Thrash metal veterans keep it real after 3 decades

IT doesn't get more old school than watching Megadeth at Kallang Theatre - the American thrash metal pioneers have been around for about as long as the slightly worn-out venue has been standing, and it felt like someone turned back the clock when the Grammy-winning veterans played there on Tuesday night.

The concert was the band's third and most intimate gig here but more than enough fans still turned up to make the auditorium look packed out. They were duly rewarded for their loyalty as the quartet, led by frontman Dave Mustaine, bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren, delivered a short and sharp 90-minute set.

The 17 songs spanned everything from their landmark 1986 major label debut Peace Sells... But Who's Buying all the way to the last year's Grammy-winning Dystopia.