Sofia, Bulgaria-June 22, 2010
By Anthony Kuzminski
Over the last three decades, we have seen a flurry of musical genres come and go only to become retro, resurrected and ultimately redeemed. At the end of the day, heavy metal thrives and survives. Metal has never been the most popular genre of music, but because of this it continues to live on in that space between obscurity and the mainstream. Metal music wasn’t made for the masses, but because of the truths and glaring injustices of the world, it will always have a home as long as the world continues to produce disaffected youth, the latter of which never seems to go out of style. Despite the hundreds (if not thousands) of subgenres within metal, virtually all of them stand up and give a tip of the hat to what is known as “The Big Four”; Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. These four groups put America on the metal map. Before “The Big Four”, Europe was ground zero for metal. However, with the emergence of these four bands in the early 1980’s, they set (and continue to set) the template for virtually all metal bands in one form or another much the same way the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who set the template for all rock bands that followed them. They’ve all had their fair shake of bad luck, drama and turbulence no one could imagine or have foreseen, but beneath it all these four acts continue to play live to this very day.
When the rumors began last year of a Big Four tour, it seemed too good to be true, however in this instance; it was true, but only over in Europe. For the first time in their careers, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax would share the same stage over a series of shows in June 2010. While we still wait for other parts of the world to relish in the epic grandeur of these four acts together, we were treated to an almost full feast on cinema screens recently. Broadcast across cinemas which reached over 100,000 people worldwide, the show gave us our first glimpse of what proved to be a unbelievable and rare look at all of the Godfathers of thrash metal. The full broadcast to cinemas was over 4 ½ hours and included interviews with the members and even a tribute to the late and great Ronnie James Dio. While the show was edited for broadcast, we saw approximately eighty-percent of the show. At well over four-hours, this was a metal fans wet dream come true. What makes this convergence of these four bands on one stage is that during their initial rise to fame during the 1980’s and 1990’s, they inspired and urged one another on in ways no motivational speaker ever could. Their four histories are intertwined tightly that effectively every metal act on the planet has one of the four in their DNA. While none of the Big Four have any of their original line-ups, they managed to embrace and uncover that rare spirit when they were finding their musical footing. For those whose histories go back a few decades with each of these bands or who has seen them at their commercial peaks in the late ‘80’s or early ‘90’s, I am not sure what kind of reaction they will give, but for someone who followed all four bands closely, yet never managed to see them during their initial beginnings, this was quite the sight to see. Imagine getting all of the artists who recorded at Sun Studio’s in the 1950’s and having them reunite in the early 1980’s. Elvis may have left the building, but the Big Four are still here and delivered a forceful show with hammering gut-thrusting rock. Heavy metal is about two things; fighting the status quo and the live show. There’s a silver lining of truthfulness in the music which regardless of what you think of it, it will always be relevant.
ANTHRAX
MEGADETH
“Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” was a tremendous opener followed immediately by the reverberating “Hangar 18”. “Headcrusher” had a fixated guitar battle between Mustaine and Chris Broderick while “In My Darkest Hour” featured the intensity Mustaine is known for. It’s one of the genre’s preeminent moments as he dug into his psyche and found a way to deal with indescribable pain and wrote what I believe to be his greatest achievement as a songwriter and in concert it features spiraling emotions which can be reflected in the fiery guitar work. Megadeths’s brand of speed/thrash metal almost makes Anthrax look like a punk band; vociferous guitars, virtuosic solo’s and rich tunes spoken from first person narratives in many of the songs making them that much more influential. Mustaine’s sinister vocals evoke apocalyptic feelings of despair as if he’s being channeled from below. Megadeth’s set was plagued by rain, but it didn’t stop them from unleashing some venomous riffs and Mustaine showed everyone why he’s one of the best six-string shredders on the planet. “Symphony of Destruction” had lashing riffs amidst a laborious rhythm section that thumps along with the guitar melodies. The perfunctory “Peace Sells” culminated their nearly 50-minute set in a splendid manner. With the partnership of Ellefson and Mustaine back in place things can only go up from here for them.
Ironically, the most dominant, consistent and reliable and most beloved (worshipped, venerated, applauded-you name the adjective it suits them) speed metal band on the planet is one I’m not as familiar with as I should be. Growing up Slayer scared me. There’s no other way to explain it. Forget the image of the devoted fan base, it’s hard to even hear Slayer and not feel as if Judgment Day isn’t around the corner but happening right at that very second. However, with time, I find myself going back to Reign in Blood and South of Heaven and revere in the lyrics. Embracing doomsday views of the world in a brutal no-nonsense manner, Slayer is an act that can’t be ignored or denied. Their style is undeniable and they don’t just bring heady topics to the forefront, but wallop you over your skull with them.
As a red light lingered on the stage, the four members took to the stage and surged into “World Painted Blood” with gusto. “War Ensemble”, “Hate Worldwide” and “Seasons in the Abyss” found the band speeding through with some intellectually menacing drum fills by the colossal Dave Lombardo. Lombardo has an intense relationship with the band going back to the beginning but watching him on the screen you realize he’s not just an integral ingredient but a vital and irreplaceable key to Slayer. Like John Bonham, Neil Peart or Charlie Watts, the respective bands wouldn’t be the same without the rhythm keepers in the back. “Angel of Death” solidified that the band never lost a step. While the other three bands have flirted with melody in the context of thrash, Slayer has always been about demonic rage emulated by the bone-crushing guitar chords, Lombardo’s solvent drumming and Araya’s socially charged vocals. Slayer has never shied away from controversial topics and because they’ve never hidden themselves behind a corporation, their authenticity has remained intact. Unsullied, the fans across the globe have never gone through a period of disillusionment around their music. The brutal brashness spins the problems of the world on their head. They stayed the thrash metal course and as a result, have stayed true not just to themselves but to their fans as well, demonstrated by the fervent reaction of the Bulgaria crowd. Their loyalty of devotion of their fans is unmatched by possibly anyone in any genre. For guys who believed in their crafts, never took the road most traveled and created a vista where their catalog remains unsullied. “South of Heaven” found the band tapping into the unspoken and unfurling despair of life while “Raining Blood” found the crowd in a roit-like moshes which the English language can’t serve it justice. When they concluded their set you sat back and wondered how anything could top that.
Metallica isn’t just one of the biggest bands in the world of metal, but the world, period. The dominance they have on a global scale can only be matched by U2 and the Rolling Stones. Metallica performs in many territories the aforementioned acts have been to only once or twice, whereas Metallica goes everywhere on every tour. The only other acts whose worldwide pull in these territories that is as strong is Iron Maiden and both of their overriding influences is staggering. I wasn’t expecting Metallica to hit the stage with a detonation or even a response as vociferous as the aforementioned three but Lars Ulrich’s machine-gun opening to “Creeping Death” put any doubts I had to bed. Within minutes they reminded everyone why they’re the reigning kings of the metal world. Instead of taking their headline status lightly, the band drove home a tight performance where all four members were interlocked mentally and musically. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Harvester of Sorrow” and “Cyanide” were cast against the backdrop of a crowd so unreservedly caught up in the band, it was ridiculous not to be overtaken by the moment of it all. For “Fade to Black”, James Hetfield was towards the back of the stage performing the opening of the song on an actual acoustic guitar. The solemn intensity, especially in Hetfield’s delivery of the lyrics, was a performance I hadn’t expected to see, bursting with emotions in a ghostly vocal. “One” is a tale of torment that is as vital as ever and the pyrotechnic performance didn’t disappoint but the convergence of the band and the audience is what takes this are FM epic to heights few can achieve. Most remarkable was the grandeur of “Master of Puppets” where even nearly 25-years later the band still delivers thunderbolts of electricity on the nearly 9-minute song verging between cacophonous menace and delicate magnificence. Here is an album that barely cracked the Top-40, it contained no hit singles and hardly received any airplay and yet it cemented their legacy in the thrash world while selling consistently and eventually racking up 6-million in sales. It was the first step into a much bigger world I’m not even sure they could have foreseen. To this day, on any list of essential metal albums, this is always in the Top-5, consider it the Revolver of the metal world.
During the encore, almost every member of the Big Four converged on the stage for the Diamond Head cover of “Am I Evil”. Despite being a tad rough around the edges it was still a one-of-a-kind moment unlikely to be repeated. Seeing most of the Big Four on one stage jamming along was quite a sight to see. Capping the simulcast was a pair of songs taking us back to where it all began, “Hit the Lights” and “Seek and Destroy”, the former being the first officially released Metallica song. The unbridled insurgency of Hetfield and Ulrich’s paths crossing made all of this feasible and based on these performances; they seem as heady as ever. The encore showed them flex their muscle bringing it all back to ground zero, because in the garage was where it all began. The thrash styling’s of the Big Four was a catalyst for discontented youth to unleash your anger and aggression, the music has become something else; a life force of unimaginative power.
The big screen vastness was epic. While it can’t replace the feeling of being there in person, the broadcast was a treat to see and executed with grace. The overall look and sound for an event that was most likely mixed on the fly is rather staggering. I’ve seen DVD’s with months of post-production that don’t look or sound as good as this cinema broadcast did. When the inevitable DVD hits store shelves, this will be a no-brainer as to whether or not you should pick it up. While it’s easy to think of this as a purely nostalgic ride, but it isn’t. Heavy metal is an art form that doesn’t hold the key to a fountain of youth, but it holds the key to our soul. The darkness, the fight, the determination and the urging of demons from within is something that should never be forgotten. We may move on to music with more finesse, or spread our taste buds out to different forms of music, but it’s this music from within that reminds us of who we were, but it also re-lights to fire within whenever the songs are heard. Genres and styles may come and go but the Big Four are forever.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter
