Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 28/10/2016Label: Nuclear Blast
In simple terms, this is an excellent thrash album which reaches the heights of Testament's classic records. With ten tracks of quality you cannot lose. This is vicious and state of the art. Highly recommended.
“Brotherhood of the Snake” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.
Brotherhood of the Snake (4:14)
2.
The Pale King (4:51)
3.
Stronghold (4:00)
4.
Seven Seals (5:39)
5.
Born In A Rut (4:59)
6.
Centuries of Suffering (3:34)
7.
Neptune 's Spear (5:26)
8.
Black Jack (4:22)
9.
Canna Business (3:52)
10.
The Number Game (4:38)
The Review:
Testament are the band most often
mentioned as the band just outside of the Big Four of thrash (I think Overkill
is up there as well). Certainly, they are the band that Metallica could have been had
they stuck to their roots and guns- if Lars wasn't involved, anyway.
With
Gene Hoglan on drums, the musicianship here exceeds anything that Ulrich has even
thought about in the last twenty five years. Sure enough, Hoglan blasts off on
the title track as Peterson supplies brutal riffage. Testament 2016 is on top form. They have been building up a head of
steam for the last decade; “The
Formation of Damnation” was a very good record, as was “The Dark Roots of Earth”. This is even
better. It is a feast of thrash all the way through. It blows away their tepid
early 90's records. It is up there with career high points (the two most recent
albums certainly count) such as “The
Legacy” and “The Gathering”.
Track after track, this is a relentless beating.
It
is fantastic to hear that the Bay Area thrash bands that matter have still got
it. With Exodus
coming off a decade of really solid albums, Testament are also vying for the
West Coast crown. To be fair, Death Angel are also on the form of their
lives at the moment too. It is a good time to be a thrash fan. Skolnik produces
lead pyrotechnics as per, while Chuck Billy remains one of the best thrash
vocalists (and certainly the most versatile). “The Pale King” is a stormer, “Stronghold”
is a muscular beast, “Seven Seals”
sounds absolutely vintage in content and delivery, “Born In a Rut” is catchy and menacing... the album is only half way
and already it is a winner.
The
latter half of the album is just as vicious- it kicks off with a real banger in
“Centuries of Suffering” and does
not let up form there. The material here is concise and epic sounding- no mean
feat- while the band are playing with some real fire in their bellies. As “Neptune 's Spear” and “Black Jack” sprint past, the album is nearly over. It is an
engaging listen and an easy album to listen to all the way through, too. “Canna Business” expresses thoughts that
many readers will agree with and “The
Number Game” is an excellent closer.
In
simple terms, this is an excellent thrash album which reaches the heights of Testament's
classic records. With ten tracks of quality you cannot lose. This is vicious
and state of the art. Highly recommended.
“Brotherhood of the Snake”
is
available everywhere now
FFO: Metallica, Exodus, Death Angel, Overkill
