First up was Testament, who opened with a vicious one-two punch from The Gathering in the form of the death metal-laden ‘DNR’ and the inescapable groove of ‘3 Days in Darkness’. The stage they have to work with may be small due to the pyrotechnics, but the whole band does an incredible job of being animated, particularly Alex Skolnick, who has the added pressure of performing some of the hardest solos in thrash history while avoiding being cooked. 

The set was largely made up of tracks from the 21st century which may disappoint some people but the strength of their modern catalogue is second to none, I’d go so far as to say The Formation of Damnation is the best album of the 2000s from any of the bands on this lineup. The title track as well as ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ are both made up of savage gallops and blistering guitar work, these tracks are modern thrash masterpieces and Chuck Billy’s monstrous roar just puts them over the top. 

My personal favourite modern Testament record is ‘The Dark Roots of Earth,’ it’s a brilliant mix of classic thrash and a desire to change with the times. ‘True American Hate’ still has that crazy intensity we’ve all come to love but the title track has this slow brooding menace that feels wholly unique in the set but the real classic is ‘Native Blood’. ‘Native Blood’ is one of the best examples of a piece of glorious art manifesting from a dark place, in this case the oppression of Native Americans and the reclamation of their culture, and Chuck Billy being able to not only harness that darkness but turn into something inspirational speaks to his ability as a lyricist. The amount of representation of Dark Roots is wonderful and given that I haven’t seen this band since 2012, I’d given up hope of hearing these amazing tracks again. 

Classics like ‘Electric Crown’ and ‘Into The Pit’ are welcome classics and their inclusion made up for the absence of classics like ‘Over The Wall’ and ‘Alone In The Dark’. Luckily, Chuck promised Testament would be back with a new album in the first quarter of 2025 and that means new bangers and even a brand new shiny UK tour. 

Next up was the first co-headliner, the mighty Kreator, a band that could take up the mantle of the biggest metal band in Germany once The Scorpions called it a day. The production value on this set is absolutely insane, hanging marionettes, giant inflatable demons and of course; so much fire. 

The sheer ambition of this set is admirable and, just a few years ago, would have been completely inconceivable. Kreator are a band that run on raw energy and connection to a feral audience so putting that type of band in the vicinity of pyrotechnics was a genius idea and whoever put in the work to plan this deserves a pat on the head and a nice piece of cake. Even outside of the stellar set design, the band is in the best shape I’ve ever seen them. 

Miller Petrozza sounds demonic and even if you can’t understand him (which is often), he puts in so much enthusiasm that you can’t help but get into it. Tracks like ‘Necrologue for the Elite’ and ‘666’ feature some breakneck high-octane drumming from Ventnor who puts in one of the best performances of the night, incredibly high praise considering the likes of Charlie Benante are on the same bill. 

Stage show aside, Kreator had a varied set full of modern hits and old-school classics. Everything from the iconic ‘Pleasure to Kill’ all the way up to their most recent scream-your-lungs out banger, ‘Hate Uber Alles,’ was represented in a setlist that is likely to satisfy even the most die-hard Kreator fans. The transition from ‘Coma of Souls’ into ‘Enemy of God’ was near perfect and acted as a bridging point between two worlds as a vortex opened in the center of the room and I watched from above like Caesar watching gladiators fight to the death only with denim-clad Mancs instead of Russell Crowe. 

The amount of dramatic intros between songs was high but they always added something to the song. The inclusion of the robed demons on songs like ‘Satan is Real,’ ‘Violent Revolution’ and ‘Phantom Antichrist’ was fantastic and at a certain point, you got past how silly and corny this could all be considered and embraced your inner Beavis and Butthead. How could this possibly be lame when there’s so much fire and stuff going on? 15 year old me would have thought this was the coolest thing ever 31 year old me also thinks it’s the coolest thing ever. 

After a break, a video played showing celebrities from all sorts of different backgrounds sharing their love and respect for Anthrax. All sorts of insane characters were included like Tom Morello, Gary Holt, Lady Gaga, John Carpenter, Henry Rollins, Mike Patton and even Stephen King. Once the video was over, Anthrax were ready to deliver a piping hot slice of authentic New York thrash metal. 

The band came on to the punk rock ‘Thrashiness of AIR,’ a full on assault that features one of the best breakdowns in thrash metal and the classics just kept coming. The skateboarding classic, ‘Got the Time,’ came next as Frank Bello brought the rumble with his bass as he raced around the stage like some kind of possessed lunatic powered by heavy metal. 

‘Caught in a Mosh’ is a staple of metal bars across the world for a reason. Every second of the intro is time spent building up tension before the idiot convention opens and everyone just loses their minds in unison. Frank’s bass is always clear as day, Scott Ian is always an incredibly tight rhythm player and Anthrax wouldn’t be the same band if they didn’t have one of the best drummers in thrash history – Mr Charlie Benante. An absolute beast with an unmistakable drumming style that many have tried to imitate and none have succeeded at. 

Anthrax’s set was more traditional compared to Kreator’s, there were no pyrotechnics, hangings or demons burning effigies, just a bunch of maniacs running around and playing the fastest music they possibly can. I could clearly see the mosh pits from above on tracks like ‘Madhouse’ and ‘Metal Thrashing Mad,’ there was virtually no way to avoid the chaos and it’s worth pointing out the stellar job security seemed to be doing from a distance as everyone threw themselves into each other and over the barriers. 

You can very easily lose sight of people as they ran across the stage – although Joey Belladonna was particularly hard to lose as his goofball energy was always visible and he never missed an opportunity to mess with his bandmates in between the near-impossible screeching he does on tracks like ‘I Am the Law’ and ‘Gung Ho’. 

The set ended with ‘Indians’ and many were waiting the entire show to throw down the gauntlet for the war dance. This whole segment was written almost 40 years ago with the intention of doing damage and it’s been fulfilling that purpose all this time. As a veteran of the War Dance at previous Anthrax shows, it’s fascinating to watch it from a safe vantage point as the room devolves into pure unbridled carnage. 

There’s a high likelihood that this was someone’s first concert and at risk of souring your future concert going experience: you’re going to have a hard time topping that. This could be one of the best heavy metal experiences of the year and even one of these bands alone could have put on a stellar show but together; they created an unforgettable experience that people will be talking about for years to come. 

The post Anthrax and Kreator’s epic showdown across the UK appeared first on RAMzine.

The band took to socials and issued a statement on the venue change:

“No sleep til.. Hammersmith!! London we’re coming to the Eventim Apollo, get ready!

Due to events at O2 Academy Brixton a couple of weeks ago, our show is no longer able to happen at that venue. We’ve been working with our team throughout the holidays to try and find a solution. The show will now take place at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith on the same date – Sunday 15th January.

You will be contacted by your ticket agent in the next couple of days with detailed information, so please keep an eye on your inbox and read the email carefully. The good news is that we’ve been able to release more tickets for the show and they’ll be available from 10am Thursday 5th January.”

The band will be continuing their UK tour as planned concluding in London. Limited tickets are still available here: https://www.eventim.co.uk/event/trivium-eventim-apollo-16408354/

Trivium have also issued statements about the bands they will be sharing the bill with; Heaven Shall Burn: “It is an honour to be touring with Heaven Shall Burn. HSB was one of Trivium’s earliest introductions to Hardcore/Metalcore mixed with Melodic Death and Death Metal; with very important lyrics that dealt with society and the world as a whole. HSB and Trivium started off on the same record label back in the early 2000’s!”

Matt Heafy had this to say about Malevolence: “Meet Malevolence – a band that will take over the heavy music world. Paolo introduced me to their music, and I have had it on repeat ever since. Malevolence have created a sound completely and uniquely their own; and it’s monumentally fantastic. Mark my words, they’re gonna take the metal, hardcore, metalcore, and punk worlds over by force. We are excited to have them on our tour.”

The following dates of the UK tour are listed below:

Sat 7th Jan 2023 – DUBLIN Helix

Sun 8th Jan 2023 – DUBLIN Helix

Mon 9th Jan 2023 – BELFAST Ulster Hall

Thu 12th Jan 2023 – GLASGOW O2 Academy

Fri 13th Jan 2023 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy

Sat 14th Jan 2023 – MANCHESTER O2 Victoria Warehouse

Sun 15th Jan 2023 – LONDON Eventim Apollo

Trivium’s latest critically acclaimed album “In the Court of the Dragon” is also available now via Roadrunner Records. You can watch their latest music video for the sprawling epic “Shadow of the Abattoir” here:

The post Trivium announce new venue for London show appeared first on RAMzine.

The kit contains 2 batteries, 2 state of the art clearomizers, a bottle of e-liquid for insertion into the clearomizers, a wall adapter, usb charger and user manual. Despite not taking on the traditional aesthetic appearance of an actual cigarette, the apollo e-go cig is one to be seen with. The long battery life, conveniently positioned power button and sleek, professional appearance make this a successful and desired product, and our personal experiences of it have been near perfect.

The box is sturdy, with a magnetic lid and the contents are packaged appealingly inside, labelled for convenience and to ensure that beginners to e-cigarettes aren’t overwhelmed and understand each individual section of the anatomy of this model. The tank system in the clearomizer ensures that you don’t even need to carry a bottle of liquid around with you as may have been typical of other eGo cigarette systems.

One 10ml bottle of e-cigarette liquid is included when you order this particular product, in the flavour and strength of your choice. We opted for the high strength cherry flavoured liquid, as we had recently used a disposable in the same flavour from Apollo (but more on that later!) There are a vast range of flavours that can be chosen, including Vanilla, Green Apple, Banana Cream, Rocky Road and many more, as well as your more traditional flavours of Tobacco and Methol Tobacco. Be careful with the strengths though – as we found the medium strength disposable a little underwhelming we opted for high strength when ordering our eGo kit, and have found it a tad overpowering, but it’s easy enough to tolerate – and we weren’t very heavy smokers to begin with, either.

The user manual gives a very good description of setting up and using the e-cig, as well as a website for any further queries you may have. The battery comes partly charged but we recommend charging it fully before use, which will take a few hours (not bad considering the battery can last for up to 9 hours of heavy use). When charged, attach the clearomizer to the battery and use the precision nozzle on the bottle provided to fill the tank with your e-cigarette liquid, and press the button 5 times to turn the cigarette on. When using, a simple press of the button during inhalation will cause the product to work, so it is very simple to use and enjoyable too. As you can see from our image below, vapour production is really very impressive.

With a 30 day money back guarantee, and a one year warranty on all products bought, there really is no reason why anyone trying to cut down on cigarettes shouldn’t give the eGo kit from Apollo a try. We foresee these being extremely popular, and with such a range of flavours and such easy user interface, these are amongst the best in their market.

Apollo are currently running a promotion where you can try a disaposable e-cigarette for just 1p! No, your eyes aren’t going funny – 1p! You can find all of the relevant information and purchase details over on www.apolloecigs.co.uk. Take a look now, they have a range of various products and it’s worth it just to see the vast range of flavours they manufacture!

The post Product Review – Apollo Superior eGo Cigarette Kit appeared first on RAMzine.