Photo Gallery: Gigantour feat. Megadeth at the Palladium Ballroom

by Kenneth Smith of 2K7 Photography

Tonight, Megadeth brought its annual Gigantour to Grand Prairie's Nokia Theatre where thousands of fans got a much needed dose of fast, heavy (and even foreign) metal. Boasting bands from Sweden, Finland, and right here in North America, this year's tour proved to have one of the best lineups yet.

Following great performances by Oakland, California's High On Fire and Glendale, Arizona's Job for a Cowboy, Finnish metal group Children Of Bodom took the stage to what was the biggest crowd reaction yet. As with the next act, Sweden's In Flames, these guys seemed to have quite a fan base here despite the fact that they do not get much press or radio play in the states.

By the time Megadeth took the stage at 9:30 p.m., the venue had filled with its largest crowd of the night (though nowhere near capacity) and fans were on their feet ready to hear the thrash icons go to work. Beer, fists, and crowd surfers began flying about as Dave Mustaine came out shredding the guitar. This year's tour definitely satisfied and continues to grow in size each year, which leaves you eager to see what Mustaine has up his sleeve for the next installment of this annual metal "must-see."