Anthrax, Alien Weaponry @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 25/3/2026
Anthrax hit the Hindley Street Music Hall Wednesday night, for the Adelaide leg of their 2026 Australian tour, and man did they bring the noise, hitting the stage hard to belt through a setlist of their fan favourites along with some killer recent cuts.
It would be remiss of me to review this gig without a nod (or a few headbangs) to support act, New Zealand metal trio Alien Weaponry, who really got the crowd pumped. Opening with a traditional haka which was almost reminiscent of The Hu, before blitzing through a powerful set which they kicked off with their track, Rū Ana Te Whenua. These guys were clearly stoked to snag the support slot with Anthrax for the tour and didn’t miss a beat, their energetic set really built the crowds energy, with the pit moshing hard and completely ready for the headliners by the time they wrapped up. Along with the opener, 1,000 Friends was another highlight of their set, if you haven’t seen these or heard of these guys, then make sure you check them out, I’m sure they’ll become a staple on the scene.
Sufficiently warmed up, it was time for the headliners. We’ve all been to those gigs with those legacy artists from our youth, only to hear slowed down, shuffling renditions of classics. Well, there was absolutely no fear of that, as Anthrax were every bit the thrash titans the fans expected and were firing on all cylinders, delivering a blistering thrash metal masterclass, and the crowd lapped it up. A.I.R., Madhouse and Caught In A Mosh kicked off their set, along with a fave of mine and many of the crowd it seems, their cover of the Joe Jackson track, Got The Time.
While some bands rest on their laurels live, delivering the same setlist decade after decade, never including newer material in their live set lists, Anthrax certainly didn’t and did not disappoint on that front, with the inclusion of three tracks from their latest couple of albums Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t along with a thunderous rendition of another of my faves, In The End, both from 2011’s Worship Music, as well as Breathing Lightning from their most recent release, 2016’s For All Kings, all three proved to be great set inclusions and the fans loved them. Potentially even more exciting though, we were treated to a live snippet of a new track from their upcoming album, which is due later this year and it sounded killer, blending seamlessly with the classic tracks, great stuff!!
The band was tight all night, guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante and bassist Frank Bello clearly still love playing together after all these years, lapping up the energy from the amped-up crowd and all had a ball on stage, as did more recent recruit, guitarist Jon Donais, who’s now been with the band for thirteen years. Singer Joey Belladonna was in great voice and spirits also, stalking the stage throughout the gig and even jumped on the drums for a cool cut down rendition of I’m The Man.
Rounding out the show, the band finished up the set with a series of their classics, Indians, the Judge Dredd inspired I Am The Law and the rabble raising Antisocial, one of the best set closers I’ve ever seen. These guys are still peak thrash, let’s hope they get back over here after the new album hits later this year.
Live Review By Peter Lanyon