PUT THE PEDAL TO THE METAL

As black clouds gathered over Moonstar Studio 8 in Lat Phrao on
last Wednesday night, just hours before Megadeth’s “Live in Bangkok Metal
Fest 1” was due to start, organisers and fans looked skywards, worried that rain would
delay the long-awaited gig. Fortunately, the storm blew over and more than 3,000
metalheads, all dressed in black, crowded into the venue for a night of unadulterated sound.
The metal fest opened with mini-shows by three of Thailand best-known hard rock
bands. Ebola was first on stage and rocked the audience with “Sang Sawang”, “Ao Hai
Tai”, “Sak Wan” then segued into “Khwam Pen Pai” and “Het Phroh” as they were joined
by Blackhead’s guitarist Apisit “Eak” Pongchaisirikul.
Thai progressive death metal Dezember didn’t let the audience catch their collective
breaths, opening with Norathep Jindamat’s powerful roar and
Sayam Chumthong’s speed riff on “Klang Khuen Pen Khwan Klang Wan Pen Fai”then
following up with “Thoraraj”, “Sratha Rue Satha”, “Dok Thong … Dae
Ther”,“Angulimala” and their hit “Lathi Satan”.
The Sun rounded out the first half with axeman and Yngwie Malmsteen fan
Chakrarin “Pop” Duangmaneeratanachai performing an instrumental version of  “Soo”
before being joined by Pathompong “Pong” Sombatpibul for a tight set that included
vintage rock tracks “Nang Maew”, “Wad Rawang”, “Kangkao Fai” and “Rocker.”
Sadly, the Thai bands were allocated a measly 30 minutes each, disappointing the
metalheads who were well into the music and ready for more.
A full hour passed by and the audience, which included a handful of foreigners, was
beginning tp get restless, when Megadeth burst on stage with a speed-rocking assault
in “Never Dead”, a track from the American metal band’s latest album “Thirteen”.
They went straight into “Head Crusher” from 2009’s “Endgame” then back to the latest outing for “Gun, Drugs & Money”, “Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)” and “Public
Enemy No 1”.
The crowd headbanged on “Hangar 18” from Megadeth’s landmark “Rust in Peace”
(1990), which was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 33rd Grammy Awards.
Also from that album came “Dawn Patrol”, “Poison Was the Cure” and the closer “Holy
Wars... The Punishment Due”, In between, Megadeth played “In My
Darkest Hour”, which Dave Mustaine wrote following the death of Metallica bassist Cliff
Burton in September 1986. Thai fans were probably unaware of the song’s history and
had fun helping Mustaine sing the words.
Other tracks included “A Tout Le Monde”, “Angry Again”, penned for the action film
“Last Action Hero” in 1993, “Symphony of Destruction” and “Peace Sells”.
“Symphony of Destruction”, a track, from Megadeth’s best-selling 1992 album
“Countdown to Extinction”, opened with Mozart’s “Offertorium, Domine Jesu
Christe” from the Reqiuem before shifting into a heavily melodic guitar riff.
The excitement of the metal show continued right through to the encore, “Holy
Wars … The Punishment Due.”
Unfortunately, the sound system at the front of stage was so bad that no one standing there could hear a word Mustaine said or sang.