When I was in fifth grade I started staying up until 2 a.m.
every Saturday to watch MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball.” I’m not sure what led me to
this late night discovery other than “Headbanger’s Ball” aired the newest
videos by bands I saw during the Top 20 Countdown (your Motley Crues and
Poisons) and directed me toward other artists. It was there watching from under
a blanket on the living room couch in the middle of the night that I first saw “Welcome
to the Jungle.” It was there I discovered artists like Warlock, Iron Maiden, and
Anthrax.
As a kid Anthrax served as a gateway for me between hair
metal and heavier stuff. I bought “State of Euphoria,” which is largely panned
by fans and critics today, after hearing “Antisocial” - Anthrax’s cover of the
Trust song. I hadn’t heard that opening guitar line in a good twenty years
until Anthrax’s show at the Fillmore in November. I forgot what genius that
intro is, plus the cheerleader-like chanted chorus was like candy to my
elementary school ears.
After a few years of watching “Headbanger’s Ball” I’d moved
on to “120 Minutes.” I heard most of my metal from boyfriends’ car stereos
after that. I never left it behind entirely. There was always Gwar, Clutch, and
heavy music with metallic tendencies, but I no longer considered myself a
metalhead (which I sheepishly confessed to “That Metal Show’s” Don Jamieson
last week during an interview). I wasn’t reminded of how much I loved metal as
a kid until the Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel bill at the Fillmore.
The same bill hits Asheville’s Orange Peel tonight - Monday,
January 30. If you missed the Charlotte show (or even if you didn’t and loved
it) I highly recommend making the drive.
I’d always had a soft spot for opening act Death Angel
anyway. “Headbanger’s Ball” played its single “Bored” to death. While I
didn’t get it at first, after weeks and weeks of seeing that video it grew on
me. We saw them last January at Tremont and I couldn’t believe they didn’t draw
more people, so I was happy that a couple thousand got to witness its live
show. Hopefully some of those folks will come back next time Death Angel
headlines here. I only remember Testament through their videos as well, but
Chuck Billy is one of those iconic metal guys that has been around forever.
It wasn’t just the nostalgia of the triple thrash bill that
made the concert memorable though. Anthrax’s latest album, “Worship Music,” is
one of the best records of last year. The single “The Devil You Know” (video above) is one of
the catchiest things I’ve heard in recent memory. The band reunited with
vocalist Joey Belladonna for the record, so it sounds like classic Anthrax at
its best.
Live they pulled the best from “Worship Music” (“Devil,” “Fight
‘Em Till You Can’t,” “Earth on Hell,” and “In the End”) with the classics you’d
expect (“Indians,” “Got the Time,” and “Caught in a Mosh”). Bassist Frank Bello
played the inexhaustible hypeman - a lanky charismatic figure who quickly
became our favorite person to watch on stage. The group encored with five
songs, including “I Am the Living,” “Metal Thrashing Mad,” Sepultura’s “Refuse/Resist,”
and “I Am the Law.” There were a few more I’d like to have heard, but I really
didn’t have any complaints.
I shared the experience via text messages with two childhood
friends from home and urged my husband to see the tour if it came back. Luckily with this second leg, those who missed it get a second chance.
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