LEEEET’S GOOOOOO!!!!! A new record from TESTAMENT just dropped, and it is nothing short of GLORIOUS.
Now, first things first — apologies to the one or two of you who actually read my reviews. This one should’ve been turned in days ago, but my boy Corey (aka Mini-Amps) was on my case. So here we are!
The new album Para Bellum (out now via Nuclear Blast) hits harder than the boys on Seidelbaum’s payroll in Scarface. Do you want a hellacious thrash that kills you with melody and ferocious riffage? Then this is your record.
From the first seconds of opener “For the Love of Pain,” it’s clear these boys didn’t come to play — they came to wreck everything and ruin your life (bonus points if you know the reference).
Next up is the first single, “Infanticide A.I.,” which grabbed me from the jump. The band keeps the hammer down with “Shadow People” before slipping into full-on ballad mode with “Meant to Be.” Clocking in at 7:33, it’s an absolute standout — emotional, epic, and perfectly executed.
Band-wise, everyone’s firing on all cylinders. Chuck Billy still sounds like a monster behind the mic, Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson deliver riff after riff of devastation, and the rhythm section — Steve DiGiorgio on bass and Chris Dovas on drums — absolutely destroys.
“High Noon” is vintage TESTAMENT and deserves a spot in future setlists. “Witch Hunt” is another instant favorite — check your nose after this one, it just might bleed. “Nature of the Beast,” “Room 117,” and “Havana Syndrome” keep the fire raging before the title track closes things out with a finishing move worthy of a Stone Cold Stunner or Triple H’s Pedigree.
Bottom line: Para Bellum wrecks you up, down, and sideways. This is TESTAMENT doing what they do best — reminding the world that thrash never dies.
STANDOUT TRACKS: All of them!
RATING: 10/10
—THE MAESTRO
