Melbourne metal heads were out in force on Friday night. A large line greeted punters arriving at the Hi Fi to see the thrash metal journeymen Testament on the Formation of Damnation tour.

Despite slow progress of the line into the venue, most of the dedicated metal heads were able to catch at least some of the opening act blasted out by local extreme metallers Anarchsphere. Their technical precision in guitar work is only matched by the truly brutal drum stylings of their drummer.

After their quickfire set the venue felt like it was bursting and sure enough, the “SOLD OUT” sign was soon placed at the front door just prior to Picture the End taking the stage. These local lads have a unique style of thrash and metalcore running through their veins which was perfectly demonstrated in the glorious track They Swarmed Like Locusts. Following a rousing response from the punters and discussions of their new album, PTE made way for and welcomed the mighty bay area thrashers whom everyone had come to witness.

Testament has had many line-up changes over the years which has included many names that are considered greats in metal circles. The current line-up of Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick, Eric Peterson, Greg Christian and Paul Bostaph is arguably their most accomplished and evidence that their song writing ability has not stagnated with age.

Their most recent offering Formation of Damnation is littered with classic, catchy thrash tracks and the live show was predominantly centred around this. The crowd was going absolutely berserk by the time they started and they weren’t disappointed. Billy’s amazingly polished vocals and Skolnick’s prowess on the guitar was awesome and the live sound was great. Some old classics were revisited over the course of the live show which lasted for almost one and a half hours. The highlight for was the title track off Formation of Damnation with its piercing thrashy breakdown and flawless guitar leads.

Following a seemingly endless progression of old school thrash tracks that you could bang your head to, the visitors finally ended the show with promises of a return in the near future. This gig was a clear sign that thrash is alive and well in the Melbourne metal scene. Definitely one of the better international metal acts to grace our shores this year.