It’s always easy buying my brother a gift for his birthday or Christmas- ever since we were kids it’s always pretty much been music related.  Sure, there may be something a little different that shows up in the pile o’ presents but since we both have similar tastes it’s easy to get something that I know he’d like.  So as he was approaching his 47th birthday in March I asked him a few weeks in advance what he’d like to celebrate the occasion.  After giving it some brief thought he said…  “how about tickets to see Testament?”  Ahhhh yessss…  a mighty fine choice indeed.

I have to say that I was slightly surprised but not too much so considering that we’d seen the band a couple of years earlier performing a set that consisted of material from their first two albums plus one from third LP Practice What You Preach.  That was an incredible show (see previous Showtime article on that gig with Exodus!) and me thinking he may not want to see them again so soon should have been far from my mind, especially considering how strong their latest LP Brotherhood Of The Snake is.  Plus we’d have the extra bonus of seeing Sepultura or Prong in concert as part of this show, two bands that we’d never seen before.

And what a show it was!  Prong kicked off the night with oldie “For Dear Life” and played a brief set of eight or so songs, covering mostly their classic early period up through Cleansing with a couple of new tunes added for good measure.  Frontman\lead guitarist\chief songwriter Tommy Victor has been the band’s mainstay since day one and put on an entertaining show, hopping around vigorously like a man half his age.  The same could be said about his bandmates, who while obviously much younger than Victor also brought their “A” game and added their own spirited touch (drummer Art Cruz is a powerhouse, adding a bit more flair and panache to the songs- no knock on original great Ted Parsons).  As a Prong fan from the early days, I was pumped to hear “Unconditional”, “Whose Fist Is This Anyway?”, and that ol’ chestnut “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”.  Unfortunately, their thirty minute set was far too short and left me wanting more.

After a quick changeover, Sepultura came out for a 45 minute set heavy on material from their latest release Machine Messiah.  While the show was good and the band’s overall performance was impressive, I have never been much of a fan of the band regardless of the era.  Granted, I came to know the band via their Roots and Chaos A.D. CDs but I only know and like a handful of their songs and I’m not at all familiar with their material released with new singer Derrick Green.  And, I’m not one of those guys who says “it ain’t Sepultura without the Cavalera brothers” either.  Major props to this version of the band though-  Green is a commanding presence on stage and did a great job leading the band, plus Andreas Kisser is a fantastic guitarist and the rhythm section is solid.  “Refuse/Resist” and “Roots Bloody Roots” were two that I knew and both featured at the end of the set, but by that time I was wishing that Prong had played the longer set instead.

As always with a show, my bro and I ALWAYS try to inch just a bit closer to the stage.  After a quick restroom and beer break we weave our way through the crowd to get as close as possible, ending up less than ten feet from the barrier.  Yeah!  Soon the houselights go out and the band’s intro tape begins before coming full force with the first song of the night (the self titled from the new LP Brotherhood Of The Snake) and from there things did not let up-  heavy thrasher “Rise Up” from the last LP and two heavies from Brotherhood in “The Pale King” and “Centuries Of Suffering” before getting a minor breather with a lengthy Alex Skolnick solo piece.

By this point the pit had got a little too manic for my tastes and I’d lost my brother, so I skipped just to the rear of the madness to avoid a kick to the back of the head or an unwanted ACL tear and caught the remainder of the show.  I’d seen Testament before with this lineup and they are outstanding, but I must admit that I’d never realized just how well that Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick play off each other-  Skolnick the more fluid and versatile and Peterson the abrasive and cutting, but at the end of one of the songs they stood side by side on stage and NAILED the melodic ending to (I think?) “Throne Of Thorns” with such precision that likely made even those non-guitar fans take notice.  These guys were ON all night and it was a thrill to watch.

Oh yeah, the songs…  “Into The Pit”… “Low”… “Stronghold”… “Seven Seals”…  and on and on.  After a slew of great albums, these guys have a lot of old and newer classics to choose from and did a great job mixing in all periods of the band for the evening’s show.  As for the other band mates?  Chuck Billy was in incredibly fine voice, showing everyone why he is a (the?) top tier vocalist in the thrash realm; Gene Hoglan was spot on behind the kit with precision and heft; and bassist Steve DiGiorgio fits like a glove and adds fine tenacity to the thrash proceedings.  These guys are an incredible live unit and if you’ve never seen Testament before and they are within two hours of where you live, you MUST go check them out.  You will not go away disappointed!