The Concert Reader Reviews:

Tour Title: Riding the Snake

There are currently 3 Reader Reviews of this tour.
Average Rating: 4.66
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour

Submitted by Cyn (Birch Hill, NJ):
The Birch Hill in Jersey is an interesting place. Set in East Bumble-fuck New Jersey, it is an entertainment complex: complete with pool, hot tub, volleyball, tennis, food, BBQ, a dance club and a metal show! How bizarre!
The cool thing was that the beers were $2 each and there was a bar every 5 feet. The actual venue, where the show was, was multi-leveled so it was hard not to commandeer a good place to see. I had a photo pass and was delighted to again see one of my favorite bands, Testament, live for the 5th or 6th time. (I can’t remember.) The Haunted opened and were pretty good. The sound seemed muddled but I guess that’s what you get for standing 1 foot in front of the lead singer, who looked more hardcore than metal, I might add. Otherwise, I wanted to see them because I knew that these guys evolved from At The Gates and had a tie-in with Witchery. How cool. Anyway, Testament came on and sounded amazing. It was nice to see such a great line-up including Dave Lombardo masterfully pounding the drums with a talent that can only match Slayer (ha ha). Chuck Billy harmonized and growled perfectly, accompanied by Eric Peterson shredding ecstaticly. These guys ARE Testament. They ripped through a lot of their new album, The Gathering, which I love, but seemed to completely overlook 3 of their albums: Practice What You Preach, Souls of Black, and The Ritual. What? Were these albums not good enough to revive? It seemed that they skipped the middle and just chewed on the ends. People didn’t mind, although I heard a few cries from the audience to play "Electric Crown" and "Souls of Black." After shooting some pictures, I found my friend and we managed to squeeze onto a platform to see the rest of the show. Mr. Billy has an infectious smile and I left smiling myself and wondering when they were going to come back again. How corny, but it was a great show all in all.

Submitted by Chris Kennedy (8/29/99 Big Shots, Roseville, CA):

"Unfortunately, Skinlab was the opening act on this night."
Having only been into TestAmenT for about 2 years, I had still managed to let them creep into my top few favorite bands, and with good reason. They delivered. So, when I saw the ad in the local rag announcing a show a scant 15 minutes away towards the end of the tour, I could hardly contain my excitement. Add to this the countless favorable impressions I received from others who had the good fortune to see the Mighty TestAmenT in concert already, and even the fact that I started the fall semester the day after the concert couldn't keep me away. A recent purchase of The Gathering, I had seen the rough setlist, and couldn't be more stoked to see this show. Unfortunately, Skinlab was the opening act on this night (a 3-band bill), but I didn't want to show up late, so I suffered through their set of "angst metal," as I like to call it. No real great musicianship, just some guys who have major aggression and use music as an outlet. I have no problem with that, but I prefer my metal to have more skill.
The Haunted took care of that. I had only heard one track off their debut, but it was enough to get me pumped. Their speed and intensity blew me away. I think a lot of the crowd that had so enjoyed Skinlab's slower tempo (which made it good penis-pit music) wasn't sure how to react to this thrash throwback band. I, on the other hand, was banging my head in the corner like there was no tomorrow. One of the brothers Bjorler, the bass player, was unable to make it that night. I barely noticed his absence. It's no wonder that At the Gates were so well respected, with writing like this. Anders rules. He kept it technical, tight, and above all, fast. Great drumming from the new guy, but I am not partial to the hardcore-ish vocals of the new singer. Still, a killer set. I got their CD within a month (once I found it!).

"This was indeed the best concert I've ever seen, and I've been to Weird Al twice."
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, and after the small club was completely packed in front of the stage, the metal legends we were all there to see graced us with their presence. With undoubtedly the strongest supporting cast they've ever had, the two core members, Chuck and Eric, completely tore the place up. The setlist was quite good, considering they played the strongest tracks off the new one (with the notable exception of "Fall of Sipledome"), as well as plenty of favorites from the catalogue, old and new. There were technical problems, however. The sounds eminating from the stage was just LOUD. Louder than I've ever heard something come from speakers before. And in a small club like this, it doesn't dissipate. The only other notable problem was the complete lack of Murphy's leads coming through the PA. I barely ever knew when he was soloing. Aside from those minor quibbles, this was indeed the best concert I've ever seen, and I've been to Weird Al twice. DiGiorgio was simply wonderful on bass, Lombardo destroyed the kit along with all of our heads, and Chuck and Eric were in top form. All the guys looked like they were having a blast, and I think a huge part of it was the crowd response. Simply magnificent show. Do not miss this band if they ever come near you.

Submitted by Musashi (Birch Hill, Old Bridge, NJ):
There might not be a better place to see a metal show than the Birch Hill. It may be the club that time forgot. Hairstyles and fashions that have been rumored to be extinct are alive and well and proudly displayed in great abundance. Being born in New York City it is only natural that I have a bias against New Jersey (and if you've ever driven through Newark, you would too). However, when it comes to cultivating metal fans, New Jersey really does a great job.
Testament put on a show that was pure energy and excitement. If you weren't there to have a great time, then you were in the wrong place. Go see Testament on this tour. It's unbelievable.

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