Titans of Creation is the best Testament album since The Formation of Damnation! (Review)

25/03/2020 Reviews Share

Titans of Creation is the best Testament album since The Formation of Damnation! (Review)

Band: Testament
Country: US
Album: Titans of Creation
Genre: Thrash metal
Release date: April 3rd 2020
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Pre-Order: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sound/cd/cd-digi/testament-titans-of-creation-digipak-.html
https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sound/vinyl/vinyl-box-set/testament-titans-of-creation-box-set.html

BRING IT ON! Ladies and gentlemen, behold! A new Testament album! This is the 13^th studio album by the legendary Bay Area thrashers! Kudos to Leoni for sending us a promo this early! Titans of Creation will be released on April 3^rd 2020 via Nuclear Blast. This corona virus really shook the world. I wish Testament, Death Angel and Exodus guys a speedy recovery! We’re with you Chuck Billy & Gary Holt! Now, not only that the corona virus forced us to stay home, but it even started snowing pretty bad. A perfect time to write a review!

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Titans of Creation has 12 tracks with total 58 minutes of music. And before we begin, let me tell you, this is one hell of an album! It blew me away with the first listen! "Children of the Next Level" is a pretty solid track. It was released as the 2^nd single, and therefore I won’t get into details, since you can hear it yourself. Those solos are damn good! Especially the second one! “WW III” is a great song. And this is where the carnage begins. Pure thrash assault from the start! I love the way Chuck Billy says NUCLEAR WARHEAD DROPPING ON THE MASSES! This line pretty much sums up what this song is about. And the chugging gallop that follows will make your day. That FOREVER RAINING BLOOD reference is on spot. The next song, “Dream Deciever” is probably the worst track on the album. It starts with a great riff, but then it becomes a filler. And the chorus sounds like Scorpion's „She’s a Woman, He’s a Man“. I don’t know… I think the lyrics of this track are simply weird when compared to the rest. However, the guys are killing it! Gene Hoglan keeps that rapid fire double bass clubbering! The instrumental of this song is actually pretty good given the second thought. "Night of the Witch" is another stellar song which was released as the first single for this album! And yeah, IT SHREDS! Those riffs are SAVAGE! And Gene the Machine makes things even heavier when the groove kicks in! Eric Peterson’s vocals in the bridge are damn brutal to say the least. Alex Skolnick NAILED those leads. He does it unlike anyone else in the scene. Pure guitar wizardry! And the riff that follows after the solo is so powerful. This one will keep the pits rolling! And when it comes to bass, Steve Di Giorgio dominating these frets! You can actually hear the bass all the time. Gotta love that ringy sound. Steve is just hammering those frets like the beast! The next tune, "City of Angels" is one of the best on the album! And Steve Di Giorgio’s bass lines are just breathtaking in this one. The song proceeds with a mid tempo riff and then it breaks down with clean guitars. Chuck Billy is on top of the game in this song! After a clean part, things get way more thrashy. Alex Skolnick keeps on delivering those classy solos.You gotta admire his skill! He really knows how to make things sound beautiful! "Ishtar’s Gate" is another beautiful track, It reminds me of the Low era. It starts with these groundbreaking, Eastern-sounding guitars for obvious reasons. And Steve Di Giorgio’s bass is LOUD in this one! Chuck Billy’s vocals are so brutal and catchy at the same time! Damn! I simply fell in love with this track. Gene Hoglan’s drumming just makes things flow in a superb way. Each piece fits together perfectly. And the leads are breathtaking!

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"Symptoms" is another killer one! It sounds pretty different when compared to the rest of the tracks. And that punchy 2nd riff that follows is BONECRUSHING! A sonic delight for all you headbangers. The song starts melodic, but then the deadly grooves kick in. Gotta love the chorus! Damn, I would definitely love to hear this one live. And for the billionth time, hands down for the solos, Mr. Alex Skolnick! "False Prophet" is another thrashing anthem. It starts really heavy from the start. The average Joe Thrasher will break some bones with this one in the background. "The Healers" is another kick-ass song! A mid-tempo killer. And it has this groundshaking death metal riff that carries the whole thing full-force ahead mixed with good old thrash metal vibes. "The Code of the Hammurabi" starts with this wah-wah bass and then it becomes a thrashing assault! One of the best ones on the album! EYE FOR AN EYE FOR AN EYE! Bring it on! I hope this one gets included in every Testament live set! "Curse of Osiris" is another stellar one. As the album is coming to an end, the songs get heavier and heavier. TOTAL CARNAGE! The last track, "Catacombs" starts exactly the same as the opening riff of "Legions (In Hiding)" with some keyboards on it.

Just wow! I was really sceptical towards this release but it turned out GREAT! It has only one half-sucky song that we could live without, but the rest is just perfect! Titans of Creation is the best Testament album since The Formation of Damnation! This is absolutely a thrash metal masterpiece that will surely outdo most of the counterparts from the genre this year! The songs are brutal, melodic, dynamic...everything’s there! Not to mention that the whole band is working like one big, unstoppable machine! I mean, let’s face it, when you have Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson, Alex Skolnick, Steve Di Giorgio and Gene Hoglan in one spot, you have a dream team that works like a charm! And kudos for the bass sound! You can actually hear it all throughout the album which is an oddity in metal nowadays! Titans of Creation simply crushes its two predecessors – Dark roots of Earth and Brotherhood of the Snake! Chuck Billy did really good when it comes to the lyrics this time! They are quite enjoyable! Get well soon legend! So my conclusion is the following: Titans of Creation is the best thrash metal album of 2020, and easily earned a spot in top 10 albums of 2020 as well. THRASH!

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. Children Of The Next Level 6:13
2. WW III 4:48
3. Dream Deceiver 4:58
4. Night Of The Witch 6:32
5. City Of Angels 6:43
6. Ishtars Gate 5:09
7. Symptoms 4:37
8. False Prophet 4:54
9. The Healers 4:23
10. Code Of Hammurabi 4:52
11. Curse Of Osiris 3:24
12. Catacombs 2:01

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