Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Testament
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: year_month
Runtime: 51:08
Rating: 4.5/5
If there’s ever been a bigger injustice in music, it’s that Testament have always lived in the shadow of thrash’s Big Four. And that’s despite releasing their first recordings (still as Legacy, admittedly) back in 1985 and riding high on the first wave of thrash metal. Even the deaf know that with the later albums The Legacy, The New Order and Practice What You Preach they created some of the greatest thrash classics ever. But the clearest proof that Testament are simply the kings of thrash is that they never stopped, not even through the turbulent nineties (they only took a break for a while when Chuck Billy got cancer). What’s more, while the Big Four were losing their edge, Testament sped their sound up even further, brutalized it and even added death metal elements, putting out another trio of crushing albums – Low, Demonic and The Gathering – that went unfairly overlooked in the general deadness of thrash metal.
Fast forward to 2006/2007: thrash was having its rebirth, practically every band that had split up in the late eighties/early nineties was back (Forbidden, Laaz Rockit, Sacred Reich and plenty of others, and of course Metallica hopped back on the thrash wagon too), and Testament announced their mighty studio »comeback« with the excellent The Formation of Damnation, which we had to wait a whole nine years for. Luckily its successor took only four years, and now we’ve got the thrash record of the year in front of us: Dark Roots of Earth!
On it Testament combine only the best of the best: two worlds collide and create a new, even better one. Testament have never blended old-school thrash with the aggressive, almost death metal sound of their nineties albums this perfectly before. The proof is right there in the opening bomb Rise Up, where riff machine Eric Peterson carries us off on the wings of a classic The New Order feel. After almost thirty years he shows no sign of running out of ideas, and his guitar lines still sound fresh, punchy and varied. A good chunk of the credit goes to Andy Sneap’s production, which kicks with all four legs, and the unbridled energy of a raging bull oozes from the album at every turn. Sneap once again delivered a fantastic sound: crystal clear, with sharp, distinct, slicing guitars, dynamic drums that crush just the right amount, and Billy’s vocals up front, as befits the chief of the tribe. Sadly, Andy kept his one weakness this time too: Greg Christian’s bass lines are buried under the mighty wall of guitars, which is a real shame, since his bass sound has always been (along with Peterson’s riffs and Skolnick’s solos, of course) a clear Testament trademark. This time only the rumbling in Rise Up, a short solo excursion in A Day in the Death and a more pronounced bass sound in Last Stand For Independence made it to the surface. And that’s the only flaw of Dark Roots of the Earth, because in every other respect we can only talk in superlatives. Alex Skolnick’s solos are once again fluid, technically superior, epically long and masterfully executed, not to mention the goosebump-inducing melodies and harmonies. Skolnick proves he’s no ordinary guitarist: mention his name and even bigger guitar names like Wayne drop to their knees. One of the finest examples is the album’s single, Billy’s rebellious battle cry Native Blood (another tribute to his Native American roots), an epic, aggressive anthem of defiance that is completely stolen by Chuck’s phenomenal vocal performance (well, that and Hoglan’s blast-beating during the chorus, which may sound a bit awkward the first time but blends perfectly into the track with every new listen). Folks, Chuck Billy beat cancer less than ten years ago, and he sounds like a roaring machine that doesn’t give the impression of having almost thirty years of thrash screaming behind him! This time the vocals are truly varied and dynamic, and Billy shows off all of his astonishing abilities – from thrash vocals in the vein of The Legacy and Practice What You Preach, through the brutal growl (which would put three quarters of all cookie monster vocalists to shame!) we know from Demonic, all the way to the shiveringly clean and tender performance on the ballad Cold Embrace. Yes, for the first time since 1994 (Trail of Tears from Low), Testament try their hand at a ballad again, about vampire love, which Chuck Billy described as something that would fit into the Twilight trilogy. Well, Chuck couldn’t be further off the mark here: next to this tragically eerie ballad, with its growing atmosphere and brilliantly dark imagery, the little vampires from that idiotic teenage trilogy wouldn’t sparkle in the sun, they’d go up in one big blaze. The almost eight-minute semi-ballad is one of the best things on the record, and it’s marked by a fantastic interplay of Skolnick’s and Peterson’s guitar lines. The latter picks up an acoustic guitar, while Skolnick uses chilling harmonies to capture the young vampire girl’s unquenchable longing for the sun. A longing that of course goes unanswered, which can’t be said for Billy’s explosive vocals, which peak in an outstanding chorus. But Testament aren’t done with surprises there, because they save two of the album’s best tracks for the very end – the seven-minute epic Throne of Thorns, the album’s songwriting peak, packed with breathtaking riff juggling between Alex and Eric, riffs as heavy and mighty as the tracks of a bulldozer rolling forward. Atomic little man Gene Hoglan proves with a brilliant drum performance once again that he’s simply one of the greatest. He’s melded with Testament even better than on Demonic, and even though he drummed most of the material following Eric’s instructions (hence the blast beats in Native Blood and True American Hate, an influence Peterson undoubtedly brought over from his black metal side project Dragonlord), Hoglan’s work deserves nothing but the highest praise.
On the bonus disc included in the deluxe edition, Testament throw three covers into their blender and stamp them with a strong Testament spirit and their own mark. The thrashed-up Dragon Attack (Queen) and the Iron Maiden classic Powerslave, to which Skolnick respectfully adds a few of his own touches, work especially well. The Scorpions hit Animal Magnetism comes off a bit clumsier, but the guys then sit us down on the throne of thorns and let the rabid dogs out of the cage to bite us, just as the riffs of the extended version of Throne of Thorns do.
Testament pulled off something incredible with Dark Roots of Earth – they topped their predecessor, The Formation of Damnation. The legendary Americans serve up only the best on the new record, there’s no end in sight to the guitar wizardry of one of the best guitar duos around, Skolnick/Peterson, Chuck Billy sounds better than ever, and the whole thing is phenomenally wrapped up by the bombastic Hoglan-Christian combo. Dark Roots of Earth is what practically every thrash band has failed at: keeping the old-school spirit, staying true to your (dark) roots, and still sounding fresh, convincing and mighty. Dark Roots of the Earth is without a doubt one of the strongest contenders for album of the year, and there’s no way thrash will deliver anything this year that tops this beast. Big Four, my ass (Dave Mustaine can go cry in Lars Ulrich’s arms): the true kings of thrash metal are and remain Testament!
Line-up
Chuck Billy – vocals
Alex Skolnick – guitar
Eric Peterson – guitar
Greg Christian – bass
Gene Hoglan – drums
GUESTS:
Chris Adler – drums
Production
Andy Sneap
Tracklist
1. Rise Up
2. Native Blood
3. Dark Roots of Earth
4. True American Hate
5. A Day in the Death
6. Cold Embrace
7. Man Kills Mankind
8. Throne of Thorns
9. Last Stand For Independence
10. Dragon Attack (Queen) *
11. Animal Magnetism (Scorpions) *
12. Powerslave (Iron Maiden) *
13. Throne of Thorns (extended version) *
* CD/DVD deluxe edition only
