Dispelling rumors abound from long before, the “big four” in thrash metal — Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth — took the same stage after 30+ years of individually melting faces across the globe with riffs and double-bass drums from hell. In Sofia, Bulgaria, the Sonisphere Festival brought these acts together for a night that would make every metal fan die from sheer fandom alone, then proceeded to broadcast it in theaters live around the world for those of us who could not attend in person.

Ladies and gentlemen, the definition of “epic” now follows, courtesy of Rock It Out! Blog and Scott Ian’s Twitter:

“After 29 years of doing this to reach this apex is just so fucking cool. It was a monumental moment of epic proportions. I’m so high from the experience I can’t sleep.”

Members from all four bands performed our finale piece, while three bands’ vocalists — James Hetfield (Metallica), Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) — alternated verses. The song chosen? Diamond Head’s 1980 classic, “Am I Evil?” (a song previously covered by Metallica on their covers release, Garage, Inc.). It should be noted that this show took place despite varying degrees of past tension between different members of each band, most notably Hetfield and Mustaine, who were former band mates during the early Metallica days circa Kill ‘Em All.

None of that matters tonight. Zero, zip, nada. Why? Witness the “epic”.