Thrash Of The Titans Tour – Nervosa, Destruction, Obituary, Testament
17.10.2025 Wiesbaden, Schlachthof, Germany
Countless awards are presented around the world. In many cases, you have to wonder about the deeper meaning and often you find no answer. The line-up of the Thrash Of The Titans Tour with Nervosa, Destruction, Obituary and Testament would certainly have deserved one of the most prestigious awards for metal concerts. This was by far the best package you could send on tour, and it’s logical that it was bound to be a smash hit. There was a real run on the coveted tickets, and many shows across Europe were sold out way in advance. Accordingly, many metalheads were already queuing up early today in front of the Schlachthof in Wiesbaden to secure the last tickets at the box office…
When the gates of the Schlachthof opened at 6 p.m., it was already clear that the venue would be packed to the rafters this evening. And so Nervosa opened their set in front of a large audience and won over the fans with their powerful and extremely catchy thrash metal from the very first second.
I had never heard of this extremely talented band before and was more than impressed by how the girls from Brazil rocked the house and got the crowd in the mood for the bands that followed. Nervosa has been around for 15 years now and, after a few line-up changes, seems to have found a permanent line-up. The band plays with extreme precision and perfect coordination, serving the Wiesbaden audience one hit after another from their death-heavy thrash metal songs. The audience thanked Nervosa with loud applause when the Brazilians ended their set after a solid 35 minutes with the brilliant ‘Endless Ambition’. The only drawback was the short playing time, but for an opener this performance was more than remarkable. So right from the start, they gave it their all – hats off!
Setlist Nervosa:
Seed of Death
Behind the Wall
Kill the Silence
Perpetual Chaos
Venomous
Jailbreak
Endless Ambition
Destruction (start photo) were the next band that the fans at the Schlachthof were eagerly awaiting during the changeover. The stage design was more than mystical, with skulls on the microphone stands, and the entire stage layout was chosen to match the new album. Accompanied by Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve Of Destruction’, Schmier and his boys took to the stage and began their set with the powerful and melodic ‘Curse The Gods’, getting the audience moving immediately. The gig couldn’t have started better for the German thrashers, who harmonised very well with each other, constantly sought contact with the audience and, in addition to their musical elegance, proved to be an extremely fan-friendly band – both on and off stage!
The two guitarists, Damir Eskić and Martin Furia, were very agile and constantly on the move, while Schmier once again delivered a vocal masterpiece alongside his bass playing. The audience thanked them with thunderous applause and supported the band loudly. Destruction also had a little dig at all the assholes of everyday life, a special dedication with ‘Scumbag Human Race’, which was mercilessly celebrated by the fans. The song selection was excellent overall, featuring many highlights from the band’s history. The Wiesbaden audience remained steadfast throughout the set, celebrating their heroes and being treated to some thrash grenades towards the end of the set with evergreens such as ‘Thrash Til Death’ and ‘Bestial Invasion’. The musicians had a lot of fun on stage throughout the entire performance and ended this brilliant gig with ‘Destruction’, another song from their current album ‘Birth Of Malice’, bidding a more than dignified farewell. Thumbs up for the thrash metal legends Destruction, who later signed autographs at the merch stand and were available for selfies and small talk.
Setlist Destruction:
Curse The Gods
Nailed to the Cross
Scumbag Human Race
Mad Butcher
No Kings No Masters
Thrash ‘Til Death
Bestial Invasion
Destruction
Those who took a closer look noticed that the majority of fans in Wiesbaden this evening were not necessarily present for Testament, but – judging by the merchandise on display – rather for Obituary. This assumption became increasingly apparent as the audience number grew. The Florida death metallers received loud applause as soon as they took to the stage, opening their gig with ‘Redneck Stomp’. During its intro, singer John Tardy entered the stage to more thunderous applause and greeted the fans. With an ultra-heavy sound, the US Americans fired their slow and heavy compositions from the PA and sent the fans into complete ecstasy. Killer songs like the powerful and catchy ‘Sentence Day’ are so great live material that the intensity makes your blood run cold. The fans thanked the band with unwavering support. Obituary were in a playful mood. The sound quality was exemplary and you could literally feel how the band and the audience connected on the same level due to the intensity of the song material. ‘The Wrong Time’ from the new album ‘Dying Of Everything’ is even more powerful live than on record and once again caused joyful awe among the fans. John Tardy’s performance is unparalleled anyway. He is constantly on the move and simply all over the stage. His vocals are so unique that he makes every Obituary song something special. The fans were really in the mood and I’m sure that Obituary made sure that the fans were still buzzing the next day from this gig…
The Celtic Frost cover ‘Circle Of The Tyrants’ was a very special treat for the ears of the death metal maniacs, and the setlist naturally consisted largely of songs from the ‘Cause Of Death’ album which had its 35th anniversary. The ultimate highlight came at the end: Yess – absolute cult! ‘Slowly We Rot’ crept slowly and destructively out of the Schlachthof PA and here the musicians and fans gave it their all once again. This song is by far the highlight in the band’s history and was performed in a fabulous manner. The fans enjoyed this smash hit once again and gave Obituary a grand farewell, which the US Americans more than deserved after this masterful performance. Awesome – Obituary are definitely a band you have to see live!!!!
Setlist Obituary:
Redneck Stomp
Sentence Day
A Lesson in Vengeance
The Wrong Time
Infected
Body Bag
Dying
Cause of Death
Circle of the Tyrants (Celtic Frost cover)
Chopped in Half
Turned Inside Out
I’m in Pain
Slowly We Rot
During the break for the headliners Testament, a huge banner with a pentagram adorned the stage, and it’s no secret that frontman Chuck Billy and his bandmates are like fine wine, getting better with age. Testament kicked off their set with a furious rendition of ‘D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)’ and immediately raised the mood to a high level with the first notes, which they maintained throughout their performance and had the Wiesbaden audience completely under their spell. ‘Practice What You Preach’ illustrated this perfectly and was loudly celebrated by the fans.
Supported by an impressive light show and well-placed pyrotechnics, Testament’s music unfolded in all its power and beauty, impressively demonstrating that Chuck Billy and his boys are here to stay. It was really difficult to single out any songs, although ‘Trail Of Tears’ has a very special effect live thanks to Chuck Billy’s unique voice, making for a wonderful listening experience. Chris Dovas, who joined the band as drummer two years ago, also impressed with a profound drum solo after ‘More Than Meets the Eye’, giving the fans a little breather during the long set. Otherwise, like the rest of the band, he impressed with his tight playing and did a first-class job behind the drums. During ‘Infanticide A.I.’, a fast and straightforward Testament song, the atmosphere reached an extremely high level once again and the fans got their money’s worth. The musicians were clearly having fun, which naturally rubbed off on the crowd, and so towards the end of Testament’s set, classics such as ‘Return to Serenity’ and the truly brilliant ‘Into The Pit’ were celebrated by the audience, and Chuck Billy and Testament were given a big send-off with loud applause.
Setlist Testament:
D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
WWIII
Practice What You Preach
Sins of Omission
Native Blood
Trail of Tears
Low
More Than Meets the Eye
Drum Solo
First Strike Is Deadly
Infanticide A.I.
Shadow People
Return to Serenity
Electric Crown
Into the Pit
Conclusion: The evening lived up to the great billing in advance. Nervosa impressed right from the start and really got the fans going. Destruction put on their usual show and Schmier and his bandmates were simply magnificent. Obituary are simply unbeatable live, and if you were to rank the bands, John Tardy & Co. were the winners of the evening. Testament also delivered across the board and, as headliners, put the well-deserved crown on the whole event. Everything ran perfectly from an organisational point of view too – the security did an impeccable job at the almost sold-out Schlachthof in Wiesbaden, contributing to a great concert evening where all the fans went home highly satisfied. That’s how it should be!!!
