ALBUM REVIEW: TITANS OF CREATION – TESTAMENT

The stars have aligned and the gods have spoken as Testament have returned with the “Titans of Creation” to back them. I, for one, have been eagerly awaiting new material from Testament pretty much straight after the seemingly polarising reception following “Brotherhood of the Snake.” While I enjoyed a majority of that album, I was hoping that Testament would top it on their following offering. Does “Titans of Creation” succeed “Brotherhood of the Snake?” Does it even succeed their earlier material? Guess you’ll have to read on to find out…

So the first thing that stands out to me, as usual, is the production. The guitar tone on this album is absolutely incredible. One of the best tones they’ve ever pulled, in my opinion. Even Steve DiGiorgio’s bass stands out a bit more in the mix, which just elevates “Titans of Creation” that much more. Speaking about standing out, it seems that the album has respective moments for each member of the band. Even guitarist Eric Peterson gets to show off his Dragonlord vocal chops on “Night of the Witch” and “Curse of Osiris“. But by far, Alex Skolnick stands out the most. His leads are somehow completely familiar and like nothing I’ve ever heard from him in Testament, simultaneously.

Song wise, “Titans of Creation” covers a lot of ground in terms of Testament’s sound. But with that, comes the fact that things start sounding similar far too often. This can heard in songs like “Children of the Next Level“, “Night of the Witch” and “Ishtars Gate.” However, moments such as “City of Angels.” “Symptoms” and “Catacombs” do bring in fresh ideas into their 30+ year career, as well as other moments such as “Code of Hammurabi,” “WW III” and “Dream Deceiver” revisiting old-Testament ideas that haven’t been heard in quite a while.

So, what’s the verdict on “Titans of Creation?” Well, I think in ways it’s better than “Brotherhood of the Snake” and on others, not at all. The overall quality of songs is better than the last album but there aren’t as many standouts this time around.”Brotherhood of the Snake” brought what I believe to be some modern Thrash classics with the title track, “The Pale King” and “Stronghold,” as well as some more than and less than stellar tracks. To digress, “Titans of Creation” seems a lot more like a chronology revisit rather than a venture into new territory. While there are some moments seeing Testament pushing outside of their comfort zone, it’s rarely not followed by an overtly familiar song.

Rating: 3/5

Also, I’m introducing a little segment at the end of my reviews here called Megadeaf’s deaf-inite listens

Here are my choices for “Titans of Creation.”