Brotherhood of the Snake

Despite The Ritual being the worst of Testament's classic run, I still enjoy it more than this one. Previously I'd have said that Brotherhood Of The Snake is just a hair better, but I just can't lie to myself. I also won't shy away from admitting that my beef here came from disappointment, because of how excited I was when I heard that this was coming out. After all, how can one not have high hopes after getting a treat such as Dark Roots Of Earth? But there was one real thing that cemented this; the title track.

Indeed, the first song "Brotherhood Of The Snake" is an incredible tune. This is easily the most furious song on the disc, delivering punch after punch of dense riffage and a raging chorus. The middle of the disc actually picks things up a little bit as well. "Born In A Rut" has such a catchy chorus and steady composure to smoothly move things along. The track to precede it known as "Seven Seals" is also a fair number being heavy handed in the hook department. The same can be said about "Neptune's Spear." Sadly, there aren't really any other hot tracks to be found. What's worse is that a few of them are straight up bad.

For the most part, the flaws that bog down the rest of this are just typical generic tropes that many a band are guilty of at one point or another. The overcooked production has flattened Testament records for almost two decades now, but it reaches an all-time-high here, and boring songwriting prevents it from being overlooked. "The Pale King" is a song that gets a decent amount of recognition, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. That track is a tired sounding, phoned in mess that hasn't the slightest sense of life. "Black Jack" is another big downfall for two reasons. The use of blast-beats and death metal-isms are awkwardly placed, and the lyrics here can't even be taken seriously. Don't even get me started on "The Number Game" or "Canna-business." Chuck Bully and co. really had a thing for weed and gambling on Brotherhood Of The Snake.

But as I've said before, Testament don't make bad records; only less-than-good ones, and Brotherhood is easily the the most "alright" album they ever made. It's got three or four strong tunes, two or three really bad ones, and a bunch of boring snooze-fests. Things could have been much worse, and as I've said I'll admit my bias. But at the end of the day, this is the last record by the band that I'd ever recommend. I look forward to a follow-up and (hopefully) revival.