Children Of The Next Level
WWII
Dream Deceiver
Night Of The Witch
City Of Angels
Ishtars Gate
Symptoms
False Prophet
The Healers
Code Of Hammurabi
Curse Of Osiris
Catacombs
The 13th album of the Amis Testament is musically beyond any doubt. But that's no different when you keep in mind that besides singer Chuck Billy, the congenial guitar duo Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, bass veteran Steve DiGiorgio and drum monster Gene Hoglan are at work. And after “Brotherhood of Snake” four years ago, now for the second time in the same line-up. So you could already break off here ... Testament u. Thrash fans, buy !!
But what are the songs like on “Titans Of Creation”? Well, on the one hand in a typical testament gait from melodic mid-tempo to fast US thrash of the traditional kind. But one or the other excursion into more modern sounds can also be registered. With the first bars and with the beginning of the vocals, it is immediately clear in the over 6-minute opener "Children Of The Next Level" that we are dealing with wills here. The vocals are too distinctive and the guitar work too well known. OK then. A smasher advancing with galloping riffs and at the same time a first little hit on the album.
A lot of emphasis is placed on strong guitar rhythms and solos. Usually hard to serve songs, sometimes virtuoso and noble in the solo section. "Symptoms", for example, was written by Alex Skolnick himself. No wonder that the presence of the strings is a little excessive. Still very clear will. In addition to the longer pieces like "Night Of The Witch", a dark hard number where Eric Peterson also takes over some vocal parts or the more melodic "City Of Angels", it is the shorter songs that best convey the essence of the American thrash legend . The tough "WWII", the blaring "Curse Of Osiris" and the wonderfully driving "The Healers" are the very first testament cream and manifest what Chuck Billy and Co have always stood for and still stand for.
There is no real dropout on "Titans Of Creation", a few numbers can perhaps be described as "only good", but the new testament album is upscale Thrash class and in my eyes much stronger than its predecessor. Why the short “Catacombs” is at the end of the album is not clear to me, as it sounds more like an atmospheric album intro. So be it. Artwork fits (again Eliran Kantor), sound anyway (Juan Urteaga, Andy Sneap) ... you definitely don't make a mistake buying this album. Testament ... you still know what you have. Good evening !!
