POP REVIEW : Thrashers Turn Out for Testament

More than 600 mostly teen-age thrashers braved rainy weather Thursday night to attend Testament’s show at the Country Club--a sign that the Reseda venue may still be able to serve as a home for rock even though it has recently lost its liquor permit. The secret: book bands--such as Testament--that are heavily geared to teens.

More than three-quarters of the audience was on its feet during the San Francisco quintet’s hour-plus show, and many people jammed up front, creating a sweat-soaked crush pit. Thanks to its high-energy flash, however, Testament doesn’t only appeal to an under-21 crowd.

Instead of standing like statues, the band, which has two albums on Megaforce/Atantic Records, is pure power in motion, whipping furiously around the stage. It also displays superior musicianship and well-written songs. “Eerie Inhabitants” and “Trial by Fire” were among several tunes that showed a tasty blend of melodic guitar, rhythmic crunch and fist-pumping choruses.

There is a downside, though. The attitude of singer Chuck Billy has an annoyingly negative edge. He railed against “poseurs” several times during the show--meaning anyone who likes bands such as Cinderella, Bon Jovi or Poison.

With thrash and speed metal gaining widespread acceptance among all metal fans, this type of humorless me/them slamming is likely to turn off a portion of the audience that listens to both sides of the metal spectrum.