Metal Reviews

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This looks really good. I'm starting to care about non-power/prog metal again in a big way because, well you know why and that Odyssey is over and can't wait to hear all the stuff I missed and have been missing. This record seems like a great way to rekindle the ever-growing fire for all the styles of songwriting in metal I have always enjoyed.

Who produced this record, by the way?

Thanks for the review. I was kind of expecting The Gathering rehashes from Testament since their return and I'm glad this isn't the case.

Andy Sneap. So crunchy, so sharp, so huge. I love you, Andy Sneap.

Yeah, he's doing the the new Saxon record too. It's gonna be a tall order replacing the great Charlie Bauerfiend, who just makes the instruments huge and warm too.

Andy Sneap is a great producer; far better than that dude that let's Rush turn in poorly recorded crap on their laptop for the record.

He may not be the greatest producer around, technically speaking, but he knows Thrash damn well, he knows how to make it sound heavy and clear, and I will always and forever welcome his presence as a producer on any thrash album.

Going to pick this up tomorrow.

You've overrated it a bit in my opinion, Bar.
It's a great heavy/thrash record but I wouldn't go higher than a 80/85.

I didn't review it, Aleksie did!

For what it's worth I actually think somewhere around 80-85 as well.

Sorry mate. I should really sober up before reading reviews...

Great album, it just slays. One of their best. It doesn't quite reach the latest Overkill though.
Big juicy, well deserved 85 from me.

Five minute songs were condensed to three and maybe this album would be worth listening to. How many times can Chuck yell WHEN I SAY RISE UP YOU SAY WAR? Chuck, when you say RISE UP for the umpteenth time I want to upchuck.

Any way you take it, it's a far better album than the latest of Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica. I agree Chuck is not the strong point of the group, he still does a decent enough work at worst.

Pun intended?

as much love i have for slayer i agree with the above statement. this album is very good. metallica should give up in my opinion. and megadeth uhhhh megadeth!!! they used to be my favorite band when i was growing up. what happened??? dear god thirteen should of been aborted!! by far the worst lyrics dave mustaine has ever written. i was on board with megadeth up to and including cryptic writings.

but yeah testament is great. and this album really thrashes. 80-85 like the frenchman and thrashtilldeath said.

Since when did washed up bands become the criterion of the success of other bands? By that standard, every album reviewed this week might be a 100. This album seems like a bunch of b-sides to Formation. Skolnick is badass as always, but I don't think that equates to the album as a whole being any good.

It just seems weird to rate this so highly when you couldn't get 30 minutes of decent music out of it when Vektor's last two albums have basically been four albums worth of material that are absolutely off the hook. I don't mean to compare apples and oranges, but honestly, those guys are what this thrash album should be being compared to, not dinosaurs, and in terms of energy and songwriting, Testament can't hold a candle to them. Enjoy mediocre music for the label stamped on it. Oh, and awful pun was intended. Did ya get the rise and up part of it?

</'death to sacred cows' rant>

Sacred cows became sacred cows for a reason.
Master of Puppets.
Reign in Blood.
Rust in Peace.

You're obviously entitled to your opinion, but I kind of take offence at the "sacred cow" jab.

I can't speak for anybody else, but I like this album because it sounds good, not because I have made some sort of pact with myself to always enjoy Testament releases regardless of quality.

Now with that out of the way, I whole heartedly agree that Vektor completely shits all over Testament. But that's not saying a whole lot because Vektor are one of the best bands in the world at the moment. Testament are still good, but it's hard for any band to compare to Vektor right now. Besides, I'm not 100% sold on the direct comparison between them. Vektor is very much a progressive band, while Testament is straight-forward thrash. From the perspective of a big thrash fan, I think they actually scratch two different itches.

EDIT: funky haircut on that cow, stefan!

Indeed! Scotland has the best cows!

Errrr... Straight-forward thrash? I hear a whole lot of heavy metal chops in Dark Roots of Earth. Same as Anthrax's latest to which I'd easily compare it.

And Vektor are indeed among the finest acts in today's musical scene. I just hope they pust even forward their aesthetics. I'd really like them to add a full time keyboard player to their line-up. Maybe a little melodic vocals too, if they don't sound too cheesy. Actually, I think I want Vektor to do their Nothingface!

Yeah, there is a Heavy Metal vibe to it, I agree. What I meant was that in terms of song structures and delivery, it's a more straightforward kind of album, while Vektor's work is really pushing the boundaries of thrash.

Also, I think this Testament album is way better than Anthrax's last one. I just couldn't get into it.

EDIT: Oh, and I hope Vektor never, ever get a keyboard player! I think they're perfect just the way they are. There is a place for keyboards in metal, sure, but it's not in Vektor.

I guess I'm just a bellawigadonna fanboy.

Ok, seriously now. I spinned the Anthrax maybe two months ago and, while some songs still do the trick, other have but lost all interest to my ears. It still is an enjoyable trip down memory lane and I do love the Refused cover.

To come back to the album this thread is supposed to be about, I think Testament have released their finest album since The New Order. It's quite a surprising return to form for men their age, that does not happen to often.