TESTAMENT – Dark Roots Of Earth

Testament is a band that requires no introduction, being engraved in Bay Area thrash folklore in the 80’s. The band returned from oblivion to blow everyone away with “Formation of damnation” a few years back. “Dark roots of earth” continues in a similar vein.

The relentless riffing is akin to their earlier work, although similarities can be found with Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace” or Slayer’s mid-80’s work. The guitar solos are ripping, with Alex Scholnick showing what he’s truly capable of. “Cold embrace” slows proceedings down briefly, before ripping it up again – this is as close to a ballad as the band will get.

Testament delivers an album that is as relentless as ever, underlining that they’re still juvenile at heart and will show any youngster a thing or two. My only gripe is that some of the drumming may come across as being too busy (“True American Hate”), overloading the listener.

If you enjoyed the Bay Area thrash era, you won’t go wrong with this.

****1/2

Nick van der Meulen

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)