Thrash-Metal's "Big Four" unleash history upon the world
Simulcast brings Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax to worldwide audience
Sonisphere Festival
June 22, 2010
Sofia, Bulgaria (global simulcast)
By Thom Copher
"The Big Four" Sonisphere concert from Sofia, Bulgaria was screened in
approximately 450 theatres in the U.S. (800 worldwide) mere hours follwing the
actual event on June 22. During Metallica's performance, frontman James
Hetfield stressed that the event was a celebration of heavy metal music and the
impact which the founding fathers of thrash (Metallica, along with fellow
performers Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) have had on the genre.
That being said, it's no real surprise that the broadcast (which was edited for
time) was a presentation of the four bands' familiar tunes... and that suited the
packed house at Huntington, WV's Cinemark Theatre just fine.
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax
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"Am I Evil" June 22, 2010
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Anthrax kicked the show off with a rousing set which drew heavily from its 1986 breakthrough, Among the Living. Vocalist Joey
Belladonna, who recently rejoined Anthrax for his third tour of duty, was in excellent form on standards "Anti-Social," "Madhouse,"
"Metal Thrashing Mad" and "I am the Law." The band also offered up one of the evening's highlights as it broke into Black Sabbath's
immortal "Heaven and Hell" (in tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio) during "Indians."
Next up, Megadeth stormed the stage with "Holy Wars... the Punishment Due." True to form, Dave Mustaine and company minced few
words into its set which featured the classics "Hangar 18," "Symphony of Destruction," "Sweating Bullets," "Peace Sells" and
"Headcrusher" from its latest, Endgame. The broadcast also marked the first time that many fans have had the chance to see
Megadeth's reunion with bassist David Ellefson, who came back to the fold earlier this year. This performance exemplified that this
may well be the best Megadeth line-up to date as lead guitarist Chris Borderick and drummer Shawn Drover smoked alongside The Two
Daves. The only down side was that Mustaine's vocals were garbled against the pummeling instrumentation, due possibly to the lack of
time for mixing following the band's appearance.
Slayer followed, opening with the title track from its most recent album, World Painted Blood. As did Anthrax and Meadeth, Slayer
selected from a familiar catalogue which featured "War Ensemble," "Mandatory Suicide," "Raining Blood," "South of Heaven," "Chemical
Warfare" and the-most-brutal-song-ever staple, "Angel of Death." The band, as usual, was in ripping form as guitarists Kerry King
and Jeff Hanneman traded off plasma-soaked riffs and Dave Lombardo fired away at a maniacal pace from behind the drum kit.
Bassist/vocalist Tom Araya seemed a bit displaced as he (in compliance with physicians' orders following back surgery earlier this year)
was unable to execute his familiar front-and-center headbanging; his vocals, as were Dave Mustaine's earlier in the evening, were
slightly lost in the mix. However, it was a great performance true to the Slayer fashion.
While Slayer and Megadeth may have been handicapped (at least on the simulcast) by less than perfect sound, Metallica hit the stage,
all guns blazing (and, apparently, all microphones in place), with "Creeping Death." From there, the band re-established once again why
it is the last remaining great arena-rock band. James Hetfield had the audience, both live AND at the simulcast, screaming,
thrashing and singing to its impressive cache of staples. Unsurprisingly, Metallica avoided the Load/Reload/St. Anger period,
concentrating mainly on best-of-the-best faves, including "One," "Nothing Else Matters," "Enter Sandman," "Master of Puppets" and an
extreme, breakneck rendition of "Hit the Lights."
The evening's showcase came toward the end of Metallica's set as nearly all of the performers joined in to crank out Diamond Head's
"Am I Evil." Say what you will about this staged number, but to see Hetfield and Mustaine playing along side one another... priceless!!!
All in all, we "movie goers" got a lotta bang for our $18 as The Big Four gave us timeless classics that we've all come to know, love
and expect. The upcoming DVD, which will be taken from the Sofia event, should be a nice souvenir of this monumental gathering. It
truly was an evening for the ages in all its metal-thrashing glory.
Go HERE for the complete
simulcast video page
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