SHONDA MICHELSON | Go Venue Magazine
On May 7, 2025, the world-famous Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan, hosted a sold out night of thrash metal history with TESTAMENT celebrating the 35th anniversary of their 1989 landmark album Practice What You Preach. This wasn’t your average metal show. There were no opening bands…just TESTAMENT, up close and personal, telling stories, and delivering a setlist as deep as their legacy.
The Machine Shop, a Flint institution known for its intimate, no frills vibe, has become a Michigan mecca for metal and hard rock fans. With its industrial lighting, and walls lined with memorabilia, The Machine Shop is more than a venue. It’s a place where music isn’t just played, it’s lived. And TESTAMENT turned this sacred ground into a thrashing temple of celebration, delivering one of the most memorable nights in the venue’s storied history.
TESTAMENT’s An Evening With… tour is exactly what fans have dreamed of: no openers, no filler. Just pure, unrelenting TESTAMENT. The evening was a tribute to their 1989 landmark album Practice What You Preach, celebrating its 35th anniversary with a full-album performance and some deep cuts from their catalog. As the lights dimmed and the first notes of the title track roared through the speakers, the energy ignited instantly. The band stormed the stage with their commanding presence, and Chuck Billy’s thunderous vocals. Guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick tore through killer riffs and leads with precision, their chemistry as sharp as ever, while bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer Chris Dovas locked it into a brutal pulse that hit like a freight train.
Hearing songs that they have never played live before, like Greenhouse Effect and The Ballad, felt like a rare gift. As the acoustic guitars were brought to the stage, before launching into the acoustic intro of The Ballad, they shared that the song had a different title when it was written, but they thought they’d only ever write one ballad, so they figured, might as well call it The Ballad. Chuck also reflected on his dream of being a guitar player as a kid, a premonition that his life would be cut short at 38 years, and his victorious battle with cancer. He shared his gratitude to be approaching 63 years of life. That story led seamlessly into Envy Life, a song that took on deeper meaning as Chuck urged the crowd to embrace life and live it to the fullest.
The surprises didn’t end with the Practice What You Preach album. TESTAMENT dug into their vault, serving up more songs from their extensive catalog like The Legacy (1990 Souls Of Black), Rise Up (2012 Dark Roots Of Earth), City of Angels (2020 Titans Of Creation), and Return to Serenity (1992 The Ritual), a song that the band admits to being “the most popular song we used to refuse to play.” But perhaps the most explosive moment came during the closer, Into the Pit (1988 The New Order). Chuck raised his hand, swirling his finger in the air, and instantly the floor erupted into a classic circle pit.
TESTAMENT didn’t just perform, they connected. The stories, the deep cuts, the rare performances. It all felt intimate, raw, and celebratory. They weren’t just marking an anniversary; they were honoring a legacy. If you’ve ever been moved by the crushing riffs of Practice What You Preach or the fire of Bay Area thrash, this tour is unmissable. TESTAMENT proved, yet again, that they’re not just survivors of the scene — they are its torchbearers.
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