Finally, a Friday night show! And not just any show — the return of American thrash veterans Testament, accompanied by Canadian thrash weirdos Voivod! The show had sold out well before the event itself, though once again things didn’t quite go according to plan, as Bay Area thrash legends Exodus cancelled their entire European tour leg — they were supposed to accompany Testament and Voivod. The official reason for the cancellation was a traffic accident involving Gary Holt’s brother and the concern for his recovery that followed, though financial reasons and ever-rising touring costs likely played a role behind the scenes too — the same factors behind several American bands cancelling European tours (Anthrax, Unto Others, …). Either way, a shame about Exodus dropping out (and a shame no one like Forbidden — who are kicking again — jumped in to fill their slot), but Voivod and Testament more than justified the sold-out Kino Šiška and delivered a brilliant Friday night atmosphere that kicked off before eight in the evening, when Voivod launched their first cosmic riffs.
With Exodus pulling out, the Canadian thrash oddities got extra stage time and made very generous use of that gift. Snake, Away, Chewy, and Rocky opened by launching straight into the title-track crusher from the cult album Killing Technology, and from there it only went up — this was probably the best Voivod show we’ve ever seen here. The Canadians were visibly in great spirits on stage, grinning throughout; once again Snake stole the show with his spastic moves that brought to mind a wounded T-rex, while Chewy’s and Rocky’s curly manes flew through the air non-stop, and Away battered the drums, as always, like Animal from the Muppets. The good vibes from the stage instantly spilled into the crowd, and the audience went increasingly wild for this Canadian one-of-a-kind that’s been going nuts on stages for forty years now, as Snake nicely reminded us. The Quebec quartet conquered the Ljubljana crowd without breaking a sweat, despite the complexity of their music — even though four-four time is little more than a sample size in their thrash, and it’s sometimes genuinely hard to headbang in time with the music. But Voivod nailed it this time with their progressive madness, helped even more by a brilliantly chosen setlist ruled by Sleeves Off from the current record Synchro Anarchy with its ultra-infectious chorus, the energetic Fix My Heart, the gem Rise from the album Phobos on which Eric Forrest stepped into Snake’s shoes, and Rebel Robot from the album Voivod, on which Jason Newsted rescued the band from near-total obscurity. Voivod wrapped up their stellar hour by bidding the crowd farewell with their anthem Voivod, naturally — which the whole hall sang back at them.
Testament didn’t escape trouble entirely either — just before the tour, the legendary Alex Skolnick announced he’d only join his bandmates from the second half of the tour due to concerns for his ailing mother. Phil Demmel (Vio-lence) jumped in to fill his spot at a moment’s notice and did a stellar job; and all round, Testament came across far, far better than on their previous visit to Kino Šiška. Last time they left a slightly bitter aftertaste with too many unnecessary solo spots, whereas this time it was completely different. Raw, crushing, no frills — nothing but top-shelf thrash from start to finish. Testament greeted Ljubljana with an energetic Rise Up, and the legendary “chief” Chuck Billy had the crowd in the palm of his hand instantly, not letting go until the last note of the closing classic Disciples of the Watch. Testament proved they’re in peak form: Chuck Billy roared like a beast, Demmel and Eric Peterson shredded the strings, and the rhythm section is simply incredible thanks to Steve DiGiorgio. The real standout, though, was new drummer Chris Dovas (Seven Spires), who confidently stepped into the enormous shoes of Testament’s last two drummers, Gene Hoglan and Dave Lombardo, handling even Hoglan’s demanding double-bass sections without breaking a sweat. But Testament didn’t just deliver an excellent performance — the song selection was equally excellent, opening right away with two iron-clad classics: The New Order and especially the killer The Preacher, which sent the crowd into a mosh on the stairs. From there to the end, fists were in the air down in the pit the whole time, and the legendary Americans mercilessly churned out crusher after crusher on stage — the death-metal-tinged D.N.R. and 3 Days in Darkness from The Gathering ravaged the front of the stage, as did the sinister The Haunting and the new track from the current record Titans of Creation, Night of the Witch, during which Peterson stepped to the fore with his black metal vocals. Testament saved the best for last: with the triple punch of Over the Wall, Into the Pit, and Disciples of the Watch, Šiška exploded one final time, and Testament took their bow in true old-school thrash fashion — leaving the stage without a single clichéd “we want more” call.
Photos: Nina Grad
