VOLBEAT & ANTHRAX – Live! – Seattle, WA

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_DSC0074New York heavy metal legends, Anthrax took the stage with a killer hour and a half set that served to further solidify their status as one of heavy metal’s founding fathers. While they might have been the second band that played that evening, Anthrax held their own as a headlining act. Scott Ian completely tore the crowd apart with his mind blowing riffs as well as Joey Belladonna with his vocals and Frank Bello on bass. Unfortunately, drummer Charlie Benante wasn’t on hand to fulfill his duties, as he is recovering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Filling in for Benante was Jon Dette who has sat in with them for years when Benante couldn’t play, so he’s obviously familiar with their catalog and quite adept. The band kept things going crazy throughout their set and reached into the vault for fan favorites Got the Time and Antisocial, as well as a boastful helping of other songs from their 1987 classic Among The Living. The band even teased the audience with the first minute or so of their rap-rock goof I’m The Man before breaking into the set-closing I Am The Law.”

Finishing out the night was Volbeat. Three songs into their set, singer Michael Poulsen looked like he was ready for an evening of hellbilly, hell raising metal that would just continue to deliver. They certainly worked the crowd for most of the night, connecting with a succession of furious musical rights and lefts. The Danish heavy-metal outfit crushed their way through an intense 20-song set including a four song encore. The group took short intermittent breaks between songs, keeping up the pace without giving the crowd much of a breather. The near-capacity crowd let out a definitive roar as Poulsen and the band tore into a breakneck version of their radio-tailored tune Lola Montez.

_DSC0232Guitarist Rob Caggiano, who joined the band in 2013 following his departure from Anthrax, outshined the rest, tearing and shifting notes on his Signature ESP guitars. Poulsen’s boisterous voice is just as effective and powerful live as it is on Volbeat’s albums. He effectively took the lead on his guitar as well, on the fist-pumping single Fallen. Almost halfway through their set, Poulsen let the crowd know that he was feeling parched and could really use a beer but, they had none on stage. With the bar located in the back of the venue, he jumped onto the audience and crowd surfed his way to the bar, where he got a beer from a fan in exchange for one of the band’s T- shirts that Poulsen had given him with pride. During their performance of Sad Man’s Tongue, Caggiano was playing so fast that it looked as if his fingers were trying to catch up with the notes coming out of his amps.

Of course, not everyone’s a heavy metal fan, but when it’s done right, it can be an extremely powerful force that can pull just about anyone into its vortex.  On this night of April 29th 2015, Volbeat and Anthrax both brought their A-games to Seattle for a couple of performances that were virtually flawless and left fans wanting more and more.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of ANTHRAX from the show.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of VOLBEAT from the show.

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