The very first time I witnessed the insanity of an Exodus show was way back in ’89 on the tour for Fabulous Disaster. As a sixteen year old who had only just got into thrash a year or two before, I was admittedly quite green when it came to the thrash live experience. Making the two and a half hour trip from my tiny village to the thriving Metropolis of Toronto was an experience in and of itself, let alone what the evening had in store for me. Let me just say that I was not at all prepared for what I witnessed. From the moment Exodus took to the stage, the concert hall erupted into a frenzy of flailing, thrash-seduced bodies. In fact, things took a mind-blowing twist when the band launched into their now-classic song ‘Toxic Waltz’… a queue of fans formed on the balcony with each waiting their turn to dive off into the unsuspecting fans raging below. How no one was hurt or even killed still perplexes me to this day. Suffice it to say, live thrash was an altogether different beast back in the late 80s. I have yet to see the same level of energy and raw, unbridled enthusiasm that I saw on this eve all those years ago… until tonight, that is.

Detroit, Michigan. If you’ve never been, I suggest making the trek, assuming its feasible for you to do so. The city has undergone a transformation from what it was even ten years ago. The downtown core, an incredibly dangerous place in the ’80s and ’90s, is now a bastion of hip shops and eateries that feels about as unsafe as your grandma’s kitchen. In the middle of all this gentrification stands the The Majestic Theatre, Detroit’s premiere entertainment complex. This historic landmark houses two nationally-renowned live music rooms, and has hosted countless metal shows for many, many years. Tonight, it was set to host the ‘North American Disaster – The Battle of ’24’ tour featuring Dead Heat, Candy, Havok, and the Bay Area godfathers of thrash, Exodus. Unfortunately, due to low ticket sales, there was a change of venues to the much smaller The Magic Stick (located right beside The Majestic Theatre). At first, I was incredibly disappointed. But, little did I know at the time that the change of venue would end up being one of the best things to happen in my live music adventures in many years… read on to find out why!


DEAD HEAT
Californian crossover/hardcore/thrash band Dead Heat started the night off with a strong showing. Apart from Exodus, they were easily my favorite band of the evening. Having never heard these guys, I was surprised by the old-school ferocity from these youngsters. Coming off as an absolute ode to the 80s, the guys delivered a set reminiscent of  Leeway, Excel, Crumbsuckers, Vio-Lence, and Exodus. Frontman Chris Ramos did a great job of hyping up the near-capacity crowd, calling for circle pit after circle pit (which the more than eager punters obliged). A killer set that started the night off on the right foot.

Setlist
‘Endless Torment’, ‘2 Cents’, ‘Look At It Closely’, ‘World At War’, ‘Eyes Of The Real’, ‘Age Of DH’, ‘The Fall’, ‘Subterfuge’, ‘Hard Reset’, ‘Pay The Toll’

CANDY

Again, another band I didn’t even know existed until this tour was announced. I can’t even really begin to describe their sound as they are just so out of my wheelhouse. If I had to guess, I’d say they were a mash-up of hardcore and metal with a vocalist who sounded like he could have fronted a core band from the first decade of the 2000s. Looking around the venue, I could see many old-schoolers looking a bit perplexed by the sounds emanating from the house PA. To be fair, they seemed to go over rather swimmingly with the younger contingent of folks in attendance.

Setlist
‘Chrome Country’, ‘Football’, ‘eXistenZ’, ‘Love Wants More Love’, ‘Terror Management’, ‘Dehumanize Me’, ‘Good To Feel’, ‘Systematic Death’, ‘You Will Never Get Me’, ‘Lust For Destruction’, ‘Dreams Less Sweet’

HAVOK
Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand the love for these guys. I get it. I was young once, too. It’s the same sort of excitement and over-the-top fandom that I had for Exodus way back in the late 80s. That said, Havok is a band I just never could get into. This isn’t to say that they don’t put on one helluva a live show, ’cause they absolutely do. But, to these old-ass ears, it’s just more of the same in a sea of contemporary thrash bands churning out exactly the same riffs that were written thirty-plus years ago. Objectively speaking, these guys absolutely crushed it. They were, by far, the most fitting band on this billing. Stacked up right beside Exodus, it was like I was transported back to ’89 watching a young Zetro and crew destroy Toronto. So, kudos to Havok for keeping the spirit of old-school Bay Area-inspired thrash alive for the young ‘uns!

Setlist
‘Point Of No Return’, ‘Fear Campaign’, ‘Hang ‘Em High’, ‘Prepare For Attack’, ‘Death Is An Illusion’, ‘Intention To Deceive’, ‘Phantom Force’, ‘Covering Fire’, ‘From The Cradle To The Grave’

EXODUS
If you ever want to experience Exodus like its 1989 all over again, be sure to catch them at an intimate venue with no security. If you do so, be prepared for one of the most intense and riotous live music experiences of your life. This was our experience tonight, and it was the best Exodus performance I have seen in over thirty years. To start, Zetro laid down some ground rules, as he knew what was coming. He instructed the crowd to get up on stage and dive but to also be mindful of guitarist Gary Holt’s foot pedals. He then reminded everyone to be kind to one another… you see a comrade go down… pick em up and dust em off. WIth the rules laid out, the band launched into the song ‘Fabulous Disaster’ and the entire venue went absolutely ape-shit. Body after body flew from the stage through the entire set. The pit was an absolute hurricane of sweaty, frenzied fans that never ceased. Everywhere you looked, heads banged like jackhammers through concrete. The roar from the crowd at the end of every song was deafening, in much the same way standing behind an F-16 getting ready for takeoff is ear-destroying. This was the epitome of live thrash, and to think it came from a band who have been active for forty-plus years is absolutely mind-blowing. It doesn’t get much better than this, folks.

Setlist
‘The Last Act Of Defiance’, ‘Blood In, Blood Out’, ‘Fabulous Disaster’, ‘And Then There Were None’, ‘Body Harvest’, ‘Prescribing Horror’, ‘The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)’, ‘Brain Dead’, ‘Deathamphetamine’, ‘Blacklist’, ‘Metal Command’, ‘War Is My Shepherd’, ‘The Toxic Waltz’ (w/ the first verse of ‘Free For All’ by Ted Nugent & ‘Raining Blood’ by Slayer)’, ‘Strike Of The Beast’