Titans of Creation

As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Testament will release an album every few years – and it will be very good indeed. Thus sayeth the gods of thrash metal, for they are righteous and true. At this point, the Bay Area legends have transcended all qualms created by reviews such as this due to their sheer consistency, attitude and all-round badass metal-ness. They utterly exude charisma, assurance and pure fucking metal. Titans Of Creation is no more an addition to the shining Testament discography as it is a statement on their current position: they are indeed titans – and among those who helped carve the thrash metal genre as we know it today. The Formation Of Damnation was a triumphant re-establishment of their status; Dark Roots Of The Earth was a substantial victory lap; Brotherhood Of The Snake showcased their confidence to have fun with their winning streak – and here in 2020, they offer a mammoth of modern thrash metal which tramples over many of their peers with its sheer weight.

Yes, this is indeed a beefy affair. At almost an hour, and consisting of twelve tracks – most of which are between five and six minutes – it will either take a toll on your attention span or your neck muscles. For me, it’s both. I have found my focus drifting whilst deep into the catacombs (hehe) of this album – but at no point did my head stop nodding. Skolnick and co. have developed this mighty, meaty tone over the decades and this gigantic timbre has become characteristically familiar. Testament’s M.O. has become less about displaying one hefty riff, one blazing solo, or even one catchy chorus at a time – instead focusing on crafting well-written songs. Every track on Titans… brings something a little new, but they all belong to the world of the album, flow well within their 5-minute timespans, and are (in most cases) utterly fucking crushing. Sure, there may be a bit of self-indulgence here and there – I’m not sure “Children Of The Next Level” or “Night Of The Witch” need to be over 6-minutes – but, like I said: this is Testament. They’ll do what they motherfuckin’ want.

Despite its outward appearance (amazing artwork notwithstanding), this record does not feel like the next direct logical step from Brotherhood Of The Snake. In fact, there are one or two numbers which wouldn’t feel out of place on their ’90s albums. Change the (admittedly incredible) production values and “Dream Deceiver” would fit nicely onto The Ritual. The groovier offerings, like the grinding “The Healers” or the hammering “Symptoms” (especially the latter) might even reflect the Californians’ fondness for Low or…dare I say it…Demonic. “Symptoms”, in general, might be my favourite cut on the disc. It just absolutely batters my ears with bouncing chugs, boisterous gang-shouts and hulking grooves. Speaking of groove, the strangely subdued “City Of Angels” is right up there with the best groove/thrash ever delivered. The bluesy riffing is irresistible and the main riff under the verses hits like a goddamn piledriver. Check out the 3:45 mark for the kind of groove that makes your whole body collapse. For added neck-breaking, check out the 4:30 mark. I’m telling you, the riff-count on this track is off the charts!

Elsewhere, it’s thrashing business as usual, but with an added sense of grandiosity and nobility. This is partly thanks to the godly being that is Chuck Billy. I’ll give it time to settle in but, at the moment, this is looking like his best performance ever put to disc. He maintains his gruff mid-range impact for the majority of the album but occasionally delves into guttural Demonic territory. Then, a little more frequently, we’re treated to some incredible high-pitched screams such as the chorus of “Night Of The Witch” or the storming refrain of “Curse Of Osiris” (an amazingly ferocious way to close the album). However, here lies my one major gripe with this LP: the bombastic 2-minute outro, “Catacombs”, ruins the solid and furious ending of the previous song. Why wasn’t this used as an intro track? The orchestrations, sustained block chords and eerie atmosphere are the perfect way to get listeners into the mythological vibe of the record. So, my advice is: listen to track 12 first then start the disc spinning again for maximum immersion!

As I said in my introduction, any qualms raised by reviews from lowly writers such as myself are instantly crushed by the towering Godzilla that is Testament’s reputation among the metal community. It’s a new Testament album, we should all just be pissing grateful. Skolnick is pulling riffs out the bag left, right and centre; Chuck is a fuckin’ beast; behind the kit, Gene Hoglan is an even bigger fuckin’ beast…let’s face it, this is basically a supergroup at this point. From the ballsy thrash assault of “WW III” to the headbang-athon of “Code Of Hammurabi”, Titans Of Creation is a phenomenal monolith of modern thrash metal by a band whose ‘Legacy’ (hehe) will be eternal.