This year, all thrash metal fans in Europe received a special treat, an early Christmas present: KREATOR & ANTHRAX feat. TESTAMENT. Practically a Big 3 instead of the Big 4 of Thrash Metal. ANTHRAX and KREATOR performed as co-headliners. It would be a misnomer to refer to TESTAMENT as a support act in this line-up. They kicked off the early December Saturday evening as the opener.

And what can be said about TESTAMENT? Simply wow. The music and power were overwhelming. Chuck Billy‘s vocals are still top-notch, as is his belly. Given their age, the performers paid tribute to the stage action, which is no longer as energetic as it once was. The assembled crowd of headbangers didn’t mind, they were still fully engaged. With great lights and plenty of pyro spectacle, it was quite literally a hot show. The best thrash metal theatre with 60 minutes playing time before a medieval inferno painting as the background.

Then ANTHRAX (the secret headliners of the evening for me) turned off the mood limiter on the amplifier and cranked it beyond the red zone. Bam… straight to the gut. Thrash metal from NYC. The guys were having so much fun and wanted to play; it was almost unbelievable, the energy on stage. Joe Belladonna, no longer as ultra-shrill and cutting in his voice as in 1985, but still full of power and strength. The hall boiled, Charlie Benante speed drummed his bass drums almost to destruction. Chuck Bello is still the role model for the Duracell Bunny, sprinting across the stage. Scott Ian stomped and whirled as always. Material from all episodes was played, with particularly loud cheers for the pieces from ‘Spreading The Disease‘ and ‘Among The Living‘, with the most appreciation for ‘Indians‘. With a tiny tear in the eye, the author remains – ‘Gung-Ho‘ as the final number was somehow missed that evening and was replaced by ‘Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)‘.

The crowning finale was provided by KREATOR with their incredible stage setting. The curtain fell, and the opulent stage with the familiar creatures from the KREATOR universe was taken over by Mille Petrozza and his men. The band threw everything into the performance, Mille‘s vocals precise and cutting as ever. It was ‘Hate Über Alles‘ in pure culture. The pyro mania reached a new peak, spiced with a few bangs and symbolic ‘witch burnings’ on stage, it was not only musically but also visually a hot ride. Here too, a great repertoire was played, from classic old-school KREATOR material like ‘Pleasure To Kill‘ to material from the 2020s. This was the high school of thrash metal. No breaks, no downtime.

All three bands were in a class of their own that evening – there was no support, only headliners. This evening will be remembered by all thrashers for a long time… Perhaps as Big 3 Night.