The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria

Background and release

The historic first performance of American thrash metal’s “big four”—Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax—took place on June 16, 2010, at the Sonisphere Festival in Warsaw, Poland. The day before, bandmembers from all groups except Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman posed for a group photo. The concert in Sofia, Bulgaria, on June 22 was a one-night event directed by Nick Wickham, filmed and broadcast via satellite to over 450 U.S. theaters and more than 350 theaters across Europe, Canada, and Latin America, including London’s Leicester Square.

Tickets cost roughly $20 and were sold through TheBigFourLive.com, which also listed participating venues. Delayed screenings followed in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. The film’s content and artwork were revealed on August 25, 2010, with a limited-edition guitar pick unveiled the next day. Originally set for an October 11 European release, the date shifted to October 15, with international release on October 18 and North American on October 19.

On September 15, a “super deluxe” limited box set was announced, and a 36-second preview appeared on September 17. By mid-September, the release was postponed again: European on October 29, international on November 1, and North American on November 2. Four teaser clips arrived on October 12; nine days later, Metallica’s “Sad but True” performance was released. A three-and-a-half-minute trailer came out on September 21.

Slayer’s title card was the only one not using the band’s official logo, and all Slayer members except drummer Dave Lombardo skipped the “Am I Evil?” performance due to lack of interest. In 2016, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine expressed interest in additional Big Four shows.

Reception

The album was received positively by music critics. Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave it four out of five stars, calling each song incredibly energetic and the performances stellar without a lapse, and highlighting specific tracks from each band as well as the encore 'Am I Evil?' as an historic high point. In a mixed review for Blogcritics, Chris Beaumont noted that the performances and sets are great and it is hard not to get excited about the bands taking the stage together.

Chad Bowar of About.com described the concert as one of the defining moments and biggest events in recent metal history, commenting that the bands can still put on a great show despite their age. He distinguished each band's style: Anthrax has a lighthearted, fun approach; Megadeth is 100 percent business with little banter; Slayer has an ominous vibe, though their evil mystique has lessened; and Metallica were inclusive, with James Hetfield acting as everybody's favorite uncle.