The Big Four - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria blu-ray release pending - 1990’s Clash Of The Titans revisited!

 

I used to be a fan of them all. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Today, I still follow on the sideline, and I am really excited about the “Big Four” blu-ray release coming up.

 

AMAZING video below.

I am no huge fan of either band any longer, I have to admit. Especially Metallica have let me down a little too often, with music releases of ridiculously low standard. They seem to have forgotten what metal is all about. Honestly, I lost a lot of respect for them after watching the “Some kind of monster”-movie. I have seen and heard various releases and bootlegs, and with a few exceptions here and there I don’t really find them to be a very good live act any longer. Back in the day they were a “must-see” live act, and we would always go. Metallica is probably the band I have seen the most times live.

 

 

 

Anthrax, I have to admit, has slowly slid out of my musical view, though I still own Among the Living and hear it every now and then. I have heard most of their most recent stuff, and some of it is really good. It just never really stuck. I do dig the song “What Doesn’t Die” from a few years ago. Super track!

 

 

 

Slayer have all my respect in the world, though they are probably the band that I dislike the most. They are a little too hard for my taste – especially getting older – but I deeply admire them for never losing focus and never selling out. I have seen Slayer live several times and they have always delivered – also in their latter years. Boy, could Metallica learn from them!

 

Megadeth? These days, my absolute favorites of the four bands. They still rock, they are still tight as a metal machine, they still write great albums and they are still a killer live act. What more can you ask for.

 

I know. It doesn’t really sound like I am very interested in the topic I am writing about.

 

However, spending an evening in the company of ALL of them, makes me giddy like a thirteen year old on his way to his first metal concert.

These guys were the all on the soundtrack of my youth, or at least a very large part of it. One of my favorite albums to date is still Metallica's Master Of Puppets - there is simply no metal album better.

I gotta say I was excited when they announced the Big 4 shows, and disappointed that I would not be able to attend one. This would have been a great revisit to my youth where we saw (most of) them live several times.

I fondly remember going to KB Hallen in Copenhagen on October 10th, 1990 for Clash Of The Titans, a gig somewhat similar to this, featuring Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, Megadeth and Slayer. I guess that was as close to a "Big 4" that could be done back then with all the rivalry between Megadeth and Metallica, but it was a great, fun time and a concert I will never forget. I am glad that I was completely oblivious to the feuds within the bands at the time. This night was ROCKIN’!

Now, 20 years later, it seems like almost "meant to be" that I get another shot at a Clash Of The Titans kind of gig with the upcoming blu-ray "The Big 4 - Live From Sofia, Bulgaria that is coming out 15th of October - almost 20 years to the date of my fond memory. With unconpressed audio on blu-ray, a five(!) hour concert event with additional 45 minutes of documentary running time, this should be rattling the speakers severely and be the perfect excuse to get the guys together for a couple of cold beers!

It is well worth noticing that Anthrax and Megadeth joins Metallica on stage for "Am I Evil?" during Metallica's set (I wonder what Slayer were doing? I only see Dave Lombardo on the snare – maybe they don’t play sissy commercial junk like Diamond Head?), and also that Anthrax supposedly does a Ronnie James Dio tribute playing a snippet of "Heaven and Hell" during "Indians".

 

 

The DVD cover for this release has just been made public, and it features the setlist for the concerts. These are uncut, full concerts from the Sonisphere festival, and it sound like an evening worth spending in its company. Details below.

ANTHRAX track listing:

01. Caught In A Mosh

02. Got the Time

03. Madhouse

04. Be All, End All

05. Antisocial

06. Indians/Heaven And Hell

07. Medusa

08. Only

09. Metal Thrashing Mad

10. I Am The Law

MEGADETH track listing:

01. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

02. Hangar 18

03. Wake Up Dead

04. Head Crusher

05. In My Darkest Hour

06. Skin O' My Teeth

07. A Tout Le Monde

08. Hook In Mouth

09. Trust

10. Sweating Bullets

11. Symphony Of Destruction

12. Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise

SLAYER track listing:

01. World Painted Blood

02. Jihad

03. War Ensemble

04. Hate Worldwide

05. Seasons In The Abyss

06. Angel of Death

07. Beauty Through Order

08. Disciple

09. Mandatory Suicide

10. Chemical Warfare

11. South of Heaven

12. Raining Blood

METALLICA track listing:

01. Creeping Death

02. For Whom The Bell Tolls

03. Fuel

04. Harvester Of Sorrow

05. Fade To Black

06. That Was Just Your Life

07. Cyanide

08. Sad But True

09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

10. All Nightmare Long

11. One

12. Master Of Puppets

13. Blackened

14. Nothing Else Matters

15. Enter Sandman

16. Am I Evil? (with the Big Four)

17. Hit The Lights

18. Seek and Destroy

I am sure this was a night to remember that evening in June, and I know it will be a night to remember watching it on the big screen at home in October.

 

This will of course also be released as a DVD, though I find the blu-ray much more interesting.

 

Should you opt for the DVD, you also have the choice of a deluxe box set which also contains 5 CDs with the full show. This boxset is already available for preorder at www.metallica.com – though I find dishing out $100 for this a little steep.

 

I will be more than happy when my blu-ray is sitting in my player, video projector is on and sound is cranked up! 

Of course, once I get my grabby little hands on this, a thorough review will be posted.