[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sgGndvqJSU[/youtube]
Metal Insider contributor Anthony Maisano is listening to a different metal album that was released on that day every day this year.
It seems Testament always has really interesting rotating lineups of great musicians. This time, James Murphy is on guitar, and John Tempesta is on drums. This album has heavy guitar playing, and a lot of great solos. In general, this is an album that’s just really fun to listen to. The tracks were interesting, but weren’t trying to do too much. To me, it’s just ambitious enough without going overboard that makes it so enjoyable. Chuck Billy displays some staple thrash vocals on this album, too.
The melodies on this album are definitely a bit more what I consider to be “metal accessible” than a lot of thrash albums, especially earlier on the album, in my opinion. While it certainly has many heavy moments, it’s not exactly Testament’s most balls to the walls album. While I enjoyed listening to pretty much this entire album, there was really never a song that blew me away, either. It was certainly a consistently good album, but I don’t know if it ever hit me with that WOW factor, besides some of the great playing.
Favorite Tracks: “Dog Faced Gods,” “All I Could Bleed,” “Shades of War.”
If you have enjoyed Testament material you have listened to in the past, then this album is certainly much more for you to enjoy. There’s a good amount of quality songs on this album to please any fan. I’m not sure I’d call this album one of Testament’s best, but it’s certainly enjoyable. It might not be the album that converts you if you don’t already like them, though. In any case, if you’re a thrash fan, give this one a listen.
