Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax

A necessary disclaimer: the author of this article is by no means a metal expert. There was a period when I did listen to this kind of music, but from 1996 onward I gradually lost interest in it. This, however, was the perfect occasion to relive the memories of those distant years, marked by concerts like Pantera and Machine Head, because the quartet performing in Rho represents, at least in the collective imagination, the very best of thrash metal.

I probably wasn't the only one drawn there by nostalgia or curiosity: in fact, the number of people packed into the enormous venue is so high that it could well exceed the combined attendance these four bands would have drawn had they staged separate shows. Just try to imagine what would happen with a joint tour featuring Oasis – Blur – Pulp – Suede, or Bob Dylan – Neil Young – Leonard Cohen – Paul Simon. It should also be noted that all the bands were given plenty of time to play, when usually the openers get barely half an hour, so coming here really felt like watching four full-length concerts.

Plenty has already been written online about the problems with the venue, so I'll limit myself to mentioning two specific to this event: the barely justifiable volume gap between the other bands and Metallica, in the latter's favor, and the difficulty of putting together a proper pit due to the cramped space between the mixing desk area and the barrier marking off the pit in front of the stage, a space so packed with people that physical movement was simply impossible.

It falls to Anthrax to open the show, under a blazing sun but with plenty of people already in position to enjoy the event. The New Yorkers' metal is genuine and unpolished, made by the people, for the people. This tour finds them without longtime guitarist Scott Ian, replaced by Andreas Kisser of Sepultura, due to Ian's very recent fatherhood. Frontman Joey Belladonna dominates the stage without leaning on any rock-star aura, instead carrying himself as if to make clear to the crowd that he's one of them. This underlying simplicity certainly doesn't mean the musicians are technically limited — quite the opposite, the performance is impressive, especially from the rhythm section of Charlie Benante on drums and Frank Bello on bass. The band knows how to win over the crowd through its setlist choices too, dropping two of their best-known songs almost right away, namely "Got The Time" and "Antisocial". The crowd sings along, moshes as much as space allows, and has a blast. Then, during "Indians", comes the best and most surprising moment of all: Scott Ian walks out on stage, having decided, without any announcement, to join the band just for this Italian date. Fans recognize him instantly and lose their minds. All in all, a triumphant set that cemented the genuine love between Anthrax and the Italian audience.

Megadeth, on the other hand, are the exact opposite of the previous band in several respects. Their approach is built on a huge display of technique, and it's genuinely striking to watch these musicians' virtuosity live, and their ability to make the different parts interact dynamically, never predictably. Leader Dave Mustaine in particular pulls off remarkable feats on guitar and shows meticulous attention to every nuance of tone, using six different instruments across the 70-minute set. The L.A. band has two weaknesses: the first is vocal, with Mustaine clearly struggling from start to finish; the second is their interaction with the fans, which is virtually nonexistent. It follows, then, that there's much less electricity in the air than there was with Anthrax on stage, even if it's impossible not to get fired up by songs like "Hangar 18", "Peace Sells" and "Symphony Of Destruction". All in all, another test passed for Megadeth too, even if they'll undoubtedly end the day as the band that leaves the least positive impression.

We stay in Los Angeles with Slayer, and they too have a line-up change, with guitarist Jeff Hanneman replaced, for this date only, by Gary Holt of Exodus. If there's one thing this band absolutely has to deliver in concert, it's sheer nastiness, and thankfully the quartet dishes it out in spades right from the opening "World Painted Blood". Their style is quite different from the other members of the Big Four, since the songwriting is far less melodic, the songs unfold in a decidedly schizophrenic, almost non-linear way, and enormous weight is placed on the raw aggression with which each instrument is played. It's somewhat similar, albeit in a different way, to what happens in death metal and black metal, genres not coincidentally considered influenced by Slayer, partly because of the satanic themes in their lyrics. Live, all this inevitably translates into a truly overwhelming rush of power and adrenaline, and much of the credit goes to drummer Dave Lombardo, utterly unique in his ability to sustain a rhythm that doesn't even feel fully honored by words like obsessive and relentless. Leader and bassist Tom Araya proves to be in fine vocal form, even if he stays rooted to the spot on stage — though his back problems are well known, having forced the band to postpone last year's tour by over six months. Like Megadeth, Slayer don't say much to the crowd either, but in their case the excuse comes from the sheer violence with which they play, which understandably doesn't leave them clear-headed enough to also worry about engaging the fans. The setlist doesn't skimp on classics like "Mandatory Suicide", "Chemical Warfare" and "Season Of The Abyss", and closes with a fireworks finale of "South Of Heaven" followed by the two most devastating tracks of all, "Raining Blood" and "Angel Of Death". A truly remarkable jolt of energy, despite the aforementioned issue with the underwhelming volume.

The stars of the night are undoubtedly Metallica, who have a far better sound system at their disposal than the others, as well as much more time on stage. One could argue at length about this unequal treatment, but ultimately 2011 marks the band's thirtieth year in the business, and above all, the Four Horsemen justify the favoritism with a simply incredible performance. Of course, much of the show's success comes down to the setlist, with only three songs not drawn from the first four albums — the very albums that alone are enough to define Metallica as the ultimate reference point for thrash metal. But just as important is how these legendary songs are performed, and tonight at least, the level is genuinely high. This is especially true of the James Hetfield/Kirk Hammett duo: the former sings with a powerful, clean tone, his voice seemingly untouched by the passage of time, while the latter shows total mastery of his guitar, churning out riffs and far-from-easy solos in an endless stream with total ease. Behind this golden pairing, the rhythm section does its job excellently, with current bassist Robert Trujillo pushing as hard as he can and drummer Lars Ulrich playing in a more conservative but still effective style. In short, Metallica's live dimension in 2011 is the right mix of experience and the energy that comes from genuine enthusiasm for touring the part of their catalog that has brought them the greatest satisfaction. Indeed, songs like "Hit The Lights", "Master Of Puppets", "Seek And Destroy", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and on through to the closing "Creeping Death" bring joy not only to the audience listening to them, but also to the musicians playing them, who get to engage with genuine masterpieces without having to bother with more recent, decidedly less successful compositions. The atmosphere that builds up on the floor is indescribable, and the connection between artists and audience is total, helped by the fact that Hetfield is a consummate showman who knows exactly how to talk to his crowd to further amplify the positive energy.

During the encore there's also room for a display of scene unity, with members of the other bands coming up on stage to play a cover of "Die Die My Darling" by the Misfits, all together with genuine enthusiasm despite the past disputes among some of these musicians. Has peace truly broken out, or is this just a forced gesture driven by the huge earnings guaranteed by this joint tour? We'll never know for sure. What is certain is that these shows are not the swan song of tired old-timers running out of steam, but rather a proud reaffirmation of the abilities that still, to this day, define these legendary bands — bands that have nothing to envy in the new generation, and that holds true across every musical genre, not just thrash metal.

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