Six years, which some would say seems like an eternity, and the day had finally come for the Capital to experience the return of the Thrash overlords, and if the stripped back Cardiff event (just three days earlier) is anything to go by then we were in for a treat of epic proportions.
First to take to the stage were Death Metal upstarts Neckbreakker, who had brought a full-on attack of their brand of old school Death Metal with them. From the moment they hit the midday air they ignited the field with their modern tinged fretwork, muscular drum work and vicious vocals all of which united to generate a wall of addictive brutal mayhem which was burnt around the edges with an endearing hardcore quality. Bach Kofoed stalked the stage with a pride and engaging arrogance which allowed the strings and skins to build around the caustic vocals and spawn a monumental set which was impressive and notable. This had certainly been a performance which will be branded on many an eardrum and retina for years to come for those who had been lucky enough to have bared witness to the Danish brutality on this Sunday lunchtime.
Next up, and these gents need no real introduction, Hatebreed. These hardcore powerhouses had brought along a little friend to share the stage with them today, erected centre stage was a colossal demon which was intimidating and mesmeric on equal measures and was overshadowed only by the crunching riffs and barbaric vocals which omitted from the speaker stacks into the summer air. Jamey seemed well and truly hyped for this and he attacked everything from the first vocal to the very last word. ‘I Will Be Heard’ was absolutely battering, the vocals were powerful and dominating and were spat out with an appealing venomous delight while the strings were worked with a dexterity and hunger which produced a scintillating spine on which the whole show was hinged from. ‘Tear It Down’ and ‘This Is Now’ were absolutely barbarous and spiteful which only led to encourage the crowd to become more and more active with every beat and chord that injected them. This had been a true show of power and muscle while remaining decadent and luxurious, a masterpiece of a set and one which will have left many truly battered and bruised.
Mastodon were next and they brought with them their trademark colossal riffs and battering brawn, they left absolutely nothing in the wings. Troy Sanders was a beast from the off, manipulating and taming his bass with obvious ease while unleashing monstrous vocals which had muscle and power in equal measures. The set was constructed around Mastodon classics, ‘Mother Puncher’, ‘Megalodon’ and ‘Crystal Skull’ were all there and they were absolutely titanic and behemothic in their deliverance. As the set was rounded off with the absolutely fierce and savage ‘Blood And Thunder’ it was time to reflect on the almighty performance that we had just been witness to, a performance which was so intense it literally shook the very ground that we were stood upon, a performance which I for one can not wait to be a part of again when our paths cross once more in small field in Catton hall in August, Bloodstock you had better be ready.
Thrash straight from the streets of New York can mean only one thing, Anthrax were in town and they undoubtedly brought the energy with them this afternoon. This was a set that was full on, high octane and energetic from all factions of the Thrash masters. Joey et al treated us to a set which was just classic after classic, nothing fresher than the anthems which were born 35 years ago, but who actually gives a damn when these beasts still sound as crisp and as relevant today as they did on the day they were written and unbridled upon us. We were initially carved open with a display of controlled mayhem in the form of the gigantic ‘Among The Living’ and then closely followed by its album sibling ‘Caught In A Mosh’. The whole field was going absolutely crazy and this energy and bedlam was pretty much replicated in a mirror image on stage with Belladonna, Ian and Bello all whirling around the stage in their usual trademark frenzy’s while Benante and Donais anchored down and released their skills with less animated, yet no less committed, fervour. The trio of ‘Madhouse’, ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ and ‘I Am The Law’ carved us open wide and generated an awe-inspiring pinch me moment as the crowd erupted and preached out every single lyric creating a sound wave which will have undoubtedly broken through the atmosphere above.
‘Antisocial’ and ‘Got The Time’ hit us next and they were perfection, both delivered with power and energetic aggression, both whipped the crowd into even more of a hysterical mosh pit and saw surfers besiege the frontline and drop into ‘no mans land’ before returning to the friendly fray once more. As the set was signed off from with an absolutely massive and energetic ‘Indians’, I couldn’t help but reflect that this had been one of the best performances I’ve seen Anthrax document to date, it was absolute perfection personified, quintessentially Thrash and Thrash at its very best.
It was then time for the Vikings to raid London and they absolutely walloped us. Complete with two warriors flanking each wing and keeping council over the invasion, Amon Amarth hit the ground with authority and supremacy, the behemothic ‘Guardians Of Asgaard’ launched first and it was absolutely massive, each moment was delivered with a corrosive beauty and a toxic passion which was simply flawless. Hegg was the iconic warrior that we all know and love him for, his stature prowled around the stage reminiscent of hunting out his next kill while his haunting and immense voice delivered his lyrics with a vast and monumental supremacy. ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’ was absolutely commanding while ‘Put Your Back Into The Oar’ and ‘The Way Of Vikings’ were personal highlights of the set for me although the absolutely anthemic and mighty ‘Twilight Of The Thunder Gods’ closed out the Swedish invasion with total clarity, brawn and vigour, it was absolutely amazing and a moment in time which is now etched on my psyche for years to come.
So, onto the main event and even the malfunctioning Slayer embossed curtain just before show time couldn’t detract from the energy and anticipation which was palpable on this sunny evening in Finsbury Park. The bilateral video screens sparked into action and we were treated to a video which chartered the life and times of Slayer and as the countdown on the video progressed the crowd got louder and louder, cheering at poignant moments in the video and breaking out into chants of the infamous ‘Slaaaaaaaayer’ when subliminally directed to, this is what we had all been waiting for, this is the reason we had all gathered here today, this was Slayer. Let the show begin.
‘Delusions Of Saviour’ ignited from the speaker stacks and then we, for the first time in six years, saw the Messrs congregate around Bostaph’s kit and it was pure out and out emotion. Then we were off with an insanely colossal ‘South Of Heaven’, Kerry took up his characteristic stage left positioning while Tom stood as the conductor front and centre and the animated Gary occupied the right flank, all working in unison to belt out the anthems which we have all painfully missed for so long. As the set progressed there was just continuous carnage everywhere you looked, front to back, side to side and all of it orchestrated by the Thrash Deities who were stood before us.
‘Die By The Sword’ was caustic, Tom’s vocals were as powerful as ever and the fretwork from Kerry and Gary was absolutely exhilarating. The set was just full of classics one after the other, each being delivered with a vibrancy and exuberance which was refreshing and wholesome yet maintaining and air of belligerence and malevolent anger. ‘War Ensemble’, ‘Chemical Warfare’, ‘Reborn’, ‘Mandatory Suicide’, ‘Dead Skin Mask’, ‘Spirit In Black’, ‘Seasons In The Abyss’ and ‘Born Of Fire’ were all there (amongst others), all were emotive and provocative in their own unique ways, each demanding every single voice to sing (or scream) every single lyric back at the stage with a ferocity that was impressive beyond belief.
The stage took a short while to bring any animation of its own to the party, initially sparking to life with a couple of Marshall stacks on either side of the stage setting ablaze before all hell broke loose and the whole stage just seemed to be engulfed in a constant barrage of flames detonating on every available inch of prime real estate, the blaze was impressive and monumental and a feat which would have left many an eyebrow between the stage and sound desk singed without question.
Throughout the whole set Tom commanded with authority and precision, his voice was guttural and powerful, roaring with might and passion, a luxuriously velvet undertone which had a caustic and raspy edge to it. The string work from King and Holt was as empowering and decadent as ever, royal and intricate while remaining edgy and flamboyant while the skins were managed and manipulated with precision and accuracy which was all encased and engulfed in a chilling and mesmerising show of mechanical skill and unfaltering accuracy.
‘Hell Awaits’ was absolutely colossal, ‘Postmortem’ was its usual chilling and haunting self, ‘Raining Blood’ was maniacal and ‘Angel Of Death’ was simply magnificent and pulled the evening to a close in signatory fashion for these Thrash Uber Gods.
This had been an evening of epic proportions, an evening which many of us only dreamed about experiencing once again and most of us feared would never happen again.
As we all filtered out of the field and onto our final destinations, the obvious question has to be was that it? Was that really it or are we going to ever get to do that all over again? Well, I for one have no idea but judging by how much Tom and the rest of the band seemed to be enjoying it tonight …………… maybe, just maybe.
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