On  Para Bellum – (Nuclear Blast Records) Testament continues to uphold the legacy of quality decades in the making. Despite not being the household name like the bands of the Big Four, these had chops that rivaled Megadeth’s most shredding line-up. Of the Big Four, Slayer was the only band darker and more aggressive than the classic mid-to-late Eighties period for this band. While this new order marks the debut of Chris Dovas, the former drummer of Seven Spires, whose youthful exuberance gets the job done. Bassist Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Death To All), who goes back to “The Gathering.”

Testament 2025 – Photo Credit Fred Kowalo ghostcultmag – Copy

The opening track finds the band still practicing what they preach, despite not locking into their signature groove until “Shadow People.” It is this mode of songwriting that makes the most of  Chuck Billy’s powerful voice. His combination of grit and melody was always one of the sonic staples that set these guys apart. Four songs feel too soon for a power ballad, but that is what you are getting with “Meant to Be”. This feels like it is thirty years too late to become their “Unforgiven,” though Alex Skolnick’s solo rips on it. It also makes you wonder why they did not bump Anthrax from the fourth-place slot years ago, which makes less sense when you consider the musical climate of today, but Anthrax was perhaps more poised to meet the challenges of the nineties. 

To compensate for the previous ballad, they double down on heaviness and take things back to the more Demonic school of heaviness that holds up against all definitions of what heavy is today. “Witch Hunt” steps on the gas to bring out the eighties thrash feel, not heard since “Disciples of the Watch” with the sparse melodic vocal moments proving effective. The production choices on this album reflect the evolution of metal rather than a replication of the past sounds for the sake of nostalgia. This plays to the band’s favor and finds their brand of thrash rivalling the sonic heft of even today’s death metal bands. Looking back at tracks like “Dog Faced Gods,” Testament has always understood the value of measuring up against the new crop of metal and next to Slayer, remained the most consistent in this regard.

“Nature of the Beast” has Van Halen-like guitar work, and Chuck’s vocals are sung to create the most accessible moment since the power ballad. A more rock n roll feel also kicks off “Room 117”. His singing voice sounds much better than expected on this album. “Havana Syndrome” is back to their older era of melodic Thrash. The title track closes the album and finds Billy employing a more aggressive vocal approach. This album is well-balanced and does not feel dated. It finds them representing an accurate cross-section of the varied elements they are about, and is sure to make fans go “over the wall,” despite not taking you all the way back to the “Apocalyptic City,” but they are in the right zipcode.

Buy the album here:
https://testament.bfan.link/para-bellum

9 / 10
WIL CIFER
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