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Testament Brings Thrash Of The Titans Tour To Bristol With Obituary, Destruction And Nervosa

Metal fans have always talked about their beloved genre with a sense of belonging and brotherhood. It's something which can sound very corny and many times, doesn't seem to ring true. However, in the world of thrash metal, especially
nowadays, there's definitely more truth to this claim than in other areas. Frequently, when a thrash band heads out on tour, they'll bring fellow veterans with them, with Exodus's tour with Exumer and Hirax last year being one such example. This Autumn, Europe will experience a huge display of such camaraderie in the form of "Thrash Of The Titans," co-headlined by Testament and death metal stalwarts Obituary, while also featuring thrash metal flag bearers Destruction and Nervosa on what promises to be one of the tours of the year. Having kicked off in Hanover, the four bands made their way across the Channel to come to Britain, with their first stop being the Beacon, formerly the Colston Hall, in the south western city of Bristol.

Opening the show was Nervosa, marking what I believe to be my sixth time seeing them. Ten years ago, I conducted my first in person interview with their then vocalist Fernanda Lira at their first UK gig supporting Cryptopsy and Brujeria, so in addition to being a fan, I've always had a soft spot for them and have enjoyed seeing them grow as a band. Their latest album, "Jailbreak," showcased perhaps their most focused material yet and few would argue that guitarist Helena Kotina has breathed fire into their sound, helping to really beef up their sound. This was evident for everyone to hear as soon as the band ripped into the opening number, "Seed Of Death," which landed like a gut punch from Tyson Fury.

From then on, the quartet continued to fiercely shake the Beacon awake with more cuts from the aforementioned "Jailbreak" album, including "Behind The Wall" and the title track, which all sounded superb. They're clearly very proud of the record, and rightfully so, but it was nice to hear material from previous albums too, including "Kill The Silence" from "Downfall Of Mankind," and two helpings from "Perpetual Chaos," in the form of the title track and "Venomous." Nervosa seemed to be having a lot of fun and so were the crowd, including a man in full Elmo costume taking part in the pit and crowd surfing. The audience let out a sad groan when vocalist/guitarist Prika Amaral announced that they had one more song left, namely "Endless Ambition," and the band delivered a final sonic assault before ending their set. As I mentioned, I've been following Nervosa since their first album and I daresay that this was the best performance I've seen from them yet.

Nervosa is a hard act to follow, but if anyone can do it, it was the first of our three veteran groups, Destruction. Having long been held up as one of the three kings of German thrash, Destruction's catalogue speaks for itself, giving the world numerous anthems and classic albums for over thirty years. They immediately treated the crowd to one such staple, "Curse The Gods," a perfect example of crushing heaviness and unique vocal delivery from frontman Schmier that helped to craft such an impressive legacy. This was followed by my personal favourite, "Nailed To The Cross," which is always guaranteed to start a pit or two and have fans shouting along.

Of course, one of the reasons why Destruction remain so revered is that they don't rest on their laurels and the first taste of their latest album, "Birth Of Malice," "Scumbag Human Race," had a tremendous impact, holding its own against the two fan favourites and sounding absolutely devastating. "No Kings - No Masters," was another new song which was brought out to a very warm reception, while more classics like "Mad Butcher," "Bestial Invasion" and "Thrash 'til Death" delighted longtime fans and newcomers alike. With a few more minutes left of their set, the band closed with their eponymous song from the latest album, which like the other two servings, went down a storm. For those unfamiliar with thrash, Destruction may not leap out at them, but to those in the know, Destruction are one of the most reliable live acts in all of metal, constantly bringing intensity and chaos to the stage.

Time for something a little different. On what was essentially a thrash metal tour, death metal icons Obituary stood out somewhat. However those who know the history of death metal will know how important thrash bands like Possessed were to the formation of the genre, and Obituary has a varied library of music, including speedy rippers like "Violence." While I was sad that this song was left out tonight, there were very few reasons to actually complain. Obituary has always been a law unto themselves, even among other legendary death metal peers and part of that comes from the unmistakable guitar tone, which they're somehow able to perfectly translate to their live show, and can be heard right away via the instrumental opener "Redneck Stomp." This was preceded by their entrance being heralded by their logo displayed on the roof like the Bat-signal, and succeeded by vocalist John Tardy entering the fray and launching into "Sentence Day."

There would be some more recent material on display next, including "A Lesson In Violence" and "The Wrong Time," before the quintet began marking a special anniversary. 2025 marks the thirty fifth birthday of their classic sophomore full length, "Cause Of Death," which is essential for any death metal fan's collection, as well as those who love album art. In celebration of the record's longevity, no less than seven songs were performed from the release, which is impressive considering it comprises nine tracks. Fan favourites like "Chopped In Half" and "Turned Inside Out" were performed of course, while lesser played numbers like "Body Bag" thrilled the loyal listeners in the audience, as did their cover of the Celtic Frost classic, "Circle Of The Tyrants." If this wasn't enough, they still had time for some cuts from other albums, including "I'm In Pain" and finale, "Slowly We Rot." The set was interrupted by some technical issues and it did seem to be a little stop and start at times, but Obituary are true pros and fought through these problems to deliver a punishing set that proves why they're still one of death metal's most revered names.

Finally we come to the other half of the tour's co-headliners, Bay Area legends Testament. Last year, they were opening for Anthrax and Kreator in Europe, and they made use of that time to make their mark, but this year they're showcasing why they belong up there with the likes of their previous tour mates as a serious headlining act. The Beacon erupted as soon as they began performing, "D.N.R.," one of the most exciting opening tracks of any metal album, and set the tone for the bombastic music which was to come. Chuck Billy is in as fine a form as ever, while guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson demonstrated why they're such a beloved pairing as the band performed "WWIII" from their latest album, "Titans Of Creation."

Those who follow the band will know that there's only a couple more days that we can still say that, as this Friday (October 10th,) Testament will release their fourteenth album, "Para Bellum." They certainly weren't shy about it's upcoming release, encouraging fans to pick it up this week and advertising the record with a double barreled blast in the form of the two singles "Infanticide A.I." and "Shadow People," the latter of which sounded particularly vicious. This was a smart choice, as they didn't risk taking fans out of the moment with any material that they hadn't had time to become familiar with. Instead, they picked a number of songs from their vast catalogue, including staples like "Practice What You Preach," "Native Blood" and "Low," as well as "Return To Serenity," an eerily beautiful number from "The Ritual" which I don't believe I've seen them play before. Other songs like "Trail Of Tears" went down well, as did "More Than Meets The Eye" from their 2007 return, "The Formation Of Damnation."

With time running out, Testament paired up the anthem, "Electric Crown" and the sonic mayhem that is "Into The Pit" before bidding adieu to Bristol. Testament's career hasn't always been smooth sailing, but through it all, they've continued to perform with incredible precision and a sound bigger than a Dyson sphere, which eventually led them to the acclaim they've always deserved and their place as one of thrash metal's most popular bands. They finished this amazing night in style and with it only being the second night of the trek, it's good to know that thousands of fans across Europe are in for one of the best nights of their year with this highly impressive lineup, who are all out to solidify their places in metal history, and all make solid cases for themselves.