In their 30 years of existence, Testament has no bad album. Testament also has had a serious high point of quality since 1999’s “The Gathering” and hasn’t let that down whatsoever.

I was a massive fan of 2008’s “The Formation of Damnation” and I consider it to be their most definitive work; Encompassing all of the elements that made Testament what they are – Melodic thrash, groove, aggression, and just top notch Metal songwriting.

Yeah, it sucks a bit with how long it takes them between albums, but you know what? It’s a treat. With how many releases there are on a weekly basis from so many bands and artists it’s hard to just enjoy one thing bit by bit. So when legends like Slayer, Metallica, and Testament take a few years between albums, it makes it easier to appreciate what they’ve put forth because realistically, they don’t need to record anything else. They do because they want to.

“Brotherhood of the Snake” is 110% what you want from Testament. It all meets somewhere between Formation, Gathering, Dark Roots, and Demonic. It’s most definitely one of their most aggressive outputs to date as the band had stated before release. Eric Peterson wrote the majority of the album and perhaps he’s tired of being in the shadow of Alex Skolnick who typically seems to be the guitarist most talked about? I don’t know, but it seems like he wanted to prove something and make a statement and that he did. Hey, the album even starts with a blast beat from drum master Gene Hoglan.

Not that there’s anything wrong with mid-tempo songs, but I’ve always felt that Testament is better suited to being faster and more in your face than mid tempo. So almost by default, this release pleases me by being more thrash. “Seven Seals” and “Born in a Rut” may be my least favorite songs on here, and they’re still very solid.

Bottom line: This album kicks your fucking ass, and has proven that 2016 was an amazing year for the genre.

Standout tracks? Brotherhood of the Snake, The Pale King, Stronghold, Centuries of Suffering, Neptune’s Spear, Canna-Business, The Number Game

 

#Testament #BrotherhoodOfTheSnake #ChuckBilly #GeneHoglan  #AlexSkolnick #SteveDigiorgio #EricPeterson #NuclearBlast