Live Review: Anthrax – XL Tour – O2 Academy Brixton, London

40 years seems like a feat not many bands reach, however Thrash Metal legends Anthrax are still going stronger than ever! The ‘XL’ tour of the UK culminates at London’s prestigious O2 Academy Brixton and with support from Sworn Enemy and Municipal Waste, Anthrax plan on making it one hell of a celebration! Here’s what went down

As fans flooded into the venue, the anticipation was high and Sworn Enemy took to the stage with the room already fairly full. Opening with their track ‘Sworn Enemy’ before blitzing into the likes of ‘Destroyer’ and ‘Prepare For Payback’, they quickly captivated the Thrash elitist in attendance and pits started to creep in as their set went on. A high-octane performance was exactly what was needed to get the crowd warmed up and this was only made that much sweeter by the band doing short snippets of Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’ and Pantera’s ‘Domination’ at the end of ‘Here Today’ and ‘We Hate’ respectively.

Municipal Waste

Up next was Municipal Waste and if there’s one thing you need to know about them, it’s that they love to party! ‘Demoralizer’ opened their set before swiftly transitioning into ‘You’re Cut Off’ and ‘Unleash The Bastards’. Short yet impactful songs are what Municipal Waste specialize in and it makes for some explosive crowd responses. ‘Wave Of Death’ had the pit moving at full speed while ‘Under The Waste Command’ had the entire room bouncing. Ensuring the crowd was ready for Anthrax, Municipal Waste ended with ‘Born To Party’ which sent the London Thrashers into a frenzy!

After a chaotic night of beer drinking and moshing, it was finally time for Anthrax to take to the stage. Opening with a Video package featuring some of rock and metal’s biggest names discussing the influence the band had on the genre as a whole, the band wasted little time diving into ‘Among The Living’. A little rest bite was offered as ‘Caught In A Mosh’ followed before ‘Madhouse’ came charging in after. This was a night to celebrate the band’s entire Discography and the set promised to be full of hits and rarities.

‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ would follow and top up the crowd’s enthusiasm towards the set while ‘Keep It In The Family’ only carried the momentum forward. One of the big moments of the night had to be the performance of ‘Antisocial’. The crowd sang in unison and the whole of Brixton Academy reverberated as a result. ‘I Am The Law’ saw the pit hit a new high in terms of energy levels and ‘In The End’ went down a treat with the drunken Thrashers.

The night was growing old and both the fans and the band knew what was needed. ‘Medusa’ and ‘Only’ helped the set forward however the second wind was found as Scott Ian busted out ‘Bring The Noise’ and followed up with ‘I’m The Man’, a track that hadn’t been played live since 2017! Understandably, the crowd’s intensity grew as a result so Anthrax capitalized by dropping their hit track ‘Indians’ to a mammoth reaction! The set was drawing to a close but a final send-off in the form of ‘Got The Time’ followed by ‘Efilnikufesin (N.F.L)’ sent the crowd home with smiles brimming across their battle-hardened faces.

The night as a whole was something truly special. It was not just another show, it was a celebration of an incredible career of one of Thrash Metals’ pioneers. Anthrax provided a unique set that spanned the there Discography and I didn’t see a single person who was disappointed with the set that was performed!