Jannus Live is nestled between several bars on a busy street in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. What appears as just a nondescript alleyway in between buildings is actually the entrance to the outdoor venue. The open space is surrounded by buildings and balconies that overlook the stage. It’s a beautiful space to see a show, even when the show features a 30-foot-tall skeleton as the backdrop.
One of the biggest tours of the year rolled through on April Fool’s Day, of all days, featuring some of the most important names in thrash metal’s storied history. Destruction, a pillar in the German thrash metal scene, New Jersey icons Overkill, and one of the most influential thrash metal bands of all time: Testament. Throughout the night, the bands would prove why not only has thrash metal survived since the 80’s, it has thrived into a hugely popular and beloved genre with some of the most loyal fans in metal.
The sun hadn’t even set yet when Destruction took the stage. The band blasted through a collection of songs spanning their long and storied discography, opening with “Curse The Gods” from their 1986 EP Eternal Devastation. The band brought a ton of energy to the songs and were all over the stage, ripping through solos and interacting with each other and just having a great time, feeding off the energy of the crowd.
One song after another, the band kept the energy at maximum, finally closing with “Destruction” (I love when bands do that), to raucous applause from the crowd. The guys in Destruction proved that not only do they have plenty left in the tank, but they are probably having more fun than they ever had before.
Next up on the bill were East Coast thrash titans Overkill. They’ve been at it just a few years longer than the other bands on the bill (1980, as opposed to ‘82 and ‘83), but have somehow amassed a twenty-album back catalog, releasing an album every few years since 1985. With such an expansive catalog of songs and a band that still actively writes and releases new material, it’s hard to imagine they’d play a setlist that would ensure everyone left happy, but Overkill found a way.
The band opened with “Scorched” from their latest album and proceeded to carve their way through their back catalog, playing crowd favorites along the way. “Rotten To The Core” and “Elimination”, long-time favorites of the band, got huge receptions from the crowd before the band closed with another staple of the set, a cover of The Subhumans “Fuck You”, which ended up being an amazing closer to get the crowd even more energized and riled up for the headliner.
As with the rest of the bands on the night, Overkill hasn’t lost a step. If anything, they’ve gotten tighter and more clinical with each subsequent release. It’s been a couple of years since their last album, so one can only imagine what they’ll be doing with their free time after this current tour is over.
Testament really needs no introduction. They’ve been at this for longer than I’ve been on planet Earth, have been consistently pumping out amazing records decade after decade, and still run circles around most modern metal bands when it comes to putting on an entertaining live show.
The stage show was really impressive, with the band playing in front of a giant skeleton that took up a huge part of the stage. The production quality was really top notch, and the band sounded great. The visuals were an added bonus on top, but really tied the entire performance together. The band was super tight together, as you’d expect for how long they’ve been doing it, but they still brought a ton of energy to the songs and were amazing showmen.
The songs the band chose for this tour are kind of insane. It’s a grab bag of the classics that you’d expect to see at any Testament show. Opening with “Into The Pit”? Predictable, and honestly, warranted. Closing with “Over The Wall”? Probably done a thousand times, if not more. Instead, the band really dug through their back catalog to dust off some classics. Songs like “John Doe” from the 1997 album Demonic, played for the first time in 3 decades. “The Ballad” finally getting some love for the first time since 1989. “So Many Lies” back in rotation from way back in the mid 90’s. This tour is much more than playing ‘the hits’ and more about giving back to the diehards who have been following this band since the early ‘80s.
Personally, this is what seeing your favorite band in concert should be like. Play a couple of hits, make the casual fans happy, and then play all the stuff I’m never going to hear anywhere else, or potentially ever again. There’s no greater joy than seeing a band you love live and them choosing to play an obscure B-side you love over a lead single they’ve played a million times before. It’s what makes seeing live music magical, and it’s amazing seeing more bands embrace dusting off the lesser-known material in favor of the same old setlist.
This show really had it all. All of the bands were fantastic, the crowd was great, and the room was beyond packed. Everyone who was anyone was there, which was amazing to see. The metal community is pretty large in Tampa, but it’s super tight-knit, so it was really heartwarming to bump into so many friendly and familiar faces. Even though it was a random Wednesday night in April, everyone made sure they had this tour circled on their calendars. With only a few stops left, make sure you don’t miss these titans when they thrash their way through your city.
