Testament
The Gathering

THE REVIEW

In those years, Testament was becoming an exceptional band again. After the nods to the mainstream with 'the ritual' and 'low', it was already clear a few years ago with the release of 'demonic', a heavy album with a death metal tendency, which, however, didn't quite convince, hence the return: death metal hasn't been completely abandoned, see "legions of dead" or "fall simpledome." In fact, Chuck Billy alternates his explosive voice with growls with ease; Patterson complements with his focused riffs that are both sharp and very fast. Completing the exorbitant lineup are Giorgio on bass, James Murphy on guitar (formerly of Death, who played with Chuck Schuldiner), and allow me, on drums, Dave Lombardo from Slayer, always to be praised.

The first track "d.n.r." is programmatic: after the layered intro, a fairly fast piece guided by Dave's drumming is presented: the lyrics of this song talk about everyone's problems and the desire to overcome them with friendship. With "down of life", things slow down a bit, but the piece has a fairly fast rhythm and is engaging; the change midway through the track is excellent. "eyes of wrath" is a very strange piece; slow and dark, but it adds a dark vein, telling of a mysterious creature. Now comes the best part of the album, the trio "true believer," "three days of darkness," "legions of dead." The first is the most melodic and mystical piece of the album, the second is truly overwhelming, with apocalyptic-themed lyrics narrated with melodic nonchalance; in the middle part comes a chorus that you won't be able to get out of your head. Then the third is a crusade against the legions of the undead, a frontal death metal assault. This, together with the aforementioned "fall," is the only speed death metal episode of the album.

Four very structured and melodic mid-tempos follow that lose nothing in hardness but are certainly not exciting. Let's skip the elusive "careful for wish you," "riding the snake"; the manifesto behind the neck of "allegiance" and the dark "swen for shut." We arrive at the best track of the album: super-fast riffs, drumming that brushes your hair, and growling vocals accompany claustrophobic images of the undead, zombies, corpses, rats, etc. It evokes the image of the end of the world that will explode because zombies will place a bomb inside the earth, evoked by Billy/Patterson's lyrics.

In conclusion, an excellent thrash/speed/death metal album that doesn't align with classic Testament (those of "The new order") yet represents the great new direction of Testament, also considering the absence of solos.

Honor to whom it's due.