The band revive Thrash Metal once more with the release of their thirteenth album.

Since their formation in 1983, Testament has been fiercely loyal to Thrash Metal- refusing to deviate away from the genre over the span of their thirty-seven-year career.

Now, proving that thirteen isn’t unlucky for some, their latest release, Titans of Creation, shows Thrash to be just as alive and well as when they first formed. Perfectly encompassing Testament’s distinctive sound more profoundly than ever before, the album transports the classic ’80s genre into the modern-day.

As ever, the thunderous vocals of Chuck Billy provides the unique blend of Lemmy Kilmister’s rasp with the same theatricality of Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine. This, combined with the precision of Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick, ties the album together seamlessly to create Testament’s most refined album yet. 

Long-time fans of the band are guaranteed to be satisfied by the album, with songs such as ‘Children of the Next Level’, ‘Night of the Witch’ and ‘Symptoms’ effortlessly depicting the sound the band became famed upon. Reminiscent of their hits ‘Over the Wall’ and ‘Electric Crown’, these are songs written with their dedicated listeners in mind and show the band refusing to go down the route of becoming more mainstream.

Although the album, at times, comes up short of expectations, with ‘Code of Hammurabi’ and ‘WWIII’ failing to leave a lasting impression, songs such as ‘City of Angels’, ‘Dream Deceiver’ and ‘The Healers’ claw it back to be regarded as one of their strongest releases yet. 

The brash, unadulterated force of these songs refuse to get lost amid the band’s extensive discography, instead showing a new-found diversity as their staple, thrash sound is reinforced with elements of prog. By using multiple layers of vocals alongside the intense, technical drumming of Gene Hoglan, the band convey more depth and refinement than in their earlier work. 

‘Curse of Osiris’ and ‘Ishtar’s Gate’ are ones that we hope to see live, with them being some of their heaviest work. Building a foreboding, ominous atmosphere throughout, before dropping into their classic, aggressive riffs, the band bring their renowned energy and prove that they have no intention of slowing down as the years go by. 

As for ‘Catacombs’, the brief closing track seems oddly misplaced. Despite the regality of the song, the piece feels lost amongst the rest of the album; depicting something different to the sound captured in the other songs.

Despite the unorthodox ending of Titans of Creation, Testament still provides an album worthy of the four-year wait since their last album, Brotherhood of the Snake. With hits such as ‘Night of the Witch’ and ‘Symptoms’, the band are guaranteed to impress fans and provide their staple sound three decades since the release of their first album. 

Titans of Creation is out now via Nuclear Blast Records and available on all streaming platforms.