While all ‘Big 4’ thrash bands have their place, Metallica have long outgrown Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth in terms of worldwide popularity. Their commercial success arguably peaked with their self-titled 1991 black album, and they struggled to make consistently decent album for over a decade afterwards. With their post 1991 output barely represented in an epic-length performance, perhaps Metallica aren’t so sure of their late 90s/early 00’s work either. The absence of anything from the nasty ‘St Anger’ speaks for itself.

You can’t go far wrong with a Metallica performance that’s heavily weighted towards their 80s work and even though James Hetfield’s voice isn’t quite as edgy as it once was, this headline set broadcast on Swedish TV is no exception. Hit the lights…

In a weird parallel of Anthrax’s summer tour, Slayer too took the festival circuit without one of their key members. In this case, the band were forced to complete various dates without guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who became ill after contracting a flesh eating virus (which may have been caused by a poisonous spider bite, according to some sources). His place for this show (and various others) is taken by Exodus man Gary Holt. Hanneman, meanwhile has made a good recovery and even performed encores at a California show back in April.

Watch the complete Slayer set + pre-show interview with Tom Araya below:

As the band with the closest links to Metallica with regards to the thrash metal ‘Big 4’ (with frontman Dave Mustaine being an ex-Metallica guitarist), in some ways they have the most to prove. Of the ‘Big 4’ thrash bands, they’ve arguably been the band with the most unstable line-up, with Megadeth at times seeming no more than “Mustaine + some blokes”. The reinstatement of former bassist David Ellefson in 2010 helped a little, but even so, as a band, they don’t have much of a public face.

This set from Sonisphere appears somewhat workmanlike, with the audience visibly unmoved at times. This isn’t helped by the vocals being too low in the mix. It’s a shame things didn’t work out better, since with regards to the ‘Big 4’, Megadeth have recorded some of the best songs. Their ‘Rust In Peace’ and ‘Countdown To Extinction albums, in particular, are on a par with Metallica’s best, and certainly far superior to most of Metallica’s 1991 output…

With a new album on the horizon and classic frontman Joey Belladonna firmly back in the band, Anthrax seem pretty solid.  Even with Sepultura’s Andreas Kisser substituting for guitarist Scott Ian (who is missing the band’s summer festival shows, as his wife is due to give birth), they sound pretty tight.

Their complete set for their performance as part of the ‘Big 4’ show in Ullevi, Sweden on July 3rd, 2011 can be seen below.