Ελληνικά
Genre: Thrash
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Year: 2025
When Oakland-based thrash metal legends Testament announced the extension of their contract with Nuclear Blast Records for three more full-length albums in 2023, we did not imagine they would return with something so compelling. Para Bellum, which will hit record store shelves on October 10 this year, is the Americans’ 14th studio album and their first with Chris Dovas on drums. This change comes after three consecutive studio albums and ten years with the group, with the great Gene Hoglan deciding three years ago that juggling multiple projects was no longer feasible for him, making room for his other projects and allowing a new face to shine in his place.
With the album being recorded in two phases in 2024, first in Virginia and then in California, in the US, and the production/mixing/mastering being completed at Fascination Street Studio in Sweden, the Bay Area thrashers are attempting a slightly different thematic pattern for the first time in their careers. By focusing on technology and the inequality that tends to arise between humans and machines, the band aims to alert the listener, helping them understand the social crisis around them. Interpersonal relationships and connections between people are undergoing an unprecedented crisis. Alienation is a strong social phenomenon of our times that concerns the band and makes its appearance in one of the most beautiful ballads (“Meant to Be”) written in recent years in this genre.
The speed on the new album remains at a high standard; the riffs and power of the guitar leads, which have always been their strong point, continue to be powerful parts of the structure, even though the band seems a little tighter in the fast moments than in their last work. The aura of this new album exudes aggression with more atmosphere in places, tempo changes, and the use of strings–elements outside the narrow confines of thrash sound. This has been tried before by the band, but here, it seems that there is greater confidence in themselves to go for it without breaking the momentum. Jens Bogren’s ability to mix certainly played a role in this decision, as he is known for his attention to detail and power in sound, which results in clearer, “bigger” sound results.
Undoubtedly, this is a work that will gain time and certainly the acceptance of the public, because although the explosive drumming may not be as intense as before, the group’s DNA does not seem to have been lost in this album. It remains firmly alive, perhaps more focused and balanced between intensity and melody. Eric Peterson and Chuck Billy have stated that the new era brought about by their new work presents difficulties even for them in terms of choosing which compositions to perform on stage. Imagine how special and profound their new musical work will be in 2025.
