I often bemoan the lack of decent metal gigs that make it to the North-East, so when legendary thrashers Testament added a Newcastle date to their UK tour and proceeded to stick two high quality support acts on the bill, my mind was made up – this was one not to be missed. The O2 Academy played host to the mid-week metalfest and was sadly not even close to a sell-out. Whether or not the poor numbers are a cause or an effect of the lack of quality gigs on offer in the area is a matter for another rant, but on the plus side it resulted in a fairly intimate atmosphere for the night’s proceedings and an excellent view throughout the evening.
There was more hair onstage tonight than you could shake several pairs of scissors at. Hair was so abundant, in fact, that the out of 15 men that graced the stage in total over the course of the show, only two came up short of at least two feet in the follicle department – one bald drummer
(permissible) and one guitarist with shoulder-length hair (must do better). So round the clock choreographed head-banging was the order of the day, and first up were American thrash act Warbringer. Barely wet behind the ears compared to the company they were keeping, and struggling with a muddy sound (often the curse of the first band on although it really shouldn’t be) Warbringer did sterling work nonetheless in front of a small but dedicated crowd. They performed a selection of tracks from their debut album and current offering ‘Waking Into Nightmares’, their harsh vocals and speed metal style sounding at once modern and classic. The bass player in particular was a legend, playing finger-style throughout and pulling off some immense runs that had my jaw on the floor.
Onslaught are a band who really have been there and done that, and they are quick to inform us that they haven’t played in Newcastle since the 1980’s! You wouldn’t know it to look at them, or listen to them in fact, as they rip through a blistering set in a NWOBHM meets power metal style. Their songs sound fresh and current and their stage presence is captivating. They’ve returned after a long period in hiatus and have emerged as a contender for one of THE ones to watch on the UK metal scene, so good on them.
There was more hair onstage tonight than you could shake several pairs of scissors at. Hair was so abundant, in fact, that the out of 15 men that graced the stage in total over the course of the show, only two came up short of at least two feet in the follicle department – one bald drummer
(permissible) and one guitarist with shoulder-length hair (must do better). So round the clock choreographed head-banging was the order of the day, and first up were American thrash act Warbringer. Barely wet behind the ears compared to the company they were keeping, and struggling with a muddy sound (often the curse of the first band on although it really shouldn’t be) Warbringer did sterling work nonetheless in front of a small but dedicated crowd. They performed a selection of tracks from their debut album and current offering ‘Waking Into Nightmares’, their harsh vocals and speed metal style sounding at once modern and classic. The bass player in particular was a legend, playing finger-style throughout and pulling off some immense runs that had my jaw on the floor.
Onslaught are a band who really have been there and done that, and they are quick to inform us that they haven’t played in Newcastle since the 1980’s! You wouldn’t know it to look at them, or listen to them in fact, as they rip through a blistering set in a NWOBHM meets power metal style. Their songs sound fresh and current and their stage presence is captivating. They’ve returned after a long period in hiatus and have emerged as a contender for one of THE ones to watch on the UK metal scene, so good on them.Testament are another band who formed in the early 80’s, but unlike Onslaught, have been toiling their way around the scene with little in the way of a rest ever since then. Their setlist tonight picks from the best of their back catalogue, right up to and including tracks from their most recent album, ‘The Formation of Damnation’. Frontman Chuck Billy is a colossus of a man, and he struts about the stage with characteristic swagger, air-guitaring on his mic stand with 
considerable prowess. The band really seem to be enjoying themselves and the sound in the venue has finally improved, so thankfully we can hear Testament’s expert delivery throughout their set. The crowd are really involved and there are even a couple of ‘walls of death’ towards the end of the show. We’re hard us Geordies. No, I am neither a Geordie, nor hard, but I felt the need for some solidarity with my northern metaller brethren right there. Anyway, as the band close the show with the title track from their latest release and revel in the subsequent adulation, they inform us that they have a new album coming out next year, and will be back to see us soon. From the evidence I’ve seen tonight, I can safely assert that Testament are back. And this time it’s biblical. (Sorry, I had to).
considerable prowess. The band really seem to be enjoying themselves and the sound in the venue has finally improved, so thankfully we can hear Testament’s expert delivery throughout their set. The crowd are really involved and there are even a couple of ‘walls of death’ towards the end of the show. We’re hard us Geordies. No, I am neither a Geordie, nor hard, but I felt the need for some solidarity with my northern metaller brethren right there. Anyway, as the band close the show with the title track from their latest release and revel in the subsequent adulation, they inform us that they have a new album coming out next year, and will be back to see us soon. From the evidence I’ve seen tonight, I can safely assert that Testament are back. And this time it’s biblical. (Sorry, I had to).
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