By far the heaviest band of the evening, Testament kicked off the show the same way they kicked off their first album--with "Over the Wall," the speed-metal staple that made them a prominent force in the thrash metal world. Given only 30 minutes to leave an impression on a bill with four of the most respected metal bands in history, Testament played only their very best songs, including "Practice what you Preach" and "The New Order," while keeping the stage banter to "New Jersey!" and "Show your horns!"Of course, playing the hits meant treating us to a few from The Formation of Damnation, their revitalizing new album which ranks as one of their very best. "More than Meets the Eye" and the title track make Testament one of the only thrash metal bands that successfully updated their sound for the 21st century. The band adapted their club sound for the arena, and sounded invigorated to have overcome a 9-year gap between albums, hefty singer Chuck Billy's life-threatening cancer and various side projects, including guitarist Alex Skolnick's jazz trio and drummer Paul Bostaph's stints in Slayer and Exodus. But all that mattered at the show was Testament as a band, and they're once again among metal's elite.
Testament's set ended at 6pm, and the arena was already overflowing with metalheads chanting the name of the next band on the bill. Motörhead may be nearly foreign to major labels, album sales charts and RIAA certifications, but their influence on metal ranks with Black Sabbath and Metallica. Their music nearly defies analysis by being one loud, fast and infectious punk-metal tune spread out over a 33-year-career, and as proven at PNC, their annual albums and perpetual tours are still some of rock's greatest. Premier badass Lemmy growled and raved classics like "Dr. Rock," "Stay Clean" and "Over the Top" between newer songs that were just as fierce, while his hugely underrated band (guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee) displayed stronger chops than previously thought possible for a predominately three-chord band.
The signature "Ace of Spades" got the biggest crowd reaction, but the band's strongest moment came with the closer, "Overkill." Lemmy and Campbell sped through the original thrash anthem over Dee's exhausting drumming, with the one-word chorus emitting screams and a few lawn mosh pits from the arena. Appropriate to the song's theme, the band went through three false endings before Lemmy hoisted his bass up against his shoulder like a machine gun, pointing the headstock at the crowd and proceeding to gun down the front with his Rickenbacker. It ended there, otherwise Motörhead could've damn well blown away their storied headliners.
The band that everyone knows is Dio-era Black Sabbath (billed as "Heaven & Hell" for legal reasons) opened up with the smashing "The Mob Rules," which sounds like AC/DC with a more complicated riff. The impish Dio, now 66, belted out the verses like the metal god he's finally getting credit for being while Tony Iommi emancipated the legendary solos with the same ease that he took to the song's iconic riff.
It was an uncharacteristic moment in their set, which focused on the band's sludgier, jam-oriented music. The blame goes to Iommi--perhaps he wanted to show the kids that know him for "Iron Man" that he's an amazing technical guitarist, or maybe 40 years of being probably the most important figure in metal history has gone to his head. Dio's prancing and use of the stage set (which included gargoyles, a red light that gave his face a nighttime flashlight effect and a foreboding gate that collapsed in a Spinal Tap moment) contrasted strangely with Iommi's self-seriousness, but there was no denying the strength of "Die Young," "Children of the Sea" or wanky closer "Heaven and Hell." It was always spellbinding to be in the presence of such awesome musicians, although I would've sacrificed some of Vinny Appice's drum solo or Iommi's noodling to hear "Neon Knights."
Only a handful of artists could have followed those openers, and Judas Priest were more than up for the task. The Priest have a new two-CD concept album, Nostradamus, which matches their greatest ambitions and indulgences, but they barely touched on it, opening with an awe-inspiring "Prophecy" before segueing right into the classic "Metal Gods." The 30-year-old ode to artificial intelligence help forge the band's blend of hard rock and metal, melding simple, rock-inspired riffs with indisputably metal guitar solos, lyrical content and grandiosity.
Judas Priest are performers on almost a KISS-like level, decked out in biker-meets-S&M gear and sporting Nostradamus-inspired backdrops and stage props. Operatic singer Rob Halford, whose dramatic flair recalls Freddie Mercury, belted out fan favorites like "Devil's Child" and "Dissident Aggressor" between synchronized headbanging with guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. An absolutely face-melting "The Hellion/Electric Eye" had the audience screaming back the chorus, and that highlight was topped moments later during "Painkiller," an almost death-metal track that ushered the Priest back into relevance in the '90s. Scott Travis' double-bass heavy drumming has given the band a heavier sound than they've ever had, and one suspects that if the Priest didn't keep pushing themselves sonically and conceptually, his two-fisted attack would bury them. But who could ever see Judas Priest backing down?
As someone who's endured more controversy than nearly any other rock star, Halford is a surprisingly endearing frontman. He closes his eyes when he sings, modestly thanks the crowd for their appreciation and almost shyly hunches over while performing. Even when decked out in leather and chains or seated on a motorcycle (during "Hell Bent for Leather,") Judas Priest seem like a good bunch of blokes. It helps that the band clearly enjoys being worship-worthy metal rulers, grinning and headbanging throughout the set and playing "Breaking the Law" like it's a new song they've eagerly waited to debut. If the plaintiffs in the infamous subliminal message trial (or anyone in the PMRC) had actually seen this band perform, it's hard to think that they'd ever waste the world's time with their soulless causes.
Judas Priest concluded with "You've Got Another Thing Coming," a rare crossover hit from the '80s that brought metal into much of the world's consciousness. 25 years later, they're still one of the most challenging and exciting bands in the world, and standouts among the best metal bands in history.
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