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Thrashpocalypse moving to Curling Centre
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Thrashpocalypse show, which was slated to be in Western Financial Place will now be moved to the Cranbrook Curling Centre, next door to the arena.
All tickets purchased will be honoured as such, and a general admission seating format will be happening. This historic venue will be the ideal setting to host two of heavy metal’s top bands, Anthrax and Testament, as Cranbrook will be host to them Friday, May 18.
Get up close and personal, and see two legends of hard rock and roll perform all your favourite hits!
Patrons with tickets at the $5 higher price point will be given a free ticket for a beverage of choice night of the show. (Must present ticket at door.)
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but feel this is the right decision to keep the show going, and will give all patrons a show that few rarely get to see up close!
In 2016, Anthrax celebrated its 35th anniversary as a band with the release of one of the year’s most-anticipated metal/thrash albums, For All Kings, (February 26, Megaforce in North America/Nuclear Blastinternationally).
The 11-song crusher that the band’s drummer Charlie Benante has described as “aggressive and super-thrashy,” was written by Benante, bassist Frank Bello and rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, the dynamic triumvirate whose unique composition chemistry is, in part, what sets Anthrax’s music apart from other bands’ in the same genre. Add to that Joey Belladonna’s breathtaking vocals and the searing guitar leads by newest member Jonathan Donais, and it’s no wonder the band has been so excited about its 11th studio album. The track “Breathing Lightening,” currently a Top 40 track at rock radio, with its made-for-radio, classic Joey Belladonna melodic, hooky vocals, is Anthrax at its best.
Over its 35-year career, Anthrax has been a pioneering band with its unique style, sound and heavy brand of thrash metal, and, as Metallica’s Kirk Hammett put it, “one can hear their influence on any number of up and coming bands.”
The band has sold in excess of 10-million units, received multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, six Grammy nominations and a host of other accolades from the media, industry and fans.
From the race and genre barriers Anthrax helped break down in 1988 when they collaborated with Public Enemy on ‘Bring The Noise,’ to becoming a card-carrying member of ‘The Big Four,’ with Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, as one of the four bands that defined the speed/thrash metal genre, to being the first metal band to have its music heard on Mars when NASA played ‘Got The Time’ to wake up the Mars Rover, Anthrax continues to demonstrate it’s just all about the music.
The forbearers of thrash resemble a Lovecraftian brotherhood. They’re the elder gods who set everything in motion for generations to imitate, while still ruling the roost from on high. Testament stand proudly among the same vanguard that boasted ‘The Big 4’ and beyond.
For over three decades, the Bay Area quintet— Chuck Billy [vocals], Eric Peterson [guitar], Alex Skolnick [guitar], Steve DiGiorgio [bass], and Gene Hoglan [drums]—has consistently delivered unadulterated, unbridled, and unbreakable metal in its purest form without compromise or any signs of slowing down.
Over the course of seminal releases ranging from The Legacy and Practice What You Preach to The Gathering and The Formation of Damnation, which won ‘Best Album’ at Metal Hammer’s 2008 Golden Gods Awards, the group’s sales exceeded 14 million worldwide with two million in the U.S. alone. Most recently, 2012’s critically praised Dark Roots of Earth assaulted the charts, moving over 20,000 first-week copies and seizing #12 on the Billboard Top 200, the band’s highest U.S. chart bow ever. However, in 2016, Testament returned with more teeth than ever on Brotherhood of the Snake [Nuclear Blast].
The record commences on a deadly note with the title track. A whiplash-inducing riff catapults Chuck’s unmistakable growl forward before snapping into mind-numbing leads. It’s a brutal breakneck basher on par with the band’s best.
“It was actually one of the first songs we put together,” says the singer. “Once we heard it mixed, we were all like, ‘Wow, we have the direction we’re going in. It’s really heavy.’”
Elsewhere on the record, ‘The Pale King’ gallops ahead on an apocalyptic barrage of drums and guitars before culminating on an unshakable chant. “It was really natural,” smiles Eric. “It has that old school vibe, but this new energy to it. It never lets up. I love that!”
Brotherhood of the Snake concludes on the crushing yet cinematic ‘The Number Game,’ which evinces Chuck’s knack for a vivid lyrical story.
“I actually wrote it with Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza,” he recalls. “I had that chorus, and it was one of those things where it had to be repeated. It’s 14 days and 14 nights where this guy’s on a killing spree. He does a countdown, and your life is based on the number you are. It was trip.”
A fascinating concept rears its head during many of Brotherhood of the Snake’s key moments, nodding to the mythical race from which the record it shares a name.
“There’s a connection between the alien world and religion, and the whole storyline came from it,” explains Chuck. “There’s a story of a Sumerian race 6,000 years ago that went on crusades to basically dethrone religions. The earth was basically the place where their leader, The Pale King, set people to be imprisoned and mine for gold. It got the ball rolling.”
Ultimately, this Brotherhood remains as powerful as ever. “If a Testament fan knows our history or has followed our last couple of records, they’ll hear the progression,” the frontman leaves off. “Everything is right there and in-your-face. That’s the way it should be with us.”
Ticket Prices: $65 all inclusive of GST and S/C
