If one moment could define Testament’s tour-closing show in Fremantle it came late in the set, during the explosive outro of ‘Over the Wall.’ As it shifted gears into its blistering solo, Eric Peterson stepped in beside Alex Skolnick, both sets of fingers flying across the fretboard like lightning striking twice. Then along with the room Chuck Billy echoed the “woah-oh-ohs”, replicating that perfect riff with a moment of pure Metal joy. Sure they may well have done the same at shows on the rest of the tour, but tonight with the finish line in sight it was a celebration not just of the tour, their first Australian headlining club run since 2010, but of the legacy of the band and Metal comradery in general.
On a school night in the dark of Western Australian winter it was an impressive turnout of black shirted and battle jacket-adorned chaos, just like it was back in 2007 when they made that first visit. Tonight fueled by four new studio albums and tireless touring—culminated right here, in front of a sea of black, horns, beer and sweat. Sonically it was impressively brutal.
They opened with “Practice What You Preach,” and from that opening growl, it was clear: Chuck Billy’s vocals were spot on sending the faithful into an instant frenzy. From that first riff, it was clear: the band came to conquer, and this crowd came to lap it all up.
With a setlist spanning nearly 40 years of carnage, Testament tore through tracks like ‘The Pale King,’ ‘The Haunting,’ ‘Rise Up,’ and ‘D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate).’ Throughout the night, Skolnick and Peterson traded solos with easy chemistry—sometimes dueling, sometimes harmonizing, always shredding with surgical fury. By the end of “The Haunting,” fans could barely contain themselves, this was brutal guitar heaven!
‘Souls of Black’ was executed with surgical precision and animalistic power. Circle pits churned, beer flew, and the band—Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson, Alex Skolnick, Steve Di Giorgio, and Chris Dovas—were locked in a zone of pure, unrelenting intensity.
Amid the sonic assault, the band proved why their legacy is far deeper than simple speed and aggression. A mid-set shift brought the haunting ‘Trail of Tears’ and the almost soulful ‘Return to Serenity,’ allowing Metro City to witness the band’s melodic prowess. Alex Skolnick’s solos shimmered like a heat haze off an Australian summer horizon , while Chuck Billy’s vocals struck a rare balance of threat and lament.
After a wonderful ‘Electric Crown’ the real ruckus came with ‘The Formation of Damnation’ which got the pit going, unleashing a brace of crowd-surfers and a death-defying wall-of-death that Chuck grinned through like a Seargeant watching his troops.
Across the 90-minute set, Testament pulled from nine of their thirteen studio albums and it was gloriously relentless. Of the all ‘Return to Serenity’ really struck a chord before falling into ‘First Strike is Deadly’, where Skolnick unleashed a solo that shook the foundations.
‘Over the Wall’ was a perfect way to close the set proper, but the sweat-soaked blistering encore ‘Into the Pit’ was just magnificent. The room and every denizen of the upper balconies erupted one last time, altogether, stomping, shouting and first-waving shoulder-to-shoulder like it should be. A celebration of all that Testament stands for.
This final show of the long-awaited Australian Tour wasn’t just a concert; it was a celebration. A celebration of Testament’s enduring power, of Australia’s passionate metal community, and of Fremantle standing together, loud and proud. This is what it means to thrash. Please let’s so it again…
Setlist:
Practice What You Preach
Sins of Omission
The Pale King
The Haunting
Rise Up
D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
Low
Native Blood
Trail of Tears
Electric Crown
The Formation of Damnation
Souls of Black
Return to Serenity
First Strike Is Deadly
More Than Meets the Eye
Over the Wall
Encore:
Into the Pit
