judas_priest_2009_03

» Judas Priest 2009 03 01

Reviewed by Thomas
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Special guest: Megadeth, Testament
City: Gothenburg, Sweden
Venue: Scandinavium
Date: 01 March 2009
Judas Priest setlength: 100 min.
Megadeth setlength: 60 min.
Testament setlength: 45 min.

Testament

Did I tell how great Testament was at Sweden Rock Festival last summer? If not, I can tell you that they were fucking awesome. The Formation Of Damnation ended up to be the album of the year for me in 2008 and with the past summer in memory, I had my hopes set high for this evening. And even if they didn't turn out to be as good as then, it was still a concert well worth to remember as completely free from flaws in any way.

They surprised with the assault of old classics they unleashed as beginning of their set, and I was thrown off and happy as a kid in a candy store. Due to the fact that they went on early in the evening, the real ambience never really presented itself. Nevertheless, the band got a good response, yet they deserve a hell of a lot more in my opinion.

Surely I would have wanted many more songs from Testament, but with their position as opening band you had to be satisfied with what you got, and even if I would have preferred other songs from the latest album, those played (More Than Meets The Eye and The Formation Of Damnation) are pretty darn good live as well. Anyway, Testament did what they set out to do and they did it well, and hopefully they can return for an own headlining performance at another time.

7 chalices of 10

SETLIST:

Over The Wall
The New Order
Souls Of Black
Into The Pit
More Than Meets The Eye
D.N.R.
3 Days In Darkness
Practice What Your Preach
The Formation Of Damnation

Megadeth

Megadeth is a band that I always have held dear considering the quality of their albums, but I have never really been impressed by them in a live environment. Dave Mustaine and company tend to be rather boring on stage even if it always sound good. This was not a major exception but the band seemed to be having somewhat of a revival with the new line-up and Megadeth represented a surprise, in a positive sense.

I was afraid that they were going to play a bunch of new songs, which have failed to come to my liking, but the fear was for nothing. Megadeth, to my huge delight, provided a set that instead felt more or less like a Best Of selection. Therefore the setlist, apart from the opening Sleepwalker, was just about as good as it could be considering the time they had to their disposal.

The songs were on top, but the appearance was not. One could wish for more contact seeking with the audience from Mr. Mustaine. Nevertheless, the band with its new members came out tight as hell, and especially the "duelling" guitars between Dave and Chris Broderick, particularly in Hangar 18, came out bloody amazing.

6 chalices of 10

SETLIST:

Sleepwalker
Take No Prisoner
A Tout Le Monde
Skin O´ My Teeth
She-Wolf
My Darkest Hour
Symphony Of Destruction
Sweating Bullets
Hangar 18
Peace Sells
Holy Wars

Judas Priest

Priest Feast, how can you go wrong with that? Perhaps by having the exact same setlist as the last time as on Swedish soil in June last summer. Well, they didn't exactly go wrong, but you could at least expect some more variation from a band that has been around longer than my thirty-three years.

Compared to the last time in Gothenburg, the priests and particularly the metal god himself, appeared to be livelier and in better shape on stage. Halford was acting out more on stage and even if he didn't exactly run around he felt to be more "in the game", so to speak, then the last time around. Although, the band have come a very long way on their tour, and judging by their performance they appeared to me to be a bit fatigued by the many miles of the road.

I don't need to tell you that Judas Priest equals cliché, although it never ever feels that way. It simply feels natural with the way Tipton, Downing and Hill are swaying back and forth, and even when Rob Halford enters the stage for the encore on a motorcycle for Hell Bent For Leather. Yet the best moments this evening came with Dissident Aggressor and Between The Hammer And The Anvil, which in my opinion were the strongest efforts by the band.

I for one would have wanted a more daring setlist, and more new songs, but Judas Priest know what most of their fans want and what most people in their audience come to their shows for, and that is the classics, thus the classics are performed. The song Death from the new Nostradamus album takes the tempo and momentum down radically, and why they don't choose more speedy songs from the new album feels a bit boring to me, when there are so much more better songs for a live environment on Nostradamus.

All went by according to schedule throughout the show. Until Painkiller, that is. Rob Halford's voice felt to have disappeared and the high pitches that the song requires did not turn out well. Sadly, I believe Painkiller is too demanding for his voice nowadays and even if it hurts like hell to say it, it should be removed from the setlist if it can't be done justice. It took most of Hell Bent For Leather for him to get his voice back on track but then it wasn't too much left of the show. Judas Priest is an institution, and you simply can not avoid loving them and their great songs despite how worn out the songs are. Judas Priest came, they delivered what was expected, and I truly believe that most people there left satisfied.

7 chalices of 10

SETLIST:

Dawn Of Creation
Prophecy
Metal Gods
Eat Me Alive
Between The Hammer And The Anvil
Devil's Child
Breaking The Law
Hell Patrol
Death
Dissident Aggressor
Angel
Hellion/Electric Eye
Rock Hard, Ride Free
Sinner
Painkiller
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Hell Bent For Leather
The Green Manalishi
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You Got Another Thing Comin