Thrash metal has some legendary names in the genre. Slayer, Anthrax, and Overkill just to name a few. But, one cannot discuss the genre of thrash metal without including Testament on that list. The band was supposed to go on tour through the United States but the pandemic prevented that. And now, they were finally heading back on the road with The Bay Strikes Back Tour and stopping in Orlando, FL at the Hard Rock Live. The name of the tour is an homage to the San Francisco Bay area where Testament along with tourmates Exodus and Death Angel all made their big breaks onto the music scene.
The moment I walked inside the venue, it was already wall-to-wall people an hour before the show. Thrash metal fans had out their jean vests or jackets with patches of various bands all over them. Leather vests and jackets were adorned by many and everyone was all smiles and talking about the bands. It was glorious to see. The merch line was already huge, the pit floor was filled, and we hadn’t even gotten started yet. Orlando was showing their love for thrash metal this evening. The moment the lights dimmed, a roar rippled through the venue in approval to get things started.
Death Angel formed in Daly City, CA in 1981. They played a number of venues in the San Francisco Bay area before getting a deal with Engima Records and released The Ultra-Violence in 1987. After releasing two more albums, the band was on tour and their bus crashed on their way from Arizona to Nevada. Their drummer at that time required more than a year to recover and after bringing in a temporary drummer, they ended up deciding to part ways. In 2001, the band reunited for a benefit for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy who was diagnosed with cancer. The band decided to get back to the studio and released The Art of Murder in 2004 and stuck together since. Since then, the band released five studio albums with their most recent being Humanicide in 2019. Death Angel consists of Mark Osegueda (vocals), Rob Cavestany (lead guitar), Ted Aguilar (rhythm guitar), Damien Sisson (bass), and Will Carroll (drums).
The moment the band stepped onto the stage the crowd roared. Death Angel had smiles all around. You could immediately tell how happy they were to be back on the stage. And they kicked it off with a bang performing the title track from the 1987 debut album The Ultra-Violence. The over ten-minute song is filled with rapid guitar riffs, quick drumbeats, fast bass, and just an overall smash you in the mosh pit vibe. They followed that with “Evil Priest” also from their debut album. Fast-paced, in your face, and the type of thrash metal the fans were waiting to hear. You could see the fans moving, jumping, and that mosh pit was going hard. They stayed with the debut album and then performed “Voracious”.
I’ve been wanting to see Death Angel live for a very long time and was thrilled to finally get that opportunity. What I learned is they were exactly what I hoped and expected. Their thrash metal was heavy and fast, they were energetic and engaging on the stage, and it was a very memorable performance. Mark’s vocals are spectacular and he hits every note with ease. He’s very active on the stage and encourages the fans to get nuts. During their set, he thanked the fans numerous times for attending and said without them, Death Angel wouldn’t have made it to where they are all these years later. Rob and Ted are masters on the guitars, ripping away so quick and with such precision. They’re both fun to watch. Damien strummed that bass hard during songs and whipped his hair around as he headbanged with the beat. Will rapped away at the drums hard and fast, the way a metal drummer should. All around Death Angel is a metal machine.
If you want to buy their music and merch HERE. Their setlist that night was:
- The Ultra-Violence
- Evil Priest
- Voracious Souls
- Seemingly Endless Time
- Claws in So Deep
- The Dream Calls for Blood
- The Moth
- Humanicide
- Thrown to the Wolves
Exodus was the next band on stage. They formed back in 1979 out of Richmond, CA. They released their first album Bonded by Blood in 1985. They would release four more studio albums and then the band took a hiatus in 1993. The band reformed again in 1997 but then once again took a hiatus. In 2001 Exodus reunited to play the same cancer benefit show in for Chuck Billy where Death Angel reunited and performed. The band would release six more studio albums between 2001 to 2014. It would be seven years before they would release their most recent album, Persona Non Grata, in 2021. Exodus is comprised of Steve Souza (vocals), Gary Holt (guitar), Lee Altus (guitar), Jack Gibson (bass), and Tom Hunting (drums).
When Exodus stepped out on stage the crowd was even louder than before. When they saw Gary Holt, the crowd went truly nuts. You could see how much Orlando respected the former Slayer guitarist. They didn’t waste any time kicking their set off with “Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)” from their recent album Persona Non Grata. Tom’s ripping drumbeat to kick it off was more than enough to get the crowd moving around and Steve’s fast-paced vocals capped it all off. Gary and Lee started the guitar riffs to “A Lesson in Violence” from their 1985 album Bonded by Blood. A heavy old-school song that absolutely perfect for moshing and the Orlando crowd was definitely taking advantage of it. They followed up with the title track from their 2014 album Blood In, Blood Out. The fans were happy to chant back to Exodus during the song, “Blood In, Blood Out!”. And it was the perfect song for fan interaction.
Exodus was another band I had yet to see live and they were absolutely fantastic. Heavy and fast music that had no qualms about chewing you up and spitting you out. Steve’s vocals are so unique in his pitch and so perfect for Exodus music. He delivers lyrics with such alacrity barely taking breaths between verses and choruses. Truly amazing. Gary is the guitar warrior we all know and love. His guitar playing is phenomenal. He is quick through his riffs and his timing is spot on. But, his delivery and performance are what get the crowd going through his instrumentals begging Gary to give them more. And Lee is just as good ripping through his riffs with such beautiful delivery. Lee loves to interact with the crowd, egging them on and his expressions are priceless. Jack keeps the bassline tight and concise and provides awesome backing vocals through each song. And Tom is ruthless behind the drums, delivering thundering notes throughout the songs.
The fans were thrilled with Exodus’ performance that night, as was I. Such a great setlist and they sounded awesome. If you want to buy their music and merch you can find it HERE. Their setlist that night was:
- The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)
- A Lesson in Violence
- Blood In, Blood Out
- The Years of Death and Dying
- Deathamphetamine
- Blacklist
- Pirahna
- Prescribing Horror
- Bonded by Blood
- The Toxic Waltz
- Strike of the Beast
And then it was time for our headliners, Testament. The band formed in 1983 out of Berkley, CA. They signed their first record contract with the legendary Megaforce Records in 1986 and released their first album The Legacy in 1987. The name of the album was an homage to their former name Legacy, which was changed as another group already held the rights to the name. Their second album, New World Order was released in 1988 and charted on the Billboard 200 peaking at #136. The band continued releasing albums with the majority of them charting on the Billboard 200. Their eleventh studio album Dark Roots of Earth from 2012 was their best charting album peaking at #12 on the Billboard 200 and making it to #1 on Billboard’s Independent Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, and Top Rock Albums charts. Their most recent album is their thirteenth Titans of Creation released in 2020. The band was originally scheduled to perform The Bay Strikes Back Tour in 2021 to support the album but had to delay until 2022 due to the pandemic. Testament is Chuck Billy (vocals), Alex Skolnick (guitar), Eric Peterson (guitar), Steve Di Giorgio (bass), and recently returned to the band Dave Lombardo (drums).
The band walked out to the track “Catacombs” from their 2020 album Titans of Creation. The moment they hit the stage the crowd went wild with cheers. Testament has always been a fan favorite in Orlando when they’ve come through town. They kicked it off with “Children of the Next Level” from the new album. A great rhythm and heavy drums with Chuck’s deep gravely vocals had the crowd already moving hard. They followed with “The Pale King” from the 2016 Brotherhood of the Snake. This song has such a great guitar riff after the chorus and just gets you headbanging along with the music. Right after they performed the title track to the 1989 album Practice What You Preach.
The night continued on with a mix between songs from Titans of Creation and old-school Testament music. They played from the new album “WWIII” and “Night of the Witch” were performed. I really enjoy “WWIII” with Dave going totally wild on the drums and Alex, Eric, and Steve dropping such heavy riffs. But then dropping back years to 1999 for The Gathering with songs like “D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)” and “Legions of Dead”. I love “D.N.R” for the fast pace for headbanging and moshing. If this song isn’t moving a mosh pit there is a serious problem. They went even older with 1988’s The New Order with songs like “The New Order” and “Into The Pit”. Though “Into The Pit” is a shorter song than most of Testament’s music, that pace and vocal cadence get a crowd moving hard and that night the crowd was singing back “Into the pit!” as loud as they could. I loved going back to the older songs representing their times performing at clubs in the Bay Area.
Testament was truly at the best that I’ve ever seen. Chuck’s vocals were so good that night and he smiled a lot, throwing up horns, tongue out, and just having fun. I admit I did miss him using the mic with the stick and him playing air guitar during instrumentals. Alex kept to himself on the left stage of the stage most of the night, but he was playing up to the crowd, holding up his guitar while he played, and always had the best expressions. Eric stayed on the right side most of the night and was headbanging, headwhipping, and playing like a man possessed. I love the energy he brings to the stage. Steve was focused on his bass riffs and gesturing to the crowd to get crazy. And while Dave looked cool and collected behind the drumkit, he drove the drums hard and you could feel that beat through the speakers. It was so good to see and hear his playing back with Testament again.
Testament had a fantastic set that night which left the crowd wanting more. If you want to purchase their music and merch you can find them HERE. Their setlist that night was:
- Children of the Next Level
- The Pale King
- Practice What You Preach
- The New Order
- WWIII
- Eyes of Wrath
- D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
- Legions of the Dead
- Electric Crown
- Souls of Black
- Night of the Witch
- Over the Wall
- Into The Pit
- Disciples of the Watch
Death Angel, Exodus, and Testament formed an excellent trio for a tour and each of them performed superbly that evening. The three will be running another leg of The Bay Strikes Back Tour starting on September 9, 2022. If you haven’t caught this tour yet, don’t miss it!
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