(Nuclear Blast) Total Time: 49:00
Nine years have passed since the day “The Gathering” was released, an excellent album that everybody loved, and seven years after learning about Chuck Billy’s health issues; a huge shock for everyone (Chuck Schuldiner’s death was very recent back then, so losing another great metal performer, so soon, would be tragic!) Fortunately, everything ended up well, Testament started giving live shows again in 2003 and now, the Californian thrashers, present to us their tenth full length album “The Formation of Damnation” ( “First Strike Still Deadly” was a release with re-recording songs from the first two albums, so I don’t count it in).
In this album you will find the classic line up of TESTAMENT, the one of the five first releases, with Chuck Billy on the vocals, Erik Peterson and Alex Skolnick on the guitars and Greg Christian on the bass. The part on the drums here has been given to the ONE and ONLY Paul Bostaph, who will be the drummer of the band from now on. Testament, also, has signed with Nuclear Blast Records. But, now, let’s get to the music…
The album enters with “For the Glory of”, an intro that surely will catch your attention because of its really strong feeling. Right after that enters “More than Meets the Eye”, which starts with an oriental scaled riff, followed by drum fills and after 14 seconds you can listen to Chuck Billy’s voice, making you believe that “The Gathering” was released just one year before! It has not changed at all! It the same, powerful and melodically “dirty” voice we all know! The couplet of the song does its appearance and the head has started moving…
“The Evil Has Landed” follows, where you can find a classic Testament riff, but it is not followed by a classic drum rhythm. Paul Bostaph has done some of his magic stuff here and prevents the song for being just another metal song. The chorus is quite heavy and appropriate for singing it holding a large glass of beer!
The fourth track is the self titled one... Thrash-heads start your engines and enter that fucking mosh-pit! It is a running fire song with a chorus full of double basses, an amazing riff and the brutality of Chuck. The second chorus is followed by a solo, a razor sharp blade riff based bridge, to make your head totally spin, and then the attack starts again!
“Dangers of Faithless” is coming next, a melodic song with beautiful heavy riffs, a very catchy chorus and great guitar solos.
“The Persecuted Won’t Forget” is the biggest track of the album, with a hell speeding intro and a heavy/thrash main riff, reminding us that this band is a lot technically skilled and it deserves its place among the best bands in heavy metal. “…for those who choose not to believe.”
“Henchman Ride” is another reason to join the mosh-pit! Old school thrash metal feeling and double bass mayhem are the words to describe this one, while the one that comes next, “Killing Season” is based on a catchy/groovy rhythm.
“Afterlile” is the ninth song of the album, and one of the best in my opinion, with a really special melodic main riff as long as melodic vocals, accompanied with solid groove by the rhythm section.
The next one is called “FEAR”, which enters with a small drum solo and continues with a fast rhythm, consisting of a pure thrash metal riff and fast double bass. In the chorus we have an alternation between a groovy part and a fast heavy one. For once more solos here are great.
The last one, “Leave Me Forever” is quite different from the others above. It is based on the rhythm section, playing a quite progressive theme, which alternates with a really HEAVY, full of metal growth, part. The song, as well as the album, closes with fading guitars and non-consecutive dynamic drum fills.
“The Formation of Damnation”, same as “The Gathering” was mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap, so expect a wide sound full of magnitude, providing the best results for a release like that.
In conclusion, “The Formation Of Damnation” was worth waiting for. It is a little more melodic than its predecessor, but that’s not necessarily bad. In case, while listening to it, have that feeling that something is missing or that something is wrong, don’t worry. It just takes more than a few hearings to get the greatness of this release.
