2016 Metal Album Review - "Brotherhood of the Snake" by Testament
I'm sure that by now, it is no mystery to anyone on here that I have a bit of an obsession with music, particularly with metal. Going all the way back to when I was barely able to walk, I have fond memories of my mother playing all sorts of records, tapes and (eventually) CD's, most of which contained many recognizable metal legends from the 80's.... Metallica, Danzig, King Diamond, Slayer, Manowar, Helloween, Exodus, Metal Church, Ozzy and even rock lightweights Triumph! However, there is one band that has not only gone VERY underrated and underappreciated in the metal scene, but also very misunderstood in their sound progression.
That band is TESTAMENT.
In a time (the 80's) when thrash metal was the reigning supreme form of metal (I only say this because I never have and never will consider "glam metal" or "hair metal" to be real metal.... it's ROCK people, get over it), there were many names that took the obvious forefront of the public eye, like Metallica and Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, Exodus and Overkill.... but to me, Testament was, while not necessarily the most well-known or "famous", one of the front-runners of the brand of metal known as thrash. With a voice like Chuck Billy's, how could you POSSIBLY go wrong??
But what is even more astounding in regards to their far-spanning (and still very much alive) career is their musical progression. It's almost as if they are sticking to their thrash roots AND keeping up with some of the most recent sounds in metal all at the same time! I mean, I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way about them because it seems all too clear to me, clear as day in fact! From their 1987 debut, "The Legacy", to their most recent, this year's "Brotherhood of the Snake", of which this post is covering, Testament have shown that they are an old dog that can definitely learn new tricks. They seem to sustain their thrash element in the songwriting, but also apply many different "modern" riffs, twists and sounds to their recordings, particularly in their few most recent albums. They combine the best of both worlds and form it into a thrashy powerhouse of an album that can stand up against almost any album from any metal band in the world today. I say that with 100% confidence, no doubt about it.
Even the subjects of inspiration for this album's lyrics are intriguing. With touched-on subjects like religion, politics, history and even the ever-growing cannabis industry in the United States, they made a record for the ages, in my own personal opinion. And being a guy in a band myself, I am ALWAYS surrounding myself only in music that I feel is genuinely worth my time and devotion. And let me tell you now, I would put this album up as one of the best metal album releases of this entire year! And what's just as cool as that? The fact that the band has acquired two members for bass guitar and drums that you may know from elsewhere! That's right! On bass is Steve DiGiorgio, critically known for playing bass in the legendary death metal band Death. And on drums? None other than the legend himself, Gene Hoglan, who has also played in Death alongside DiGiorgio, as well as in legendary thrash/death metal crossovers Dark Angel.... AND he is also known widely for being the drummer of everyone's favorite non-existent cartoon death metal band, Dethklok (of TV's "Metalocalypse" fame)! Have I acquired your attention and/or interest now? Good. Because it is now time for you to experience it for yourself.... the thrash metal masterpiece that is....
BROTHERHOOD OF THE SNAKE.
Here are a few of my favorite tracks. Enjoy!
"Brotherhood of the Snake"
"The Pale King"
"Centuries of Suffering"
"Canna-Business"
P.S.: Missed out on my first 2016 Metal Album Review of the self-titled debut from melodic death metal supergroup, Serpentine Dominion? Fear not! The link can be found below!
Thanks for the article. At the height of Metalica's popularity I was not a fan. Testament has a similar vocal style. However (and I only listened to "The Pale King" above), I L O V E everything else about their sound.
I grew up on "hard rock". My definition of that category include: Incubus, Tool, Muse, Rush, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Creme and Led Zeplin to name only a few. Going back earlier I listened to King Crimson, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heap. I prefer voices and lyrics that are sung as opposed to screamed, and those which clearly enunciate the words. Yes, Kansas and yes Triumph were mainstays in my listening repertoire back in the day. I still love to put on the Kansas DVD from their 30th anniversary collection every now & then with original Don Kirshner video footage.
I am not into horror, devil themes, blood & guts or evil I find so prevalent in many forms of entertainment media, including music. However my taste in music has expanded to be rather wide, and although the hard rock genre is probably still my favorite, I appreciate talent in many other genres including contemporary / smooth jazz, hip hop and rap, and lately even a bit of C & W. It largely depends on my mood.
What is your opinion of guitar greats like Joe Satriani, Ritchie Blackmore or Eric Johnson? I love all that awesome shit.
Again, thanks and good luck to you. Upvoted.
Aahh, a fellow music fanatic! VERY pleased to read this comment, thank you! As to your question, I am a HUGE fan of Satriani, a true legend in and of himself. I was particularly as big a fan of Blackmore except for when he was in Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio, and I'm not as big on Johnson, but I do appreciate what he does as a musician. Whether or not I'm a fan of certain musicians doesn't by any means muddle my acknowledgement of the fact that they were very influential and monumental to the evolution of different music genres as we know it.
While I can appreciate and enjoy some of the "hard rock" side such as many of the bands you mentioned, I just can't help but have a soft spot for the heavier stuff, mainly because I heard a lot of it in my youth. My mother loved a lot of thrash, so that's a huge chunk of what I love, especially Slayer, Testament, Exodus and Megadeth. I'm with you on Metallica though, pretty much as soon as they went all "mainstream biker rock" in the 90's I kinda fell off that wagon for quite a bit. I love their first three albums, when they were much thrashier and heavier. They lost their sound when they lost their original bassist, Cliff Burton, in my opinion.
Also, I must tip my cap to you (metaphorically of course haha) for mentioning Tool and Rush! I've always loved their off-beat drumming style, particularly because as a drummer myself, I can't do that technical style, and therefore envy that Danny Carey and Neil Peart can. I've always really looked up to them both as influences, and while I continue to strive to be able to one day play like they do, I have no delusions that I could ever truly reach what they've accomplished. They are certainly among some of my favorite drummers all across the rock genre, no question.
Oh, and if you love Satriani as much as I do, have you heard of Steve Vai? Another amazing guitar virtuoso in my opinion. And if you love both Satriani and Vai, I HIGHLY recommend a man by the name of Felix Martin if you ever get a chance to look him up. Unbelievable what that man can do with a double-neck (top has 12 strings and bottom has either 6 or 7 strings, at least on his specific model). I have a live recorded concert he did in Boston, MA that was released through Prosthetic Records (they put out a lot of progressive metal and "djent" bands). Really worth checking out if you desire.
Anyway, it was very nice to discuss this with you, and it is SO refreshing to see another on here who seems to be as passionate about music as I am! Cheers!
There are others here, perhaps with even truer, deeper passion for music. Have you met @fyrstikken? He and I have had similar conversations, about our music "passions" as you refer to them but not specifically about metal or hard rock. Anyway, it was indeed enjoyable to read your article and your reply to my comments. Rush is absolutely A W E S O M E ! ! ! Not only their talent for playing instruments but their diversity, and imagination for such rich stories, like Red Barchetta & The Trees. My cliche of young friends would often argue about which is the best 3 man band, between Rush & ZZ Top, and I always took Rush. ZZ Top was kewl tho, especially their humor (TV Dinner) and theatrics.
And yes, I know of Steve Vai, tho I haven't heard too much of his work. But since you brought him up, I'm off to see what I can find of his to refresh my aged memory.
You seem to have good writing skills and express yourself well. I hope you continue to use this platform and may you receive the rewards your talent bestows on you. Be patient as this platform matures, and be glad you got into Steemit early - this is gonna be big!
Here's a good example of Vai:
Tho I like the more melodic nature of Satriani, with his classic Surfin With the Alien here
Damn, it's been a while since I've heard both their live performances! Woo! Felt really good to listen to that again. Thanks for the videos, that took me back haha. I mean, I'm only 26, but I've pretty much been raised by stuff like this alongside thrash and what not. Anyway, thought you'd appreciate a video I found of that guy I mentioned earlier, Felix Martin. Hope you like it!
He's Venezuelan-born, but moved to America after winning a scholorship to Berklee College in Boston, MA. This video is actually from the same live album I have of him, it was recorded at Berklee's performing auditorium by the college, the sound quality is fantastic. What I love most about him and his group is that he's not the only talented musician of the bunch, as you can probably tell from the video. Amazing drummer and bassist as well, they are very technical and I love shit like that. The guitar he's playing on is such a trip too, isn't it? Unbelievable craftsmanship. I can't play guitar to save my life by any means, but I can still appreciate the beauty in the handi-work, it was the first instrument I picked up after all. Just couldn't wrap my head around it though, so I switched to singing, then to drums, then back to singing, as I am my band's vocalist now. But stuff like this man does has always just blown me away, sometimes doesn't even sound human!
Wow! That was f'ing fantastic, thx for sharing that! What an unusual instrument and style he has playing it. Although I've never learned to play any instrument, like you can appreciate the craftsmanship and the talent playing it.
Also appreciate that this was a 3 man show, and yes, all were talented, tho harder (for me at least) to appreciate the bass. Not saying it was bad, but just not much for this guy to grab onto. I liked the drummer better in what he showed.
Thanx again, it's great to connect. L8R