There’s a reason Sydney-based melodic death/thrash maniacs Flaming Wrekage find themselves on the same bill as some of the biggest extreme metal bands on the face of the planet: they absolutely rip.

With last year’s Terra Firma LP cementing the band as a lasting force, the boys have been able to undertake a rigorous touring schedule, and tonight’s performance showed a band road-tested and maybe even at the peak of their powers. Set highlights included the unrelentingly thrashy Ghosts and Running Blind, which somehow made a room full of jaded middle-aged Testament fans raise their fists in the air. A strong outing from a great local talent.

There is no more boring topic in all of metal than the ‘big four of thrash’. And top of the associated tediousness list is who should be in it and who has been unfairly maligned. I couldn’t care less that Testament made the big four, because really, it’s not important.

What is important, however, is that this band, now celebrating well over 40 years of existence, remains a vital, not to mention visceral, act with a recorded legacy far more consistent than some of the ‘bigger’ names of their genre. Importantly, this isn’t a band whose best days were in the mid-1980s, with the Bay Area legends having been on an absolute tear since 2008’s ‘comeback’ LP The Formation of Damnation.

It was great, then, that this period of Testament’s history was well represented in the setlist with the likes of Pale King, More Than Meets The Eye, Native Blood and the anthemic Rise Up receiving a huge response from the audience. It was also good to see Testament pay tribute to records that originally got lost in the shuffle. Electric Crown live is much better than its somewhat lifeless origin on the bloated Ritual LP, while 1994’s perpetually underrated Low album was well represented by the title track and the moody Trail Of Tears.

Of course, the timeless OG classics still matter, and the gloriously catchy refrains of evergreen tracks like Into The Pit, The Haunting and Practice What You Preach were met with a rapturous response from the sold-out crowd. For me, however, it was a monstrous rendition of D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate), where drummer Chris Dovas proved he could deliver Dave Lombardo’s insane drum patterns with the same power and panache as the great man, which was a set highlight.

Musically, Testament were a sonic juggernaut. Vocalist Chuck Billy may be getting on in years, but his voice holds up surprisingly well, even if his distinctive and rich voice was a little buried in the mix at times (something highlighted by how great he managed to sound when rising above it on fan favourite Souls Of Black).

The double axe attack of Alex Skolnik and Eric Peterson was as razor sharp and formidable as ever, with noted virtuoso Skolnik in particular delivering creative leads throughout the entire set. Leaving aside just how good Testament were musically, something else was very evident. This was a band that was enjoying the shit out of playing and could have been only a couple of years into their career – and not ready to think about retirement.

The easy back-and-forth between the members and the playfulness evident throughout the evening reflected a band that has put past bullshit and member changes behind them and wants nothing more than to celebrate its position as one of thrash metal’s undisputed giants.

Testament haven’t graced our shores for over a decade, and the fact that this gig was sold out months ahead shows that they have been missed. The crowd, which, to be honest, somehow rammed the venue to a point where it was hard to even move around, represented ages 18-60 and reacted with fervour to almost every song (although there was a noticeable rush to the loos during the ill-advised inclusion of the dragging Return To Serenity).

All of this is a reminder that while Testament may never have reached the stratospheric heights of some of their Bay Area colleagues, they remain one of the most important and impactful bands of the entire movement. Given how strong this band remains, there is no reason they can’t keep touring and churning out new material for many years to come. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another decade plus to see the mighty Testament return to our shores.