Track Listing
01. For The Glory Of
02. More Than Meets The Eye
03. The Evil Has Landed
04. The Formation Of Damnation
05. Dangers Of The Faithless
06. The Persecuted Won’t Forget
07. Henchman Ride
08. Killing Season
09. Afterlife
10. F.E.A.R.
11. Leave Me Alone
Reviewer: Eric
Nine years have passed since the last studio album came out from thrash metal Gods Testament. The Formation of Damnation is a return to Testament’s straight, heavy hitting thrash roots. Modern metal aspects due plague this album, but it still feels and sounds like Testament.
The old school thrash sound, with a mix of melodic metal, does this album justice. The Formation of Damnation has a polished sound to it. Fans of Testament’s earlier work will notice the old school thrash sound, but may drift away due to modern-ness that was added to the record.
Alex Skolnick is back with Testament on this record. Skolnick lays down some fast thrashing on this record. Since his absence Testament was never the same with their guitar work. His solos are just as strong as ever, making him one of the best thrash metal guitarists in the business. Skolnick defiantly gives Kerry King (Slayer) a run for his money on The Formation of Damnation.
Chuck Billy’s vocals are still there. After a scare in 2001 with a rare kind of cancer (germ cell seminoma), Billy’s career was in jeopardy. He got through this hard time in his life (the cancer is gone) and went on to kick ass on this record. His vocals range from death metal growls, as heard on 1997s Demonic, to 1999s speed thrash The Gathering.
Final Verdict
The undeclared thrash metal Gods are back and they mean business. Fans of yesteryear and today will dig the modern approach Testament took with their latest release. It might be too soon to declare this the bands best effort to day, but it is pretty damn close.
Rating
9 out of 10
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