hard to believe this powerhouse quintet has been bringing the shred for over 30 years. It was apparent from the onset that Anthrax and Testament could not be happier on this tour as the sheer joy and excitement overflowed into the crowd. For a genre often defined by tough-guy attitudes and testosterone, both performers and fans alike could be seen grinning ear to ear throughout the majority of the performances.
We know you are here for the pictures, so without further ado..
Words and pictures by Joshua T. Cohen.
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