Para Bellum

It has taken a bit longer for us to get this Testament album (five years since Titans of Creation where four years separated each of the preceding four albums) but now we have Para Bellum, their fourteenth studio record. If you've heard any of their prior works, you know what to expect, namely Bay Area thrash with the distinctive vocals of Chuck Billy and the sharp guitar work of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson (I've glossed over the bassist Steve Digiorgio my past few reviews so let me highlight his thundering work here while new drummer Chris Dovas is an unknown quantity but keeps the pounding beat).

I've found Testament's last few albums to be up and down and that continues with Para Bellum, but it is within the album itself this time. There are some classic Testament tracks like "Havana Syndrome" and "Room 117" that bristle with crushing riffs, plenty of speed and Chuck Billy's angry shouts. With memorable choruses and great leads, these tracks remind me how good this band can be. Testament also try some different things, like near-death vocals and death/thrash speed on "For the Love of Pain" and the title track and, while I applaud them for expanding their palette, the songs aren't very interesting and sound more like Pantera to my ears. And the ballad "Meant to Be" is little more than a bland attempt at something similar to Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". There's still some Testament magic on Para Bellum, but other parts are just not at the same level, leaving fans with a choppy listening experience. Hardcore fans will probably like it just fine, but I'll look to early records for my Testament fix.