While appropriately named the 'Klash of the Titans' tour, more than a handful of concertgoers waiting outside the College Street Music Hall could be heard referring to the evening's festivities as 'a night of legends.' In either case, New Haven would indeed be host to a trio of metal's greatest heroes who, for over 35 years, have paved the way for legions of bands that followed in the decades since.
Uniting under a furious banner, thrash giants Testament and Kreator joined forces with death metal champions Possessed for a night of intensity that would push the venue to its very limits. "My dad took me to see Testament when I was a kid", remarked one fan, glowing with pride, "and now I'm here with my kids to show them how the best of the best bring the heavy!"
To walk onto a stage as the crowd chants your band name is without question an incredible honor among bands of all genres. But to be one of the select few whose name is specifically called out alongside thunderous applause is a feeling beyond measure.
So it was that the cries for "Jeff" rang out as Jeff Becerra and Possessed took the stage, leading to a milewide grin from the vocalist that stayed with him through the performance.
Revered throughout the extreme music world as the godfathers of death metal and the band that bestowed the name onto the genre with their 1984 demo, Death Metal, a second and even a third generation of fans banged their heads to classics such as "Pentagram" and "Tribulation".
Releasing their last album, Revelations of Oblivion, in 2019, their first full length in over thirty years since 1986's Beyond the Gates, bodies were in motion for "Demon", "Graven" and "Ritual", the latter making its live debut on this tour.
As no Possessed set would be complete without two of their biggest hits, "The Exorcist" and "Death Metal" rounded out the set, serving fans new and old a lesson in heavy metal excellence.
Later in the evening, Jeff Becerra could be found taking photos with fans and signing the albums they picked up from the merch table. The mutual love and appreciation between Jeff and everyone who waited patiently to meet him clearly shows why audiences around the world shout his name loud before every Possessed performance.
With a forty year long career and fifteen vicious albums to their name, Kreator the charged the stage to tremendous fanfare. Opening with the title track from 2022's Hate Über Alles, it wasn't long before venue security had their hands full with wave after wave of crowd surfers.
Bringing to life cuts taken from 10 different albums spanning four decades, veteran fans had horns high for the hits from the the 1980's such as "Pleasure to Kill", "Betrayer" and "Terrible Certainty". Launching the clocks forward to the 2010s, "Satan Is Real" and "Phantom Antichrist" proved that Kreator has only grown stronger over the years.
Despite the intimidating demon heads keeping an eye on both the band and the crowd, vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza's boundless energy and the audience engagement from bassist Frédéric Leclercq and guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö ensured all had a ghoulishly good time.
Setting off the first wall of death of the night and inciting multiple circle pits, chants for the band filled the room as the band took their final bow and bid the audience adieu until next time.
As the lights dimmed and the opening instrumentation of "Eerie Offerings" sounded through the PA, a near deafening roar raged through College Street Music Hall from the audience as the much anticipated hour was at last at hand - one that New Haven had eagerly awaited for 27 years.
Combining the face melting solos of guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, the razor sharp rhythm section of bassist Steve DiGiorgio and drummer Chris Dovas, and the megaton force of vocalist Chuck Billy, Testament were back in town for the first time since their 1997 show at nearby Toad's Place.
Exclusively performing songs from their first two albums, The Legacy and The New Order, released in 1987 and 1988 respectively, each song was a perfect storm of thrashing fury and melodic brilliance.
Between the lush guitar harmonies of "The Haunting", Chuck's unbelievable falsetto in "First Strike Is Deadly" and the driving instrumentation of "Alone In the Dark", there was seemingly no end to the circle pits in the audience, which brought much joy to the members of Testament judging from their smiles as they looked on.
Rounding out with fan favorites "Over the Wall" and "Into the Pit", those who made it through the moshing during the evening headed for home drained, having left every bit of energy on the dancefloor. But metal maniacs would not have it any other way, especially in the presence of one of the genre's most beloved pioneers. Here's hoping the next visit to New Haven is much sooner than this one - the Elm City certainly welcomes them back with open arms and an even more open moshpit.
Ticket and photo pass courtesy of Adrenaline PR
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