Two thrash metal giants collide, with support from Possessed
By Rachel Walz
On Sept. 29, Testament and Kreator made a stop at the Royal Oak Music Theater on their Klash of the Titans tour. Possessed performed the opening act. The doors to the theater opened at 6 p.m. Dozens of fans entered, eagerly buying drinks and merchandise to ready themselves for the show. The venue was clean, neat and spacious, with three levels to the standing room, and the mosh pit at the bottom level.
45 minutes in, Possessed came on stage. Possessed’s album “Seven Churches” has been credited by many as creating the death metal genre by intensifying the sound and atmosphere of thrash metal. Their front man, Jeff Becerra, has used a wheelchair since 1989, when an armed robbery attempt left him paralyzed from the chest down. Not to be deterred, he brought back Possessed in 2007 and continues to tour with them. Becerra proved he still had the vocal chops, howling along to “The Exorcist,” “Swing of the Axe,” and the song that coined the genre: “Death Metal.” It was an incredible start to an amazing show.
Kreator entered around 8 p.m. A thrash metal band from Germany, they blew up with the release of their 1986 album “Pleasure to Kill.” Along with their contemporaries Sodom and Destruction, they formed the “Teutonic Trio,” the German equivalent to the ‘big four’ of American thrash.
The stage came to life with giant inflatables of demons surrounding the band. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza was an incredible front man, and the rest of the band was in top form, destroying both classics like “Terrible Certainty” and more modern material like “Satan is Real.” As the mosh pit continued their relentless assault, Petrozza thrice called for the “Wall of Death.” The act split the mosh pit down the middle, with each side going towards the edge before colliding in the middle at Petrozza’s command. Kreator’s brutal reputation and image was more than proven true.
Testament began their set at 9:45 p.m. One of the most influential bands to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal scene, the band was touring to promote the re-release of their first two albums, “The Legacy” and “The New Order.” As such, the setlist was dedicated to songs from those albums, but that didn’t seem to curb audience enthusiasm. Lead singer Chuck Billy was jovial and friendly to the audience, noting his excitement at revisiting Testament’s older material.
Some songs like “Raging Waters” and “A Day of Reckoning” were deeper cuts rarely played live, but the band ended with two concert staples: “Over the Wall,” which had audience members crowd surfing onto the stage at Chuck Billy’s express permission, and “Into the Pit,” a staple for those in the mosh pit. The band also took time to wish guitarist Alex Skolnick a happy birthday before the show ended. Testament’s great atmosphere and heavy sound made them the perfect band to cap off the night.
Overall, it was an amazing show for the hardcore metalhead. The three bands played non-stop bangers. But it was certainly not a show, or a mosh pit, for beginners.
