TESTAMENT

The trick for any veteran band is to keep delivering the goods while maintaining some level of excitement for future possibilities. TESTAMENT have had an excellent 21st century so far, releasing four studio albums that have been almost universally praised, and backing each one of them up with reliably imperious live performances. Along with the similarly vital likes of EXODUS and KREATOR, the Bay Area band have been instrumental in keeping thrash metal's older generation at the forefront of the modern scene. But even taking into account the self-evident quality of records like "The Formation Of Damnation" and "Titans Of Creation", TESTAMENT still have the hunger to achieve more. Their 14th studio effort positively reeks of a desire to push thrash forward, to make it darker and more imaginative, and to dismantle any and all restrictions on what the genre can be. "Para Bellum" is a fucking monster.

There is one lineup change to account for here. The departure of Gene Hoglan, who has the resurrection of DARK ANGEL taking up his time, has not had the damaging effect it might have engendered. Replacing Hoglan is no one's idea of an easy ride, but it is obvious from the opening seconds of "For the Love of Pain" that TESTAMENT have found a more than capable auxiliary skin-whacker in Chris Dovas, former drummer with SEVEN SPIRES. Coinciding with the band's decision to get heavier and nastier, Dovas's skills are all over "Para Bellum", bringing more blastbeats and moments of destructive intensity than TESTAMENT has ever had before. With one exception, these songs are the most brutal and dynamic that they have written in decades. With strong echoes of previous heavyweight releases like "Low", "Demonic" and "The Gathering", this retooled lineup have embraced death and black metal like never before, albeit with a solid, unassailable creative core of thrash that never wavers from its classic clangor. Chuck Billy has been thrash's greatest vocalist for a long time, but he has really stretched and excelled himself this time around, thanks to songs that weave several strains of aggression together in a seamless, box-fresh new hybrid. From merciless growls to some of the most powerful clean vocals he has ever committed to tape, "Para Bellum" marks a new career high for the singer. In fact, every member of TESTAMENT is on staggering form. Throw in a superlative mixing job courtesy of the increasingly remarkable Jens Bogren, and "Para Bellum" gives the distinct impression that everyone involved is determined to make this one count.

It starts with two no-holds-barred thrashers that will take the top of your head off. "For The Love Of Pain" is a dastardly, scabby-fisted whirlwind of insane speed, rambunctious grooves and cudgeling chaos, closer to melodic death metal (with a blackened heart) than anything more traditional but also fueled by the most modern of thrash metal sonic values. Guitarist Eric Peterson has always been a reliable source of killer riffs, but he has clearly been taking his vitamins recently, because TESTAMENT are fabulously hostile and hard-edged throughout this album, particularly on "Infanticide A.I." , which must be the most exhilarating pre-album single of the year. From its dramatic intro to the ferocity of Dovas's blasting as the song evolves into a full-bore thrash ripper, this is the sound of legends unleashed. The same can be said of "Shadow People", which leans heavily into black metal, with clear nods to SATYRICON in its mid-paced scree but obliterates the bullseye when it comes to forging thrash that asserts its relevance in 2025. TESTAMENT may not be in the Big Four, but they are making music that holds its own against anything the actual Big Four could manage right now.

Songs like "High Noon" and "Witch Hunt" are laudably contemporary, but still firmly in the band's recognizable wheelhouse. It's a neat trick to pull off, but here it is achieved with such forcefulness and verve that "Para Bellum" has the energy of a debut. "Nature Of The Beast", "Room 117" and "Havana Syndrome" all conjure gleaming, fresh variations on a 40-year-old formula, and the closing title track is a monstrous display of lethal expertise that crams more incendiary ideas into its six-minute duration than most of TESTAMENT's '80s contemporaries have produced in decades. And yes, there is a ballad, and it's a great one. "Meant To Be" is a lavish, slow-moving splurge of grandeur and grace, with a brilliantly understated vocal from Chuck Billy, some tasteful orchestral augmentation, a wonderful solo from Alex Skolnick, and an instrumental mid-section that sounds like JUDAS PRIEST jamming with THIN LIZZY in Valhalla. "Para Bellum" is plainly an album designed to elicit ludicrous comparisons and frothing plaudits.

Not quite the thrash album of the year (that one arrives later this month!) but easily the best thing TESTAMENT have recorded since their initial run of classic albums, "Para Bellum" is an unequivocal triumph. The bar for old guys playing thrash has been raised again, and the Bay Area is still the place to be.