Oct 19

Oct 19 Show Review: "The Bay Strikes Back" Concludes in San Jose with Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel

Testament
‘The Bay Strikes Back’ Tour
w/ Exodus, Death Angel
San Jose Civic
San Jose, CA
October 15th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

Heavy metal may have started across the pond with acts like Black Sabbath, but the world of thrash metal is rooted deeply within the San Francisco Bay Area. Back in the 1980s, acts like Metallica, Overkill, Slayer, and Vio-lence all cut their teeth in dingy Bay Area clubs and theaters, a battle cry waging war against the highly popularized glam metal of the time. Time has passed, and while only a small number of these acts gained mainstream success, the thrash metal scene is still very much alive and well. Last Saturday’s ‘Bay Strikes Back’ tour stop in San Jose is proof of this, as thousands packed into the San Jose Civic to witness three of the best acts to ever do it take the stage on the final date of the long-running thrash tour. Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel are iconic acts within this world, and all three acts put on hard-hitting, excellent performances to close out the North American run of tour dates.

Hailing from Daly City, Death Angel took the stage for an aggressively perfect set, pummeling their way through eight powerful discography selections, including “The Dream Calls For Blood”, “Voracious Souls”, and “Thrown To The Wolves”. While they were technically the openers, I feel like the “Bay Strikes Back” tour could be considered a tri-headliner: every act on this bill could play for at least two hours, and the thrashers in Death Angel were no exception.

Following up Death Angel’s crushing set was Richmond’s Exodus, performing the best set I’ve ever seen them play. Vocalist Steve Souza egged on the crowd, pushing them to mosh and open up the pit as the band careened through song after song of a career-spanning setlist. For eleven songs, the thrash veterans powered through an impressive set, with songs like “Blood In, Blood Out”, “Deathamphetamine”, and “Strike of the Beast”. As “The Toxic Waltz” began, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt even threw in a classic Slayer riff with “Raining Blood”, no doubt a nod to his tenure with the band during their farewell tour a few years ago.

The evening was closed out by none other than Berkeley’s Testament. I’ve seen this band many times over the last several years, and I’ve yet to see them perform a boring show. Whether they’re opening a massive arena show or headlining a theater on their own accord, Testament always manage to stir the crowd and bring out one of the best performances in heavy metal. Acting as the Master of Ceremonies, vocalist Chuck Billy commanded the crowd to move through guttural roars that would erupt from the microphone, the band playing faster and tighter with each song. To my surprise, the band revealed their drummer to be the legendary Dave Lombardo, best known for his tenure in bands like Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, and Misfits. “D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate), “Electric Crown” and “First Strike Is Deadly” all proved to be powerful moments throughout their fifteen-song set list. The final song of the night, “Alone In The Dark” brought things to a close with gusto, confetti raining down on the crowd as one of the heaviest tours of the last few years came to a spectacular close.

Metal has expanded to subgenres that would have been unimaginable years ago. It’s a genre that has the ability to be simultaneously fun and terrifying at the same time, depending on which subgenre you listen to. Thrash metal is just pure adrenaline and excitement. “The Bay Strikes Back” tour only further cements the notion that in the Bay Area, thrash is king.

Testament Set List
Rise Up
The New Order
The Pale King
Children of the Next Level
Practice What You Preach
WWIII
D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
Native Blood
Night of the Witch
Electric Crown
The Formation of Damnation
First Strike Is Deadly
Over The Wall
Into The Pit
Alone In The Dark

Exodus Set List
The Beating Will Contineu (Until Morale Improves)
A Lesson In Violence
Blood In, Blood Out
The Years of Death and Dying
Deathamphetamine
Blacklist
Piranha
Prescribing Horror
Bonded By Blood
The Toxic Waltz
Strike of the Beast

Death Angel Set List
The Ultra-Violence/Mistress of Pain
Voracious Souls
Seemingly Endless Time
The Dream Calls For Blood
Caster of Shame
The Moth
Humanicide
Thrown To The Wolves