story & photo
by Jason Youngblood
Demons, metal and hell-fire were in high demand at the Mohegan Sun Arena on August 15 – one of the 17 stops for the Metal Masters Tour that swept across America through the month of August. The tour consisted of three bands, each with their own distinct sound. The first band to take the stage was Testament, followed by the two headliners Heaven and Hell, and Judas Priest.
Testament performed a short opener and then Heaven and Hell took the stage. Their frontman, Ronnie James Dio, is well renowned for his work as the lead singer for the bands Black Sabbath and Dio. The rest of the band is made up of ex-Black Sabbath members, so they already know how to harmonize with each other from their earlier years together. This band literally blew me away and kept me interested throughout their entire performance.
When I thought that it couldn’t get any better, Judas Priest took the stage. They opened up with their new song “Nostradamus” and the whole place when crazy! Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was lifted slowly onto the stage while he sang. This was not his only surprise of the night – Rob rode his motorcycle out onto the stage before singing “Hell Bent for Leather.”
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the night. It is safe to say that my taste for metal was most definitely satisfied.
