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TESTAMENT
Titans Of Creation

Nuclear Blast (2020)
Rating: 9/10

I’ve loved Testament since day one. That old Legacy demo cassette from 1985 still gets an airing and the early batch of classics have become permanent fixtures on the stereo.

However, as the 90s and beyond took over, Testament, like Exodus, Overkill, Death Angel etc., were always in the diet but never essential. Maybe releases became generic as modern technology took over and I was left cold, even as Testament and their band of thrash brothers became more dynamic and downright heavier.

But with their latest offering there was no way that Testament were not going to make an impact – with a line-up consisting of drum lord Gene Hoglan, bass wizard Steve Di Giorgio, alongside usual suspects in axemen Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, and chief growler Chuck Billy.

It could be argued that this is Testament’s greatest ever line-up, and that’s a bold statement considering some of the personnel the California thrashers has featured. But just one blast of this monstrous album reveals a band that could be deemed the titans of thrash, especially when one considers the patchy careers of other so-called thrash big guns such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth et al.

‘Children Of The Next Level’ kicks things off; a hammer to the skull with its driving, rattling percussion and Steve Di Giorgio’s usual flexible, staggering and muscular bass patterns. Immediately you’re drawn in to high levels of structured chaos, awesome power metal lashings and with Chuck Billy’s recognisable chops and truly astonishing and ultra-heavy slab of glistening thrash.

This is classic Testament, hinting at those past gems that littered great albums such as The New Order (1988) and Practice What You Preach (1989). Leads flash and flit with stunning aplomb as another juddering juggernaut passes, shaking and rattling brains – Testament now masters of crafting great booming landscapes and glimmering tapestries of sweat-inducing thrash.

‘WWIII’ begins with speed and becomes speedier, the bass again coming to the fore as it brims with technical wizardry as it wriggles effortlessly between the devastating guitar attacks. Again, it’s classic Testament, beefed up and driving with no mercy, relentless in its pounding as Chuck Billy growls, “There is no escape… no-one can save us”. His vocal bellows drift into that deathlier noise, the slower passage slinking in with bone-crushing weight as the combo pulverises before setting off on another hasty retreat.

‘Dream Deceiver’ hints at that 80s San Francisco Bay Area sound with introduction as Gene Hoglan slaps the skins into submission; Testament always maintaining that groove-based thesis whereby immense thrash grindings are always backed up by an intense yet accessible shift of vast melody.

‘Night Of The Witch’ features a buzzsaw riff, and again that hammering percussion. Here, Testament simplify things as once again they drift into that classic groove-based melody; the track gallops with frenetic fusions of deft complexity but ultimately it’s a titanic creation (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) of dense, booming thrash that spits venom.

My only complaint, and it’s a petty one – in fact it’s rather pointless – is the polished production. Sorry, but I’m just an old school metalhead who likes that bad 80s production, and everything nowadays does seem to glint with a digitised coldness. But on a positive note, it does of course mean that every note from every instrument is audible and visible as a shimmering entity, rather than being muddied or missed.

That aside, this remains a punishing record right up to closing number ‘Catacombs’ which is merely a fizzing, chugging outro of mysticism. But whether it’s the striking blows of ‘The Healers’ with its catchy riffage and dribbling percussion, the similarly crafted ‘Symptoms’ which begins in slightly similar fashion before transforming into one of those mesmerising Di Giorgio experiments whereby the band shifts into one hell of a cool groove, or the aggressive angles of ‘Code Of Hammurabi’, there’s always going to be so much to digest with these band members present.

And that’s what gives Testament the edge of any kind of competitors. Hearing Hoglan’s relentless pounding should be rewarding enough, as should the trio of Testament stalwarts, but with Di Giorgio’s hypnotic bass threads worming their way through such a heavy mesh there was only going to be one result – a Testament record that stands above a great number of previous efforts from the band, and one that surely sends them to the top of their respective league.

With Slayer gone, Metallica – even with their last album – not being a thrash act for centuries, and Anthrax remaining just solid alongside Overkill and Death Angel, the more I listen to Testament’s latest chunk the more I realise just how it lives up to its statement title. All hail the kings!

Neil Arnold

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