Bay-area thrash lives

Testament - The Formation Of Damnation
Posted by Laila Hanson on 05-Jun-08 @ 11:47 AM

[4/5]
Has it really been more than 20 years since Bay-area thrash vets Testament first pummeled audiences with their mop-topped brand of speed metal? Sheesh! In the two-plus decades since, Testament have seen their fair share of ups and downs, including lots of lineup changes. But with singer Chuck Billy making a full recovery from cancer, the core lineup has been reassembled, most notably with virtuoso shredder Alex Skolnick returning to the fold. There is a palatable synergy that Billy, Skolnick, guitarist Eric Peterson and bassist Greg Christian bring (the FNG, drummer Nick Barker, holds his own) that hearkens back to the days of The Legacy and The New Order, though the majority of the 11 songs on The Formation of Damnation are more mid-tempo than the lightning-fast "First Strike Is Deadly" sort of stuff. Still, there's some amazing writing ("Dangers Of The Faithless"), complete with face-melting solos ("Persecuted") and lots of classic Billy-wailing ("Killing Season"). (NUCLEAR BLAST) Casey Lynch


Official Website: http://www.nuclearblastusa.com


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