Testament – ‘Dark Roots Of Earth’ Album Review

Thrash may have returned, revitalised, in recent years, but the truth is that for many it never went away. Listening to ‘Dark roots of earth’, the tenth album from veterans Testament, you realise just how arrogant and unnecessary the concept of ‘the big four’ actually is and how much of that spurious value judgement was based on sales rather than on sheer, devastating, muscular ability. In 2008 Testament’s return after a nine year hiatus was a bolt from the blue, garnering praise from across the board and cementing Chuck Billy’s reputation as one of the best, most committed and exhilarating frontmen in metal. Chuck, of course, was only half the story. The other major factor in Testament’s blazing return to action was the white hot guitar playing of Alex Skolnick and the dual shock of these two major players on the metal scene once again uniting under the Testament banner was enough to send most music journalists scrambling for the thesaurus in order to heap suitably wordy praise upon the resulting album, ‘Formation of Damnation’.

Now, in 2012, Testament are back following another line up shuffle (the mighty Gene Hoglan now occupies the drum stool) and expectations are sky high thanks to the band’s formidable live shows and a canny marketing ploy from Nuclear blast that saw fans given access to an array of in studio clips, most of which are repeated here on the limited edition DVD. Can the album possibly live up to such a weight of expectation? The answer (as if you hadn’t guessed) is a simple, resounding YES. ‘Dark roots of earth’ oozes quality from the awe-inspiring artwork to the nine blistering tracks contained therein and once more Testament’s star rides high (higher, perhaps, than in their early career) via a choice selection of heavy metal anthems that emphasise the power and diversity of the band.

The band start as they mean to go on – no intro, no messing around, just the foaming riff of ‘rise up’ and Chuck’s inspired opening gambit of “when I say rise up, when I say war, that means the time is now, to even up the score”, delivered with a feverish intensity, is a call to arms of the most primal and irresistible kind. It’s an album opener of immense power and it’s hard not to wonder if perhaps Testament have shot their bolt too early, only for the furious slam of single ‘native blood’ to crush any such nascent fears before they’ve even fully formed. A blistering affirmation of Chuck’s heritage, ‘Native blood’ is intelligently written and delivered with a searing power that sends shivers down the spine. After such a knock-out combination, Testament pause to take stock in the most unexpected of ways. With the majority of the album veering between classic thrash and the more furious death metal of ‘Demonic’, the title track heads off into dark territory where Alice in Chains jam with Megadeth and ‘load’-era Metallica, the guitars grinding against minor key vocals and a solid, mid-tempo groove that still packs a major punch, whilst the solos add depth to the composition.

It’s back to a more brutal style on the anthemic ‘true American hate’, which positively bristles with rage and inspired self-confidence, a stately classic rock introduction giving way to a stunning thrash riff that sees Chuck unleashing his most formidable vocals over the top, whilst Gene Hoglan’s distinctive drumming adds a rhythmic backdrop that does not so much rumble overhead as explode out of the speakers. ‘A day in the death’ with its battle cry of “my back is against the wall” is another stone-cold monster and you begin to wonder if Testament realised when they were writing the album that every single track is a potential, stadium-filling masterpiece. There is no let-up in the quality of the music or the fire of the delivery and you are once again reminded that Testament are music fans first and foremost, wide-eyed and still excited by the seemingly infinite power of music, and their passion and commitment to heavy music shines through every furious riff and every beautifully played solo.

The acoustic guitars appear next for the stunningly atmospheric ‘cold embrace’ which mixes in those classic Iron Maiden influences with the band’s own heavier bent for a song that allows the listener to lay back, close their eyes and embark upon a journey, drawn ever forward by the power of the music. It’s a remarkable throwback to the majestic, progressive epics of ‘ride the lightning’ and the star of the show is Chuck whose voice is tuneful but with just the right amount of grit to give the performance depth. After such a mellow moment, the furious riff of ‘man kills mankind’ sweeps in like a scythe, Gene’s drums maintaining a vicious pace and Greg Christian’s solid bass work laying down a tight foundation across which Alex and Eric can tear at will. ‘Throne of thorns’ is another hulking, moody monster that initially slows the pace before the band reach deep to pull out another brutal riff that’s backed by a fearsome groove from the rhythm section who play with a devastating swing that is as much about intuition as technical ability. It’s a definite album highlight, possessed of a wondrous sense of melody and power and then closing track ‘last stand for independence’ is unleashed like a battery of nuclear missiles, the riffs a heady brew of piss ‘n’ vinegar and Chuck letting his mighty roar roam free one last time before the curtains fall.

Special Edition Notes

If you’re any kind of fan then the special edition will have been calling to you across the gleaming CD racks in your local store (you do still support your local store, right?) Packaged in a stunning, rigid, digi-book format that allows the artwork a greater degree of space, for your money you get four bonus tracks and a DVD, all of which is worth having.

For the bonus tracks Testament have followed in Metallica’s footsteps to deliver a Queen cover, this time in the form of the excellent ‘Dragon attack’, as well as covers of ‘Powerslave’ (if you need to know who wrote this you shouldn’t be here!) and ‘animal magnetism’ (the Scorpions). The covers are well executed whilst an even better bonus is the extended version of album highlight ‘throne of thorns’ which rounds out the selection of extra tracks. Over on the DVD, meanwhile, you get a ‘making of’ documentary, which covers much of the ground fans will recall from the webisodes, a brief and rather unnecessary ‘gear tour’ with Alex Skolnick which will appeal to the more technically minded and then, the icing on the cake, a twenty minute live set from the Avalon featuring four pro-shot songs. The quality is good (although not to the standard of ‘live in London’) and the whole forms an appealing, sixty minute selection of video that is a pretty enticing incentive to grab the special edition.

Given the power of ‘formation of damnation’, as well as the embarrassment of riches that is Testament’s back catalogue, it would be easy for the band to simply unleash A.N Other album, but such is Testament’s dedication to their craft that on ‘dark roots of earth’ they have simply and cheerfully excelled themselves. With Chuck Billy’s devastating, melodic roar, Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson’s amazing soloing and Gene Hoglan’s inhuman drumming all the ingredients are there, but it’s the songs that make a great album and here every single track is a memorable, brilliantly composed example of thrash at its very best. Certainly one of the albums of the year, it may also be one of the albums of Testament’s not insubstantial career and for long-term fans it is yet further proof that the ‘big four’ missed a trick when they forgot about the unstoppable force that is Testament.