Sydney’s Metro Theatre turned into a thrash metal temple on Friday night as Bay Area icons Testament unleashed a sold-out show packed with power, nostalgia and pure riff worship.
Kicking off with a cheeky blast of Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right over the PA, the mood for Testament’s show was set: this was going to be heavy, fast, and fun. From the moment Practice What You Preach tore through the speakers, the packed floor was a sea of banging heads and raised horns.
Testament wasted no time digging deep into their catalogue, throwing down Sins of Omission, The Pale King, and Rise Up in rapid-fire succession. Chuck Billy commanded the stage like a metal preacher, his trademark grin never fading as he roared through decades of genre-defining anthems.
With zero filler and maximum fury, the set dipped and soared through Testament’s many eras – from the blues-soaked heaviness of Low and the emotional weight of Trail of Tears, to the bulletproof thrash of D.N.R. and The Formation of Damnation.
A bass solo and drum solo gave the crowd a quick breather, but the energy didn’t dip for a second. Souls of Black, Return to Serenity and Electric Crown were met with roars, while the pit reached fever pitch during First Strike Is Deadly and More Than Meets the Eye.
By the time Over the Wall brought the set to a close, it was clear the band had nothing left to prove — but they still came back for one last gut-punch of an encore with Into the Pit, sending the Metro into one last euphoric frenzy.
Testament delivered a masterclass in thrash metal stamina and legacy. Pure chaos, pure class.
Check out the full gallery below, with photos by Sandra Welch.
Testament @ Metro Theatre Sydney Gallery
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