To have 4 biggest thrash band at one stage for the first time in almost 3 decades is simply amazing. Anthrax in my opinion was t
920730
While I'm a big fan of metal music in general not just thrash, I have to admit thrash has always been my fav genre. To have 4 biggest thrash band at one stage for the first time in almost 3 decades is simply amazing.

Anthrax in my opinion was the best of the lot, at least for this particular show. Best sound production, best all around performance. The band look energetic. However, Anthrax was the only band here that didn't have guts to play some of their newer tunes. "Only" was from their 1992 album and their setlist didn't go beyond that.

Megadeth delivers instrumental wise, especially Chris Broderick who's ridiculously good guitarist  however Dave vocal was quite terrible, it's partially overdubbed I believe because some parts sounded different from the live streaming version.  Setlist was great, 12 songs from 7 different albums and "Wake up dead" and "Headcrusher" sounds wicked being played back to back. The best thing from Megadeth is the fact that David Ellefson has returned earlier that year after 8 year absent from the band!

I  like Slayer and still listen to their albums regularly but I never really like their live sound, everything sounds muddy and I really think they need to hire a better sound engineer or buy a better equipment... then again, they probably prefer to sound like this for the rest of their life.  Slayer show seems to be more powerfull in small indoor concert than big festival because in huge crowd like this one, it just weird to see 90% of the crowd just standing still with only 1-2 small circle pits while the band was blasting powerfull songs like War ensemble and Angel of death.

Metallica performance was good in general but they've put out way too many live albums since 2008. The death magnetic tour has been dragging on and on for eternity.... Live in Mexico (2 different shows), Quebec magnetic, Live in France, Through the never OST , seriously, their performance on this DVD sounds identical to any of those releases! Nothing new here.  Good thing there's "Am I evil" jam which certainly the highlight of this DVD.
2899603
Busted this one off the shelf, and people, this is a thrash CLASSIC. HUGE production, awesome songs, cool to sing along to, the works. I'm just gonna come clean and admit now that I cherish this band mostly for what they did from this album on-I caught "dance of the dead" on Headbangers ball as a wee teen. Yeah, yeah, "Animosity" is killer, but really, the band should've just changed their name after that record-but what a killer name! Whatever, point is, this has aged remarkably well, and gets the blood flowin, the head bangin', and the craw smilin'-all proof of classic metal status to the ears of this goat. Love it, Pepper is the man. Check out both DOWN albums as well...BAd M"fn A*s!!!!
395381
OK its way beyond time now that Overkill gets the respect they deserve. They have crushed the competition for years but for some reason people always talk about the big four.  Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, you could even add Exodus and Testament to the list and make it a big 6.  Ultimately if you look at the body of work over the careers of these bands youll see that Overkill can kill em all.  You like what I did there? Lets start with Metallica...9 studio albums, in my opinion they only released 4.  After And Justice For All they tanked it. I could go into it some more but this isn't about them.  Ok how about Slayer?  Well, they pushed out 11 studio albums. Im not going to tell you how many of those I really liked but I promise you it wasn't 11.  Anthrax released 10, and that includes a few with a different singer and actually a different sound. Testament also released 10 albums.  Exodus released 9.  Also a few with a different singer and yes, a different sound.  So as these bands have released some extremely phenomenal music over the years, Id have to say that there was some hit and miss chapters in each of their careers.  Now lets talk about Overkill. 17...yes, 17 studio albums!  All, with the same singer, the living legend Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, and for the sake of overall consistent sound, the same bass player, DD Verni. Now of these 17 albums I truly love each and every one of them for the sake of it being Overkill why else.  But for devils advocate Ill say that a few of them weren't up to par with everyones favorite, Horrorscope.  That leaves 14 studio albums that wreck s***!  14!!  Their new one, White Devil Armory, is a thrashterpiece! If you like Feel the Fire, youll love this. If you like Taking Over, youll love this.  If you like Under the Influence, youll love this.  If you like The Years Of Decay, youll love this, etc, etc, etc.  Im sick of people talking about Overkill as if Ironbound is their first album.  Theres an enormous catalog of consistent quality just waiting to be pounded into your ears, and these legends are adding to it quite often. Man its a wonderful time to be alive. Talent people.  Simply stated...in a word!  Thats Overkill.  Purchase and enjoy.
3239569
This could be included in one of their best. It might not top "Horroscope" or "The Years of Decay" or the "Ironbound" but sure is one album to be wrecken with. I believe the band tried extremely hard to put out an album that will be just as good as "Ironbound" and I believe they accomplished just that. This album in its own right got some good riffs, drums and snarling vocals, just what OVERKILL is and has been for a few dacades. Their true muscianship shows throughout their carreer that they stayed true to their fans, never backing down from THRASH METAL like other bands like Metallica. It is very sad to see that they never got the respect among the BIG 4. The Wrecking Crew is out and trashing and will thrash for quite sometime.
2664058
anthrax's second effort which has pure thrashy goodness.the best songs are a.i.r.,madhouse,aftershock,the enemy,gung-ho... ah hell all songs are the best.although anthrax may have some weird song names,weird band name wierd everything but never underestimate the power of this band even though you people think belladonnas vocals suck even though i think they are awesome,joey don't listen to them those guys they are a bunch of poser retarded losers.if notice i said the production is crappy same as anthrax's first album (fistful of metal)but all songs are very good in this album.this is a must have for any thrash fan,but if you really like this listen to thier third effort among the living.
1061072
When you speak of Thrash metal today, most people remember the bands that made the genere famous. Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, Overkill, and Slayer. Many forget bands such as Exodus, as they never had the popularity of the other bands, yet this remains one of the best Trash albums put out in the 80's. This was a album that when first released in 1989, I swear I didn't take it out of my walkman for 2 months straight. It was that good. Today, it doesnt quite have the same effect, but its still a classic trash album, and any fan of metal should have this in their collection, to hear what "True" metal was! Even though its not that complex, there are some lightning fast riffs and some great speed drumming for you hear. I really hope that all metal heads past and present won't forget about this classic..ENJOY
4826569
Best vocalist in the entire metal genre for me. That speaks a lot! I always thought this band was severely underrated during their entire career. John Bush could sing any genre as well. Also loved his work with Anthrax.
4115261
Most thrash is the worst metal ever imo, it's half what melodic metal is in songwriting and playing. However anthrax has enough knowledge of real guitar playing to actually be very good. And even non thrash fans like me can really enjoy their 1980's output. There's only a few thrash bands that I think were talented enough to even do melodic metal and this is one of them. Metalica, megadeath and a few others also come to mind. But with this one anthrax started a run of great thrash metal cd's.  This is a powerful and fun cd. THe fun lasted until the early 90's with this band. By then they went totally hard and forgot the humor but here it's intact. These guys loved melodic metal so that influence keeps them from becoming what most thrash is today: limited one string boredom.
So this band and this cd joins my metal collection as one of the few thrash bands that I would ever have in my collection.  It's great at what it does.  rock on.
3361982
Imagine a mix of Korn and Fear Factory, only with better lyrics than the former and better samples than the later. That's Out probably one of the best bands on Roadrunner.  If not for Slipknot it would also have been the  heaviest and most inovative release that year. A pitty only the French  speakers like myself will understand the best lyrics on the album which are  in french. Out are no longer on Roadrunner, so don't look for their next  album on that lablle.
169981
This is definitely some of the best Bay Area Thrash I have heard come out in quite some time!  Like so many bands these days DA have made a comeback now that Metal is coming back (Thank God!) and nu metal and alternative grunge is dying off (Thank God again!).

DA first resurfaced in 2004 with 'The Art of Dying'.  While that album was decent, overall it lacked a lot from their past works and I was a bit disappointed personally.  With their new effort (Killing Season) however, DA has produced a killer album that not only equals there past works it may even well surpass anything they have ever done!

First off the songwriting is so much better (very catchy) in comparison to (TAOD).  This album is definitely heavier but is also more melodic as well.  Songs like 'Lord of Hate', 'Dethroned', 'Buried Alive', 'Soulless', 'God vs. God', and epic closer 'Resurrection Machine' just breathe with insperation and energy of classic bay area thrash!  It is pretty old school but has enough modern touches and updated production qualities to avoid sounding dated in any way.

I highly recommended 'Killing Season' for all fans of the more melodic styled thrash metal.  If you were a bit disappointed by there last effort you can easily put your fears to rest as DA delivers in a big way with this album!

With a Megadeth revival last year and a new album from Testament coming out in a few months, 2008 might well bring Bay Area Thrash back to the forefront once again.  If the new Metallica is good the scene would explode!  Sadly I am not expecting much from Metallica but I hope I'm wrong.....
600998
Kreator is one of three hardcore german thrash bands of the 80's.  Them, Sodom, and Destruction.  As many a thrash band did in the 90's Kreator changed their style from pure fast thrash to a slower more contemporary sound,more industrial sounding like on Renewal, and then more melodic like on this album.  Some thrash bands, like Overkill, Testament, and Exodus have changed their sound for the Worse. Except for Overkills I hear black album which I loved. But Kreator did not get worse at all.  So long as you know that this album is different from the old stuff, I don't see how you can be dissapointed.  This was actually my first Kreator album and it's by far my favorite from them.  It's a highly melodic, medium-paced, thrashy, industrial-tinged heavy metal sound with excellent vocals from Mille Petrozza.  Every song is an absolute winner on this album.  It's one of those ones that you can just pop in, sit down and listen to so very easily.  Sometimes I listen to it 2 or 3 times in a row if I'm doing something like surfing the net or playing video games.  The lyrics on these songs are weird but very cool, ranging from suicidal existentialism to sci-fi/fantasy stuff.  The emotion is there.  The music is there.  Don't beleive the negative reviews on this album.  Those guys wouldn't know a good album if it crawled up their a@# and died.  So what it isn't pure thrash...In many ways..IT'S BETTER!!
3155609
im sorry but slayer is the stuff! they did an excellent job with this album!  i mean yeah its got some dull, rehashed sounds but it delivers power like reign but more focused. this was better than any thrash release  in 1990. so why not get it? "war ensemble" my favorite  "spirit in black" rock the walls! its now rematered fo rmore  bass,crunch,loudness whatever it is its still hot to here it. get this if  you like the old thrash movement- this will make you lose all control
482463
I've read a few reviews posted about this one from other users and almost all of them allude to how "dark" or "angry" this record was compared to Anthrax's previous 80's stuff.  Well, everyone that says so is absolutely right and it made for one very good Anthrax record.

I followed the band very closely from when Spreading the Disease was first released until the mid 90's and I'm still a casual fan now.  The origins of this record are kind of odd.  "State of Euphoria" was the record they had released before this and to most of the Anthrax die-hards of the day, "Euphoria" was a real disappointment.  It didn't have the quality of "Among the Living" and was just produced very badly.  The ensuing tour for "Euphoria" if I remember correctly, the band was a bit disappointed in and didn't feel they were getting anywhere near the backing that others bands in the genre were from their record label.  They then went in the studio for this one and in the midst of recording the record there was a rather devastating fire that destroyed a large amount of the band's eqipment.  these guys were frustrated and pissed and were looking for an outlet for that.  The result is "Persistence of Time".

If there is one thing this band has almost always had a real gift for, it is for making the opening track of an album one that goes right for your throat.  "Be All, End All" from Euphoria is my favorite opener, but "Time" runs a close second.  It is heavy, choppy, dissonant and just angry.  It works incredibly well.  The rest of the disc is just as good with some songs being better than others, but the main theme that runs through it is one of anger and frustration and almost a plea to the listener to pull your head out of your A$$ and make a difference.  "Got the Time" though not a bad song, is the only one that doesn't seem to really fit.  There is no album better to listen to when you're in a bad mood and need an outlet to express it.

By the way, I heard this asked even on Anthrax's web site and the band didn't know the answer.  The sound bytes in "Intro to Reality" are from an episode of "The Twilight Zone".  I couldn't tell you the title, but it had to do with a former Nazi quard after WWII who was being haunted by ghosts in the camp he'd been stationed in.  Just a little FYI.
4621767
A friend of mine brought this CD back from Europe and showed it to me. I was damn impressed with the power these guys had together, and I like the fact that they blend really simple, heavy riffs with some very technical stuff. Maybe part of the reason I liked them so much was because the first time I heard them, metal was just getting poular again in the form of no-talent rap-metal that I just frankly can't stand. Hearing a new band (new to me) that had talent and actually had a feeling of melody was a godsend. It's too bad these guys split up only one album later. This band could have been really popular if they could have toured in the States for any long period of time. Check out the power of tracks like Lonely, As a Boy(a anthem for anyone who's ever been pissed off), and Sucking my Energy. Also, watch for the track at the end of the last song. Fast forward through the last song, and after about two minutes of silence, There's a really cool song called Eye for Eye. If you are into metal, especially bands like Metallica or Iced Earth, you're gonna love this.
2553156
This is one great album that spans their career.  The DVD is an added bonus although some of the editing effects are sophomoric.  The last two albums (Formation of Damnation and Dark Roots of Earth) are the best thrash albums released in the last five years all do to the amazing guitar teamwork of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson.  I have been a fan since 1988 and could not be happier with Alex back in the band.  This album starts hard and ends hard and the only thing I would change or add would be to include the song 'Electric Crown' to the mix.  Five stars.
4086763
Yes, all metal folks know the story now:  Testament have returned nine years later with 95% of the original band and have put together an album leaning more towards their classic thrash sound.  Sounds wonderful, eh?  How could it not?  Practically all online reviews of this album have been positive, and I do have to say I agree.  While it may not kick you in the teeth the way The New Order did when you heard it so many years ago, it's refreshing and feels like a visit from old friends.  This is a good thing coz this new album and reformation could have gone horribly wrong.
Yes, Testament have dug back into their classic thrash days for this album's sound(they even use the old band logo again).  However it's not simply a halfassed retread of their glory days, but rather some good new songs in the old style that actually work.  They didn't abandon what they did on The Gathering, there are still touches of that sprinkled all throughout the album too.  Formation of Damnation is a bit more of a midpaced album with only a few speedy tunes.  Usually this kind of thing worries me, but I found that I enjoyed pretty much all of it(I think there's only one song I don't care all that much for).  I only have one small complaint about this album, and it's certainly not something to dissuade someone from getting it.  That would be that most of the songs deal with the Bush Administration or war in the Middle East.  These kinds of lyrics do absolutely nothing for me.  I have seen and heard enough about the war and I have my own opinions about it, and I tend to listen to music to escape from things I read in the paper and see on CNN all the time.  So, I really couldn't care less about the lyrics here.  But hey, it's their songs and their album, so I figure they could write about damn near anything they want to, right?
All in all, I've been enjoying this cd quite a bit.  It's a wonderful example of how a band like Testament simply doesn't peter out of existence because it's not the 80s thrash heyday anymore.  If anything, their age and experience show that they are masters of their craft and they love what they do.  You know time has gone by when you notice in the band's "Thank Yous" that most of them thank their wives and children.  Personally I think that's a great thing being a family man myself now.  Just goes to show that you're never too old to rock and roll.  Formation of Damnation is definitely worth a listen, especially to the younger bands who should get a taste of how the big boys play.
2050960
First off let me start by saying I'm a huge Metal fan and am quite fond of thrash. I listen to Bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Testament, Judas Priest, Sepultura and Black Sabbath on a regular basis. After listening to this album I can't honestly figure out why Anthrax are considered to be in the big four, on par with the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth. It drives me mad. While some of the songs on here are pretty good, like the best track, the entertaining energetic "Caught in A Mosh," none of the tracks are on par with great thrash classics like Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, Raining Blood, or Battery. I know most metal vocalists suck, paticuarily thrash vocalists but Belladonna sticks out like a sore thumb in this band, because even though he's an acceptable singer, he sounds like he should be in a hair band not a thrash band like anthrax. The riffs are quite solid, with some such as the intro riff to "Imitation of Life" being one of the greatest thrash riffs ever, the band fail when it comes to writing solos. Sure people complain about kerry king and Jeff Hanneman of Slayer but I can assure you that Dan Spitz's solos are a lot worse and all sound exactly the same and have no energy. Charlie Bentante is an ok drummer, but he fails when compared to good thrash drummers like Dave lombardo, Gene Hoglan, Nick Menza and Lars Ulrich. And many of these songs are quite boring to tell the truth. In fact 3 stars is surely overly generous for this record but I do sort of like the bands lighthearded lyrics which contrast nicely to other metal bands constant rants about how the world sucks but it doesn't save the fact that there were better non-big four thrash bands significantly better than this, like Testament, Dark Angel and Sepultura. In paticular I think Testament should be part of the big four over Anthrax, there songs are a lot more memorable, their vocalist is better and the guitarist, alex skolnick writes jazz fusion solos that never fail to impress. On the other hand Anthrax mostly writes boring songs with boring solos. This stuff is absolutely dated; any people getting into thrash should absolutely avoid Anthrax and spend their time with better thrash bands like Metallica (1st 4 records), Slayer (all records but undisputed attitude), Megadeth (Killing is my business, Peace Sells and especially Rust in Peace), Testament (all but Demonic), Sepultura (Schizophrenia, Beneath The Remains, Arise, Chaos A.D), Dark Angel (Darkness Descends), and Exodus (Bonded by Blood). Avoid overrated dated stuff like this and buy the stuff above as you can save your money and have a lot more fun listening to good thrash.