Reviews

In metal circles Testament need no introduction. They are thrash royalty, and since the 90s have even dabbed in more extreme genres on more than one occasion. Para Bellum, album number 14, has a mixture of different styles but never sounds too much like a rehash of old ideas. The album opens with 'For The Love Of Pain' and is an all-out borderline death metal assault very much in the style of the bands late 90s albums. Chuck Billy growls and belches and even screams with a focus and brutality that sounds genuine, and the song saves no space for any quieter moments. The chorus absolutely pummels with blast-beats like no Testament track ever has before, and this is potentially their heaviest song ever. A great album opener, but one that takes time to absorb. 'Infanticide A.I.', the album's lead single, also features some break-neck drummer and riffing - but once it gets moving it is unmistakeably a modern Testament track, following their usual style and sound template. This doesn't make it bad by any stretch, as it is easily one of the catchiest tracks on the album, incorporating aspects of many styles into its three and half minute run time. 'Shadow People' slows things down to a more manageable rhythm, and the songs subtler vocals allow the riffs to really breathe - but only until tempo changes take you by surprise. As always the twin leads of Alex Skolnick and mainstay Eric Peterson pepper the songs with amazing solos and flourishes that show virtuoso agility, but always in perfect harmony with the song being played. Whereas a thrash guitarist like Kerry King could cover these songs in chaotic solos that exhibit nothing but brute force and power (a hallmark of Slayer), these two men instead still produce solos of beauty in the environment the songs prove for them. 'Meant To Be' is the obligatory ballad, and is a fairly paint-by-numbers affair, but it is possibly one of the band's best ballads. It is great to hear that well into his 60's Billy can still sing with a soft voice to great effect. Orchestrated, it ends with some great twin guitar harmonies and a beat reminiscent of Metallica's 'Halo On Fire'. 'High Noon' and 'Witch Hunt' use a few more brutal metal influences again, but still have a thrash groove in places that allow the songs to find an identity of their own, and as always the vocal variations that Billy has become known for are evident throughout. 'Nature Of The Beast' has an old school 80's vibe to it, and is probably the closest to 'classic' Testament here. Even the production is a little more restrained as to not suffocate the listener. 'Room 117' follows suit, and the two songs actually sound a little out of place on first listen - but followed by the amazingly catchy 'Havana Syndrome', this trio start to become the champions of the album for long time listeners. The album may have benefitted from breaking these three tracks up and peppering them in amongst the earlier, heavier songs. The title track ends the album and contains a good range of styles seen on all the other tracks. It is a worthy song that doesn't stand out as anything particularly special to be a closer, but it does fade into a nice solo guitar line that closes the album with a wonderful gentle moment. When a band has as many albums as Testament does, some of which are regarded as classics of the genre, it is easy to dismiss new ones as just more to pour in an over-flowing bucket. It is also easy for the band to fire up 'auto-pilot' and produce what they know best with very little effort. This album proves it doesn't have to be that way, as Testament have added something worthy to their discography that won't just be an album with songs that pop up on random and are forgotten the moment they end. Some of these tracks are top tier, and the album as a whole stands up as one heir better in recent years. Listening to your favourite band, you want every moment to remind why it feels so good to be a fan, and various moments here do this with little to no effort.

You will see from my past two reviews I am channeling a music genre that I'm not quite sure I understand completely. However, the two bands I have reviewed up to now and these next two very much have similarities in their sound. Considered to be Post-Metal, they don't adopt a typical verse-chorus-verse approach to a song, nor involve vocals as the focal point for any track. It is very much a sound-scape of music with a lack of structure and what can be seen as experimental in some places. For Pelican, they are another band that does well putting this music together. First off the album name is one of the best. Love it. Before you take a listen you are going to need an appetite for long songs (close or over 10 minutes), which take you on a journey of various tempos, soundscapes and moods. The opening track is a prime example of this. Oh, and you also must be wary of the lack of lyrics. Not completely, but as they guys say they are better at making music, not so on the singling stuff, so if it works for them, I'm OK with it. 'Autumn Into Summer' commences with a very polite, mild-mannered tempo, until you get approx. halfway through the 10 minute track where it explodes into this ravaged guitar sound and upped tempo. 'March To The Sea' is an 11 minute epic taking the listener on a journey of the harder edge of the band, with blistering guitars that keep the listener gripped. 'Red Ran Amber' is very much similar. You can quickly pick up the patterns in the song structure and having a listen to earlier tracks by now, you know what to expect again, from an 11minute track. The album finishes off with some much shorter tracks which you can expect deliver what the longer tracks do but in a sped up time. My adjective vocabulary is spent. Overall, for me, it's more of a thinking man's music. With no distractions there is a lot to take out of this. Interesting, Aaron Turner, founder of ISIS put the artwork together for the album and owns Hyrda Head records who released this album. For an album with no vocals, I'm very surprised to hardly notice and love it.