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All Photos By Thomas Delagdo/@forthehordeprod

On the eve of Halloween just around the corner and what had to be one of the most anticipated tours to hit the states, and another killer concert to hit Los Angeles during ROcktober was the amazing KLASH OF THE TITANS tour. The co-headlined show with 1 of Germany's Big Teutonic 4, KREATOR and Bay Area Kings, TESTAMENT brings Thrash legends from different worlds (yet, not so different) together. Both bred from the early 80's Metal scene who helped forge Thrash Metal.

Brought on to what has to be the largest and most recognized bill they've ever been on, Jeff Becerra's POSSESSED was given the opportunity to open for this outstanding tour. Jeff has overcome a lot and still to the day battling health issues. Not only bound to a wheelchair stemming from an attempted murder/a robbery gone wrong in 1989, Jeff contemplated leaving the POSSESSED name behind and did for a while, then with the help of Los Angeles Black/Death Metal band SADISTIC INTENT (Local Legends in their own right), Jeff revitalized his band after a long time away. Since the sour parting of the 2 entities, SADISTIC's drummer at the time Emilio Marquez would be the only one to remain from this favor along with Robert Cardenas (both formerly of El Sereno's ENGRAVE) releasing one album over 30 years later. On this night, a bit of a homecoming, all that which would break any other man held no ground as the band took that stage and burned through 8 songs covering 1986's Beyond The Gates, the 1987 EP The Eyes Of Horror, Revelations Of Oblivion (2019) and Seven Churches (1985), the genre-defining album as credited by the Death Metal God himself Chuck Shuldiner that helped create the genre he and Chuck's DEATH birthed. As evident by the extraordinary amount of POSSESSED patches I see at any Metal show, fans both young and old hold Jeff in high regards for coming this far and doing what he had to do to keep the POSSESSED name going.

After telling myself that it didn't matter who I was "more excited" to see, it was both acts together that made this THE show to catch. My last time seeing KREATOR was from a bit of distance at the YouTube Theater a couple of years ago, opening up for MERCYFUL FATE. This night and as part of the main course, I would be able to experience it again for the first time and see (thanks to my new glasses) the great show they would put on. The day of the show, through the band's social's, they made it known that they would be filming the event for an upcoming release. With such a stellar show like this and a crowd so amped up to 11, of course they'd pick Los Angeles to do this.

Once the curtain dropped, their amazing backdrop completely transported you to the gates of Hell. The barbaric demon turned mascot known as "Violent Mind" (who had evolved from 1986's Pleasure To Kill and became a staple in their art since 1990's Coma Of Souls) with eerie smile from behind the band and flanked demons on each side staring out into the crowd - the KREATOR had returned to wreak havoc and their first swing of the axe was "Hate Uber Alles", the title track from their latest album from 2022. The whole floor started raging out of control. Throughout the night, vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza would call out to the Horde to lose their minds and "KILL!" (figuratively, of course) as KREATOR cut through intense song after intense song. A few songs into the set, Mille beckoned the crowd to produce the night's first "Wall-Of Death". The floor was jam-packed, so the wedge between the left and right side wasn't that big. You could feel the emotion build in the room as Mille counted to 4 (in German) "Eins... Zwei... Eins... Zwei... Drei... Vier!", then erupted, echoing through the room as the band fired into the first minute of "Coma Of Souls" before they ripped right into "Enemy Of God". Later in the set during a brief break, 2 more Demons would grace the stage as "Mars Mantra", the intro to "Phantom Antichrist", would play through the speakers leading the band into the title track from that same 2012 album. These same 2 Demons would return again during "The Patriarch" that would introduce the title track from 2001's Violent Revolution. Their setlist was made up of some great cuts. 13 songs covering a large majority of KREATOR's discography throughout the decades. "Hordes of Chaos", "Satan Is Real", "Strongest Of The Strong" and closed out an amazing set with a second Wall Of Death while appropriately dishing out the last song of the night, "Pleasure To Kill". Outstanding performance from Germany's greats!

It was clear, TESTAMENT had a huge task ahead of them. A tough act to follow indeed but just as their brothers from across the pond, Chuck and company are known for some of the best shows. Although I wasn't around for the heyday of Thrash's peak but like wine, they seem to get better with age and I've seen first hand from the numerous shows I caught over the past 10+ years. Behind a huge white veil dawning the Legacy trademark skull and pentagram, the intro to 1998's "The New Order" played through the speakers just before the curtain dropped so as you'd guess, and with the many phones from the crowd coming up in the air to catch a moment they'll miss to (re)live later, TESTAMENT opened the show with "Eerie Inhabitants" that had the whole floor break out into a frenzy. This is what it was about. Quite an old school set that consisted of songs from 1988's The New Order and The Legacy from 1987, and only those 2 albums. I loved the backdrop art, winged demons looked like they were duking it out in the pit. I couldn't tell if it was art by Gustave Dore but it totally fit the mood. Makes me realize that we sometimes don't focus enough on the aesthetics that help create the ambiance (my hunt begins for that artwork!). TESTAMENT is that full package with Bassist Steve DiGiorigio (belated Happy Birthday), the shred-masters Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson (who I recently interviewed post-tour) with their duel soloing and Chuck's voice that sounds amazing. Then we have the new kid on the block who (no doubt is thankful for being lucky enough to land the gig as TESTAMENT's new Drummer) after "Trial By Fire" threw down an exuberant drum solo leading us into "First Strike Still Deadly". Closing out an amazing set they naturally chose "Into The Pit". I always get a kick when Chuck air-drums those cymbal-chokes. He made it clear a few times that he expected nothing less from the Los Angeles crowd and the Hollywood Palladium, THE best venue in L.A. for Metal.

The hordes of chaos brought it on this day of reckoning! No gimmicks, just pure Thrash down your throat. This was a building full of true die-hard Metalheads (with a sprinkle of Hollywood scenesters who just want to be seen, aka posers). This was Metal in its purity. Thanks to Nikki, Christina and Thomas and Ricardo for making this a memorable night, one of the concerts of the year.

Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Thomas Delagdo/@forthehordeprod