The Bay Area thrash legends' 13th studio effort,
Titans of Creation commences with the familiar sound of immaculate guitarmonies, blast furnace-forged double-kick drum, and taut, palm-muted riffage. Inspired by the mass suicide of the UFO religious cult Heaven's Gate, the blazing "Children of the Next Level" may be straight out of the
Testament playbook, but its potency is undeniable. Part of the thrash metal "big eight" alongside
Metallica,
Megadeth,
Slayer,
Anthrax,
Exodus,
Overkill, and
Death Angel,
Testament's road to glory has been a twisty one, marred by frequent personnel changes and industry chicanery, but they've remained remarkably consistent over the decades, and
Titans of Creation does nothing to tarnish that reputation. Guitarists
Eric Peterson and
Alex Skolnick are one of the genre's most lethal duos, and they provide plenty of aerial thrills on standout cuts like the kinetic "Night of the Witch" and "Dream Deceiver," and the lurid "City of Angels," the latter of which is based on the grisly tale of serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker. Behind the kit,
Gene Hoglan treats blastbeats like a planned demolition, nimbly switching between artillery-like punctuation on the punishing "WWIII" and muscular prog-metal exploration on the cerebral "Ishtar's Gate."
Chuck Billy continues to occupy the sweet/salty spot between
James Hetfield's burly roar and
Dave Mustaine's wily sneer, and his energetic performance adds emotional heft to the already considerable gravitas laid down by his bandmates. Co-produced by the band and
Juan Urteaga (
Cattle Decapitation,
Machine Head),
Titans of Creation is as savage as it is meticulously rendered; born of the wisdom of age and rage. ~ James Christopher Monger
