It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since the ecstatically received Bortherhood Of The Snake. However, with Testament subscribing to the notion that the most important place for a metal band is the stage, the intervening years have been ones of near-constant touring. Thus, it was only in early 2019 that the band were able to convene with Juan Urteaga for their thirteenth album, Titans Of Creation. Written and developed in close partnership by the whole band and with the final mix overseen by studio legend Andy Sneap, Titans Of Creation sees Testament at the peak of their formidable powers, once again underscoring their status as legends of the thrash scene.
Opening track, Children Of The Next Level, with lyrical inspiration from the Heaven’s Gate Cult, is a virulent tornado of thrash that instantly reminds the listener that Testament have been at the forefront of this sort of thing for decades and never fail to deliver, whether in terms of intensity or musicianship. Similarly, the virulent WW III, which features a dizzying performance from drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan, is every bit as explosive as its title suggests, with frontman Chuck Billy sounding utterly in control of proceedings. Indeed, few frontmen have the power and authority that Chuck exudes here, and his performance can only be described as monstrous. Kicking off with a seething riff, Dream Deceiver may lyrically take a look at the vulnerability of the dream state, but there’s nothing vulnerable about the band’s precision-tolled performance. If everything that has gone before sees testament firing on all cylinders, then the exceptional Night Of The Witch still manages to go one above. Featuring blistering vocals from Eric Peterson, the track takes its inspiration from the 2015 film The VVitch, and there’s a remarkable depth to the piece that instantly makes you want to leap up and windmill ‘till you puke. At a time when there’s so much music out there it’s easy to be come cynical over a band’s ability to set the blood pumping through the veins, but Night Of The Witch does exactly that. And then, as if to prove that the previous track was no fluke, Testament surprise the listener still further with a dark, atmospheric piece reminiscent of classic Queensryche, entitled City Of Angels. A bowel-loosening tale of fear that references infamous killer Richard Ramierrz, City Of Angels sees Testament experimenting with form and proving themselves the masters when it comes to setting a suitably visceral tale to music. The first half concludes with the epic Ishtars Gate, an Eastern-styled piece of music that pares back the verse in order to give an already meaty chorus even greater weight.
Opening up the second half of the album, Alex Skolnick’s Symptoms features some wonderfully intricate guitar work whilst lyrically detailing a struggle with mental health issues. Impressive as the guitar work is, it’s also worth noting the jazz-influenced bass work 9Steve DeGiorgio) that lies at the heart of the piece, the track proving to be both musically complex, and yet remarkably accessible. Rather more business as usual, False Prophet is simply a great thrash song, although the blazing solo at its heart sets the heart racing. Elsewhere, The Healers sees Chuck detailing his experiences of medicine men, engaging once again with his heritage and, in digging deep into his own personal story, forging a connection with the listener that has long been his trademark. The track also boasts one of Testament’s catchiest choruses to date, and it’s easy to imagine this igniting the pit like petrol on a bonfire. A churning bass line announces the crushing metallic might of Code Of Hammurabi, and the frantic Curse Of Osiris is similarly brutal thrash, once again anchored by Chuck’s untouchable vocal performance. It leaves the short and surprisingly grandiose Catacombs to bring things to a neat conclusion. A two-minute coda, complete with synth keys and choral vocals reminiscent of Therion, it caps off Testament’s fourth consecutive triumph since reforming, and showcases just how much life there is still left in the thrash beast.
From song-writing and delivery to album art and production, Testament have once again shown themselves to be at the forefront of thrash. With Slayer now sadly in the realms of the past tense, only Megadeth and Anthrax come even close to this level of vitality and it’s remarkable to see, once again, just how forward-thinking Testament’s take on the genre truly is. Far from being a simple reassertion of former glories, Titans Of Creation is both lyrically and musically an accomplished record and the fierce rush of Adrenalin that leaps around the nervous system from the very first notes lets you know this is the real deal and leave you with the one inescapable conclusion – Testament rule. 9
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