Testament
The Gathering

THE REVIEW

Awakening hour. A sonic earthquake that borders between Death and Thrash. A comeback for those who thought they were finished. The essence of this Testament album is here, in these three sentences.
After the Thrash with a distinctly Speed tone of "The Legacy" and the more ear-friendly (mainstream?) Metal of "The Ritual," Testament decided to venture to the edge of Death, taking their music to the extreme. The experiment had already been attempted in 1997 with "Demonic" without great results, but this time the product is a masterpiece. Calling the line-up respectable would almost be an insult: Chuck Billy unleashes immense rage with deadly impactful screams and growls. Peterson (also in the role of producer) and the returned Murphy (Death, Obituary) compose granite riffs dedicating very little space to solos, which are overwhelmed by the devastating sound wall. In summary, Skolnick's artistic compositions are absent, this time there's chaos, albeit with great technical skill. On drums, the monstrous Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Grip Inc.) arrives, who is the true architect of the brutal and massive sound this album emits. Another "Italian" enters on bass and is not just anyone. I'm talking about Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Control Denied, Sadus), one of the absolute best at his instrument (the same goes for Lombardo), who with his fretless bass gets a bit buried in the storm, but emerges in various bridges with original and captivating lines.

Describing such power... It goes from the aggressive debut of "D.N.R." to the surprising lyrics of "Down For Life." Continuing the journey, it leads to the pre-explosion pauses of "Eyes Of Wrath" and the obsessive chorus of "True Believer." The most violent song I've ever heard is called "Legions Of The Dead"; I think I've made the point. The oriental introduction of "Riding The Snake" is just an (unsuccessful) attempt to calm things down. "Allegiance" is another chapter of devastating power.

When people say Thrash died in 1991, remember that in 1999 it resurrected (contrary to the title of the first track) thanks to Testament. Devastating, aggressive, technical, exhilarating, violent... adjectives are abundant, the music remains.