Concert Reviews

TESTAMENT Concert Photos and Review

by Brooks Robinson

Updated April 12, 2026

Testament – Belasco Theater – April 9, 2026

The first indication that something exciting was happening at the 100-year-old Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles was the line. I arrived at 6:00pm, the same time the doors opened, and there was a line that went around the block. LA is famous for fans of sports and music showing up late to events and leaving early. While you frequently see lines forming before major events, it’s generally just the diehard fans who need to be up against the barricade closest to their heroes. The majority of people trickle in during the opening band, and venues don’t usually reach their full capacity until the headliner is well into their set. That was definitely not the case on Thursday night.

The Thrash of the Titans Tour brought together three heavyweights in thrash music – Testament, Overkill, and Germany’s Destruction, and Los Angeles turned out in droves to see it. Testament’s Chuck Billy said from the stage that the LA show was the first city of the twenty stops on the tour to sell out, and I believe it. I’ve been to many shows at the Belasco, and I’ve never seen it as full, nor the fans as wild and excited to be there. There was simply no room for me to move once the photographers were kicked out of the pit after our three songs, and it was almost impossible to move through the crowd to get back there for the next band.

The mosh pit for all three bands was out of control and never stopped spinning, which when coupled with the extreme volume coming from the stage and PA system (it might have been the loudest concert I’ve ever attended) left the packed crowd frenzied. This was not a concert to stand around and watch – the people in attendance were there to participate, not to be casual onlookers. In addition to the densely populated main floor and the volume, the temperature also contributed to the overall atmosphere of the evening – it didn’t feel like someone turned up the heat, but with at least 1500 bodies moving endlessly in a small space, it gradually started getting warmer and warmer, until it suddenly seemed like the oxygen got sucked out of the room and it became uncomfortably hot and sweaty.

Testament

Thrash legends Testament headlined and were exactly what you would expect from a band that’s been at the leading edge of heavy music for almost 45 years. These guys are consummate pros, and the fans who’d already survived two of the top bands in the genre, somehow still had energy to give. I’ve mentioned the crowd participation, but another aspect was the level of noise emanating from the audience – yelling, cheering, screaming – the ambient level of sound was at a fever pitch and didn’t subside. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, and don’t remember ever being at an event where the crowd was as universally animated and willing to give as much as the band did.

Formed in the Bay Area in 1983, Testament has fourteen albums, is highly influential in the scene, and are fan favorites. An indicator of this lofty position in fan’s minds and hearts was at the merch booth. When entering the Belasco, you first walk into a small lobby before reaching the main concert hall. Bands set up their merch table in this room, and for most bands, there is always interest in the black shirts hung on the wall, but that interest usually wanes when the band takes the stage…not so for any of the

bands on Thursday’s roster. The merch line wound around the lobby and extended well into the main hall, and remained that way for the entirety of the show. Every time I walked from one side to the other to find positions to photograph from, I’d get stuck trying to navigate the never-ending merch line.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Testament that goes well beyond their music. Thirty-five years ago, my wife agreed to go out with me on our first date. She was a lifelong lover of pop music, and much to her surprise, I instead took her to the Hollywood Palladium to see Testament, a band she’d never heard of, that played a brand of music she didn’t know existed. She wasn’t the only female in attendance, but to say there was a lot of testosterone in the building was an understatement. The night was a blur, and I think she may have been in shock as a result of the metal atmosphere, because she somehow agreed to go on another date with me… I’m happy to write that over the years, metal has won her over, and I think it all stems from that first Testament show at The Palladium in 1991.

This was the second-to-last show of the Thrash of the Titans Tour, and Testament absolutely destroyed the room, leaving the euphoric, but utterly exhausted crowd not wanting the night to end, but having only enough left in the tank to get home safely. It was the perfect conclusion to a perfect evening.

Testament are:

Eric Peterson – Guitar
Chuck Billy – Vocals
Alex Skolnick – Guitar
Steve Di Giorgio – Bass
Chris Dovas – Drums

Setlist:

Into the Pit
The Evil Has Landed
Henchmen Ride
For the Love of Pain
Infanticide A.I.
Shadow People
WWIII
John Doe
Low
Native Blood
Sins of Omission
So Many Lies
Electric Crown
The Ballad
Over the Wall

Overkill

By the time Overkill hit the stage, the audience had already been hard at work during Destruction’s set, and while I know what an amazing live band Overkill is, I wasn’t sure how much the Belasco crowd had left in it. Throughout the night, there was a constant wall of noise from the fans, and the ambient noise level was as high as any show I’ve been to. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any louder, with perhaps a twinkle in his eye and an hint of his infectious laugh, Bobby said “I don’t want to talk shit, but the Phoenix audience last night was half the size and twice as loud…and they said LA sucks…their words, not mine…”. With that, it was on, and the energy level went to levels previously unreached. Overkill was just fantastic, and the boys from New Jersey left no doubt that they are one of the truly great live bands. How any of these bands that have been putting in the work since the early 1980’s are still competing at such an incredibly high level is amazing, and the fans packed inside the Belasco Theater were grateful.

Overkill are:

Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth – Vocals
DD Verni – Bass
Dave Linsk - Guitar
Jeramie Kling – Drums

Destruction

This was my first time seeing pioneering thrash metal band Destruction, and I had no idea what to expect. I was aware that they came from the same German Teutonic thrash scene as Kreator and Sodom, but what would they be like on stage, and how would the crowd react? They were set to go on early, before 7:00pm, and I wondered just how fired up anyone could be that early for this kind of music. I soon got my answer, and a unified scream arose from they crowd at the first notes of “Curse the Gods”. The already full Belasco Theater crowd reacted immediately, and crowd surfers started raining down on security in the pit, while a furious mosh pit launched, and didn’t stop throughout the entire set. Fans sung along word for word with Schmier, and the band exploded into song after song of sweat-inducing sonic perfection. I was merely taking pictures, but during my three songs up front in the photo pit, I emerged completely soaked – both from dodging surfers launched into the pit, and the intense energy and volume coming from the stage. Destruction is a great live band, and I’m thankful to have finally seen them up close and personal.

Destruction are:

Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer – Vocals/Bass
Martin Furia – Guitar
Damir Eskic – Guitar
Randy Black – Drums

Brooks Robinson Photographer & Writer

Brooks Robinson is an LA-based concert photographer, and 30+ year freelance camera operator for film, television, and music videos. He has photographed some of the largest film/TV projects in history, and hundreds of music videos in MTV's heyday.

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