Testament/Overkill: The Belasco - Los Angeles, CA - 4/9/26
Bay Area thrash metal titans Testament announced a huge USA tour. This tour would feature fellow thrash metal titans Overkill and German thrash metal band Destruction. Metalheads all over the USA lost their minds when this tour was announced and it was not to be missed by anyone. The Southern California stop of the tour was at the Belasco in Los Angeles. SoCal is no stranger to metal, and it further proved it as it was the first show of the tour to sell out just a couple of weeks after tickets went on sale. You know LA was more than ready for a wild night of pure thrash metal. Even before doors opened, metalheads from all over lined up for a chance to witness some of metal’s best music.
New Jersey natives Overkill unleashed their twentieth studio album Scorched in 2023. Plenty of Overkill fans were in attendance sporting their merch showing that they were more than hyped. The lights went out and the packed venue cheered with excitement as the band members came out. Overkill started their show with “Scorched,” the first song from the latest album. Without hesitating, the floor came alive with moshing, shoving, and crowd surfers. After a blistering start, Overkill next played one of their best songs, “Rotten to the Core.” Fans love singing along to the catchy chorus. With all the crowd surfers that had already shown up, security up front already had their hands full. Frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth made note on how original bassist DD Verni couldn’t make the tour due to healing from an injury, and so for this tour they brought on Christian Olde Wolbers who has played with bands like Fear Factory and Powerflo. Overkill continued to play thrash classics like “Hello from the Gutter,” “Deny the Cross,” and “Elimination.” There was not a single second where the audience was standing still during their performance. To end their set, they played their usual ending song “Fuck You” which is a cover of The Subhumans. Fans love singing along to the chorus and raising their middle fingers in unison. Their set ended and Overkill left the stage. Plenty of sweaty audience members were already seen, but the show was just barely warming up as the stage was being prepared for the headlining band of the tour.
Testament released their fourteenth studio album Para Bellum in 2025. The lights went out once again and the fully packed venue roared with excitement as Testament made their way to the stage. The started their set with "Into the Pit" which was a surprise because it's usually played towards the end of their set or as the show closer. Still, fans didn't complain and, in classic thrash metal fashion, started to mosh and crowd surf right away. That song was specifically written for people in the mosh pit and is still a must-play for Testament. Up next was "The Evil Has Landed" followed by "Henchmen Ride." Even though it was the second to last stop on the tour, they were still on fire and didn't show signs that they were worn out and too tired to perform. Instead of playing the usual greatest hits songs, Testament does a great job of mixing it up with songs they don't usually play. Some of those tracks include "Shadow People," "WWIII," and "Low." vocalist Chuck Billy spoke to the audience for a bit and mentioned how this next song was special because they haven't played it in over 30 years even though they've been meaning to. The song was "So Many Lies" off the "The Ritual" album from 1992. Up next was another little surprise in the form of the song "The Ballad" from their Practice What You Preach album. It's a great song to sing along to and mosh when the solos are playing. Guitarist and founding member Eric Peterson spoke to the audience for a bit and mentioned how he was impressed that this LA show sold out quickly compared to their hometown of Berkeley where it wasn't sold out. To end their set, Testament played one of their most popular songs, "Over the Wall" from their 1987 debut album, The Legacy. The continued to mosh and even more crowd surfers appeared. It was a wild night for metal. A lineup like this was not to be missed by anyone who is a fan of metal. The only downside was that the venue was definitely too small for a tour of this caliber and should've definitely been held at a bigger venue. Testament finished up their show and left the stage. Lots of sweaty people were seen in the audience, but you can be assured they had the time of their life.
