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By Christian Tallone
Photos: courtesy of Riccardo Trudi Diotallevi Photography at Live Music Club

On December 1st, at around 11am we (Tarja and me), set off on the road on the coldest day of this year so far, leaving Liguria which normally is always sunny, but that morning the coast saw a rare phenomenon of nature, by several waterspouts! We also had some unexpected snowfall, and at some point we even feared we might not make it to the destination, but having been commissioned by the great Steve Di Giorgio in person, to bring him a pack of strings, we could not absolutely stop the journey! We managed to get to Trezzo (Milano) at about 3pm, and seeing already a decent queue at the gate, despite the door-opening at 6:30pm plus the freezing weather, predicted that ahead us would be a very very intense evening.

But let’s get to the point … unfortunately because of the interview with Steve Di Giorgio, we missed the whole performance of DEATH ANGEL, but some of our friends who were among the audience, told us that the band delivered an absolutely fabulous show, storming the stage, and preparing it fully for the killer evening, leaving nobody unsure of what is to come.

We left TESTAMENT‘s tour bus and entered the venue just in time for ANNIHILATOR going onstage, a group that I personally have never particularly followed, but the front man Jeff Waters’ killer machine offered us a real glowing show! They didn’t have much time available but they made it big, without losing a second. They opened with “One to Kill”, a song taken from the last album “For the Demented”, and then continued with the powerful “King of the Kill”, they really took the stage fully. Our compatriot Fabio Alessanrini behind the drums was impeccable, and placed a perfect base on which to build precise riffs, which is common only to a few bands. The crowd were honoured by a setlist that oscillated between new songs and old classics with a constant pogo moshing, closing the set with “Phantasmagoria”, sure to have warmed both the stage and the ears of the audience.

And finally it’s the turn of the San Francisco quintet, TESTAMENT, a band that needs no introduction! The stage for this “Brotherhood of the Snake” Tour is massive, absolutely the right venue for their 15 songs plus encores, with which the immense Chuck Billy and partners slam us in the face, opening with the wonderful “Brotherhood of the Snake” (the title track of the last masterpiece by TESTAMENT who do not seem to feel the weight of the years, but on the contrary), followed without respite by “Rise Up” and “The Pale King”, the crowd of the nearly sold-out Live Club, varied between old and new generations of metalheads, engaged in endless mosh pits, unique moments of respite were the great solos of each individual band member. A few technical problems during the first few songs on Chuck’s voice, which was practically overwhelmed by the devastating volumes of the instruments, and of a battery that crushed the rest throughout the show. The guys are in excellent shape, and there was total delirium during the performances of the monolithic “Low” and passing through “Souls of Black” and “New Order”, approaching to the end with “Over the Wall” …

The evening ended like every fairy tale, at the stroke of midnight, an evening that took us back through the years, by this formidable trio of bands on the stage, that will surely see the audience be back again, if the great combo like this should be repeated in the future.

If you missed it, listen to the interview, Tarja Virmakari, had with Steve Di Giorgio, at this location.

DEATH ANGEL Setlist:

Father of Lies
The Dream Calls for Blood
Claws in So Deep
The Ultra-Violence (beginning only)
Thrown to the Wolves
Mistress of Pain
The Moth

ANNIHILATOR Setlist:

One to Kill
King of the Kill
No Way Out
Set the World on Fire
W.T.Y.D.
Twisted Lobotomy
Alison Hell
Human Insecticide
Phantasmagoria

TESTAMENT Setlist:

Brotherhood of the Snake
Rise Up
The Pale King
More Than Meets the Eye
Centuries of Suffering
Electric Crown (preceded by Alex Skolnick solo)
Into the Pit
Low
Stronghold
Throne of Thorns
Eyes of Wrath (preceded by Eric Peterson solo)
First Strike Is Deadly (preceded by Gene Hoglan solo)
Urotsukidôji (preceded by Steve DiGiorgio solo)
Souls of Black
The New Order

Encore:
Practice What You Preach
Disciples of the Watch

Encore 2:
Over the Wall

Watch a video footage “Death Angel, Annihilator, Testament @ Live club” – courtesy of Emanuele Mandelli from Sussurrandom TV: