We Are Story Tellers
This show was at our iconic House of Blues in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. This intimate venue is perfect for the tight-knit metalheads that gather for these shows. Normally when I attend shows here, the balcony is closed due to the bands being less well-known, or not expected to sell as many tickets. But not this time, Testament and the openers, Kreator and Possessed, were expecting a big crowd! I have been to few thrash metal shows personally, I’m more of a metalcore fan, but I was thrilled to see such a famous band like Testament and was pleasantly surprised.
First up at our show was Possessed! This death metal band from San Francisco has a long history of metal, much like the following bands. They are often attributed as one of the first death metal bands and their history and fame evident in their performance. They performed a tight show with no shortage of gritty, chuggy riffs and gnarly vocals from lead singer Jeff Becerra – who performed entirely from a wheelchair and drank plenty of canned beer during the set. Fans have waited almost 20 years for the band to make new music again and the crowd loved every bit of one of the pioneers of death metal.
Kreator is a German thrash metal band that also has a long history of music – spanning across the world. With over fifteen studio albums, their influence and mastery of the genre very easily impressed me. Current lead vocalist Miland “Mille” Petrozza’s soaring voice was commanding and strong. The band gripped the audience with their impressive display. And their hold on the fans was especially evident when technical issues arose and multiple sound sources were lost for minutes. The talented crew of House of Blues and the support there got sound back before too long and the finished their set with enthusiasm and put on a fantastic rest of the show!
The titans of thrash metal – Testament. A band with such an expansive history, influence, and style ought to be selling out stadiums. It was an unique treat for the fans and I to witness them on such an intimate stage. Lead vocalist Chuck Billy’s love for the music was immediately noticeable, with giant smiles and often air-guitaring alongside his bandmates.
One of the most special moment was when they invited a special guest on stage – 11-year old guitar heroine Maya Neelakantan (from America’s Got Talent) – to play their iconic song “Legions of Death” with them. And it was her first live metal show performance! The crowd as ecstatic in support and for good reason, she killed it and it was great to see this love and support that the metal community is known for on display.
Send us a message here
© Hidden Beats Corp. All Rights Reserved 2020