Support Acts: Malefice & Xerath.

London Koko, Friday the 30th of November 2012

Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis

Photos by Fabiola Santini

There are many items that can be found in my storage room, things which I have kept as they remind me of my care-free teenage years. Amongst the most precious, is a pretty worn-out VCR tape which features a selection of video clips from the legendary Headbangers Ball program and which begins in great style with Testament’s classic “Trial By Fire”. I have spent more hours than I care to remember watching this great clip, the images from which kept flashing in my mind as I was on my way to the London Koko to attend yet another of the band’s live performances on UK soil.

Despite some initial hitches, I was on time to interview guitar maestro Alex Skolnick – an interview which you will soon be able to read here. Due to the venue’s Friday night club, Testament’s set was to start and finish much earlier than what one would consider to be a normal headlining slot. Luckily, I didn’t miss Testament’s set as a result of these changes.

You could feel a certain energy building up in the crowd, probably owing to the band’s latest opus “Dark Roots Of The Earth”, which is not only good quality, but has also done well in terms of sales since its release a few months ago. The energy in the crowd manifested itself in a massive roar the moment the band stormed the stage and kick-started the proceedings with a killer rendition of “Rise Up”.

Chuck Billy established command of the stage in no time and together with his quite energetic band mates ensured that there was not a single inch of the stage that wasn’t well trodden by the five band members by the time the night was up. Early sound problems were completely dealt with by the time “The Preacher” was performed and Chuck could not hide his pride and satisfaction when explaining the success received by the video version of the follow up “Native Blood”.

Even though newbies, such as “True American Hate” and “More Than Meets The Eye” went down really well with the band’s audience of various ages, what we all wanted to hear were the old classics and the set list did not disappoint at all! By dedicating “Into The Pit” to the audience, Chuck unleashed hell onto what would a few hours later become the venue’s ‘dance floor’ and the momentum built up was carried through songs like “Practice What You Preach”, “Alone In The Dark” and “Disciples Of The Watch”, after which the band left the stage. Moments later, and motivated by the crowd’s rhythmical chanting, the band returned for a short encore, which included my personal favorites “D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)”, “3 Days In Darkness”, and literally finished us all off with a powerful version of “The Formation Of Damnation”.

Even though having an earlier finish time can be quite appealing, I would have loved to have seen these guys extend their performance for another half an hour. Is this a classic case of human ungratefulness? Possibly so, but it is also a clear indication that what we experienced tonight was a top quality performance by one of the best Metal bands out there. Is it time for people to reassess this whole “Big Four” thing? I, for one, certainly think so!

Testament Set List:

Main Set:

Rise Up
The New Order
The Preacher
Native Blood
True American Hate
More Than Meets The Eye
Dark Roots Of The Earth
Into The Pit
Practice What You Preach
Over The Wall
Alone In The Dark
Disciples Of The Watch

Encore:

D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
3 Days In Darkness
The Formation Of Damnation

Interview with Alex Skolnick

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Power Plays w/c 7 April 2025

SEVEN BLOOD To The Unknown (indie)
FROM FALL TO SPRING Incomplete (Arising Empire)
POP EVIL Side Effects (MNRK Heavy)
ERJA LYYTINEN Abyss (Tuohi Records)
SKY VALLEY MISTRESS Too Many Ghosts (New Heavy Sounds)
RED GIANT Free Me (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 7 April 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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