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TESTAMENT
+ Oceans & Omens
@ Metropolis, Fremantle, Perth,
24th June 2025
(Live Review)

Review by Chris Reid

Photos by Adrian Thomson (@_awii_)

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TESTAMENT / Photo – @_awii_

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Testament are icons of the heavy music scene. The Bay Area thrashers have forged one of the most formidable careers in metal. Whilst they didn’t make the final cut when the term ‘Big 4’ was originally coined, I’d imagine most fans of the genre would have them in the conversation these days, especially on the strength of their recent material. Testament have been consistently excellent for decades – 13 studio albums and counting. Unlike their peers who could be accused of some creative miss steps along the way, or peaking in the 1980s/ 1990s, Testament continue to churn out top quality releases well into the twilight of their career. But enough of the platitudes….

It’s been over a decade since Testament last graced our shores for an Australian Tour (Soudwave 2014), and you’d have to go way back to 2010 since they last embarked on a headline tour in Australia (which didn’t make the trip to Perth) – for those reasons it almost goes without saying that this is one of the most anticipated tours of the year. Perth fans didn’t let the opportunity slip either – it was pleasing, but not suprising, to see how packed Metropolis Fremantle was for this show (on a Tuesday night no less).

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Oceans & Omens / Photo – @_awii_

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Local metal act Oceans & Omens opened the show. This is a band that is relatively new to me, but their nautical themed melodic death(ish) offerings seemed to go down pretty well with the majority of the crowd. If nothing else I was impressed to see them conjure up enough crowd support for a pretty convincing version of the Amon Amarth/Alestorm style ‘sit down and row’ antics. A band to keep an eye on, no doubt. 

After the usual equipment changeover and line checks the anticipation in the venue ramped up considerably. ‘Fight for Your Right’ by the Beastie Boys played over the PA, lifting the spirits in the room before Testament hit the stage. 

Perhaps I’m stating the obvious but Testament are something pretty special – Eric Peterson, Alex Skolnick, Chuck Billy, Steve Di Giorgio and Chris Dovas. It’s an iconic lineup full of a mix of original members and well respected players from the scene. In some respects seeing these guys in the flesh at a relatively small venue was almost surreal. Chuck Billy is an icon and a vocal powerhouse – he’s a charismatic front man that captivated my attention throughout. Both Skolnick and Peterson are top tier axemen. Skolnick in particular is one of the best in the business and getting to see him ply his trade was a highlight. His playing is hyper virtuosic but also always has some melody or hook that embeds its self into the song.  Di Giorgio is one of the most respected bass players going around and he was a commanding presence all night as you would expect.

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TESTAMENT / Photo – @_awii_

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The show was a true masterclass from these veterans, with a setlist that did its best to touch on most areas of the bands catalogue. Heavy hitters such as Souls of Black, The Haunting, Low and The Formation of Damnation had the crowd in a frenzy. More subdued numbers such as Return to Serenity and Trail of Tears were an nice change of pace and also went down really well – sing along highlights, no doubt. Personal preference would see me single out early era cuts like First Strike Is Deadly, Over The Wall, plus the bookends of the set; Opener: Practice What You Preach and the Encore: Into The Pit, as the best tracks on the night.

I’m sure I speak for many when I say that I left the venue completely satisfied after finally get the opportunity to see these guys play a full headline set. The handful of tracks at Soundwave all those years ago was great, but getting a full headline show to really allow them to stretch out and do their legacy justice is something else. They delivered the goods and closed out the final night of their Australian tour in style. It was heartening to hear Chuck speak of a new album on the horizon, and speak about the commitment they have from their promoters to bring them back over the next couple of years. Bring it on.

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TESTAMENT / Photo – @_awii_

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Check out Adrian Thomson’s (@_awii_) full gallery of this event HERE

Check out Dan Turner’s (@dapperdanphoto) full gallery of the Sydney event (Metro Theatre, 20th June 2025) HERE

Check out Matt Young’s (@mattyoungpics) full gallery of the Brisbane event (The Tivoli, Brisbane, 18th June 2025) HERE

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TESTAMENT / Photo – @_awii_

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Follow TESTAMENT
Website – Instagram  

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Photo – Dovas Promo

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Press Release 29th October 2024 (below) HERE

TESTAMENT
Undisputed titans of
thrash metal announce
Australian Tour

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AMNPLIFY – DB