Tour Title: Riding the Snake
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Tour Title: Riding the Snake |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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5 | |
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5 | |
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5 | |
| Go to Reader Reviews |
Abyss's Review (7/25/99, Old Bridge, NJ):
It is impossible for me to start this review without first saying a few words about the venue. This was my first show in Old Bridge, NJ, and no one had told me what to expect. I was nursing a brutal hangover, and had just gotten out of a full day’s work after having only four hours sleep. But I made the 40-minute trek with a painted smile on my face, and hoped that a few beers would give me the energy to get through the night. Luckily for me, this venue has a bar approximately every fifteen feet. I’m not exaggerating, by the way. In the main hall, which looked like it would hold under 2000 people, were at least 5 working bars. So, with drink in hand, I made my way to the outside and watched a bunch of metalheads eating barbecue, swimming in the pool, soaking in the hottub, or playing beach volleyball (Volleyball? There’s no volleyball in metal!). Anyway, my sleep deprived condition made it a very surreal experience, so I quickly got another drink, and went back into the venue to smell some sweat and see the Haunted, the band that rose from the ashes of the Swedish Gods, At the Gates. I have to say it was slightly disappointing. While I thoroughly enjoyed their set, it was mostly because I’m a big fan of their disc. Unfortunately, after recently seeing their countrymates, Witchery, and In Flames, The Haunted’s stage show just didn’t make the cut. In many places it seemed that they had trouble keeping time, and the entire effort seemed sloppy. Far removed from the throwback thrash that so heavily influenced them. In the few instances where everything clicked, however, they proved themselves a formidable band, so I like to think of them as having had a bad night, rather than actually being flawed. Highlight of the set was definitely the At the Gates classic, "Blinded by Fear". Their new lead singer screeched along with the tracks quite well, but his stage presence lacked a certain metalness (maybe because he was wearing a hardcore shirt). Hopefully he will blossom as the tour goes on, and he will probably be able to go more nuts in a venue that isn’t so bloody hot.
The privilege of seeing Testament play with Dave Lombardo was really special. I’ve now seen this amazing percussionist with Slayer, Grip Inc., and Testament, and I keep kicking myself that I was too young and foolish to appreciate him when he was with Slayer. I never used to pay much attention to the drummer of a band, but I have since changed my policy. If you’ve ever seen him live, you know what I’m talking about. He ruled. Testament played to a very energetic crowd like the veterans they are. Very tight, very harsh, and very metal. Louie Clemente was in attendance, but declined an offer to play with the band. Mr. Billy’s voice was in perfect form, going from his thrash wail, to his newly acquired death metal growl perfectly. The whole band played tightly, reminding me again how talented a bunch the entire Bay Area Thrash scene was. The entire set was heavily infused with songs from The Gathering, showing that the band realizes that they are on to something special with this new album. They are obviously very proud of it, as well they should be. I however do have a complaint. The set list was comprised of songs predominately from the new album, with a few from Demonic, Low, The New Order, and The Legacy. Three albums (Practice, Souls, and Ritual) were completely ignored, which I find inexcusable. The sound of these albums may be considered a little dated by hindsighted metalheads, but the fact is that they were all quality albums, and should have all been represented by at least one track (I would have liked Nightmare, Face in the Sky, and Troubled Dreams, but unfortunately, no one asked me). The band only played for about an hour and a half, and no one was herded out after the show. So, in my opinion, they should’ve played a 2 hour set and included some mid years stuff. But that is my only complaint, because the show itself was flawless. Proving to be a better hangover cure than a Long-Island Iced Tea. I can’t wait for another tour.
"The show itself was flawless. Proving to be a better hangover cure than a Long-Island Iced Tea."
Death's Review (8/13/99 Birch Hill Entertainment Complex, Old Bridge, NJ):
Ever been to Old Bridge, NJ? Particularly the Birch Hill Entertainment Complex? Me neither. And then one fateful day I learned that the early U.S. leg of the Testament tour, the good one, the one on which drum god Dave Lombardo would perform behind the kit, was not coming into New York City proper. Because of this, this Friday night New Jersey gig stood out from others on the schedule. Road trip!
I started to suspect that this was no ordinary venue when I was invited to the pre-show "beach" bar-be-que with the band, sponsored by WSOU. Pre-show "beach" bar-be-que? OK, I thought to myself, this might be a weird place. But it wasn't until I arrived that I realized the full scope of this really unusual place to catch a metal show. Volleyball courts? A disco? The Birch Hill has got 'em both. Swimming pools, hot tubs, cheap grilled burgers and dogs, video game machines, decks, and bars, bars, bars! Not to mention, more $1.50 draft beers than had ever been assembled in one metalhead-infested location before!
"Volleyball courts? A disco? The Birch Hill has got 'em both." So after succumbing to the $5 burger/dog/potato salad/chicken combo, and well, maybe $15 worth of the aforementioned beers, I followed the sounds of the metal into the main room to catch The Haunted. They were cool. But not as totally shredding as I had hoped. Their guitar sound seemed thin live. And, while the At the Gates days were not forgotton with their awesome rendition of "Blinded By Fear," the Haunted themselves didn't make as memorable an impact as I had hoped for. Particularly distracting was the singer's hardcore look and stance. It just didn't seem to fit in with the old-school thrash vibe the best parts of the record achieves.
But, ah, the night was still young. After many more beers and a ten minute, five person battle to lay claim to some territory somewhere actually near the stage, the assault began. Intense, incredible, commanding, technical, precise and oh, so metal, Testament ripped my sorry-little-soul in two with an epic metallic attack.
"Testament ripped my sorry-little-soul in two with an epic metallic attack." Lombardo was ungodly. Everything you ever imagined he could do if he only was still focused on metal. The guy put on a clinic which may never be topped. Awesome. Former Testament drummer Lou Clemente (who for some reason, was actually in the crowd that night), must have been embarrassed.
Chuck Billy is the perfect thrash metal frontman. He's having so much metal fun he almost dares you not to rage with him. With his trademark mic-stand air guitar riffing and neverending shit-eating grin, Chuck owned that stage all night like only the most seasoned of metal veterans ever could. Of course, his frequent between-song praise for the power and glory of the mighty Silver and Black, just as NFL training camps were getting into full swing, earned the singer bonus points for this longtime Raider fan!
Cohort Eric Peterson is a metal warrior of the highest order and that truth is confirmed by his headbanging sincerity displayed on every tune. While James Murphy solos and Steve Digiorgio's fretless bass stylings were not really a factor in the live show, the presence of each only enhanced the level of tight, solid professionalism in the execution of the entire set.
"The best bridge and tunnel experience of the summer." Passion and honesty were the order of the eve, and once again metal reigned. Testament have delivered the complete package in 1999, a classic record and the live chops to back it up and even enhance future listening experiences. 5 New Jersey skulls for the best bridge and tunnel experience of the summer.
Hel's Review (8/13/99, Friday the 13th, Birch Hall, Old Bridge, NJ):
I gotta start by telling you about my personal state on the night of the show, bear with me.. About 10 days earlier, I'd had surgery on my sinuses. I wasn't supposed to go back to work for a week - but I could never miss this show. Disappointingly, there was no date scheduled in NYC for this tour so we were forced to travel to the netherregions of New Jersey to witness the joy that is a live Testament show.
First off, this is a funky venue. In addition to the expected metalheads, there were locals hanging out as well - as far away from the metalheads as they could get - the farest end of the beach/bar and the disco. Yeah, you heard me, there's a disco. And beach volley ball courts, swimming pool and hot tub. Weird. There was also a cheap, cheap, cheap BBQ, and that was where I was trapped when The Haunted took the stage. They made you buy tickets for your food and then stand in line while one guy cooks one person's food at a time. Twenty people standing there, and the dude would only cook one hamburger at a time!
"We were forced to travel to the netherregions of New Jersey to witness the joy that is a live Testament show." So I finally get inside and I manage to catch about 3 songs, including an At the Gates cover. The singer did not look like I thought the singer of a band like The Haunted should look, but, getting past that, they ripped. I was sorry I didn't get to see the entire set.
When the main event took the stage, I hopped up on a wooden box against the wall on the floor (ignoring the command to "get down" from some random idiot in a KISS shirt who, incidentally, also squeezed on before the night was over) and got the best possible view of the stage. If it had not been for my fears that banging my head would result in my sinuses gushing blood and possible unconciousness, I would have been trashing around like mad. [ed. Come on! Gushing blood is SO METAL!]
Damn! Not only do these guys put out one of the best albums of 1999, they put on a great show too. Many of the tunes were from the new record, but considering what an awesome album I think it is, it only made sense. Don't get me wrong, classics abounded as well and there was none of the "awww, they're playing new shit" feeling when they transitioned from one to the other. The crowd's appreciation of the event was evidenced by extensive moshing - the floor in front to the stage was sunken and if you were in it, you were in the pit.
"Chuck Billy was grinning from ear to ear throughout and so was the crowd." Chuck Billy was grinning from ear to ear throughout and so was the crowd. How can you listen to killer riffing, Lombardo shredding (I felt SOOO lucky to have seen this leg of the tour) and watch Chuck's mic-stand-air-guitar and not grin back at him? I'm still smiling.
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