Testament
Formation of Damnation Review
My highest anticipated album release of the year by far. Ive been waiting 9 years for a release of new material from the greatest thrash/speed metal band on the planet. Did it live up to my expectations? Hell yes! The album pretty much sounds like I hoped it would. With Alex Skolnick back the leads are sizzling but I honestly thought they would go back to a more commercial sound like"The Ritual." To my pleasent surprise it does have the great songwriting and structure of that album but it still has plenty of heaviness like "The Gathering" album. The album drops on April 29th but Ive had it a few weeks now and I think Ive listened to it close to 25-30 times. An album this good deserves a song by song breakdown so here goes.

1. For the Glory Of - just intro music that leads right into the first real track.
2. More Than Meets the Eye - Quintessential Testament track. From the opening chant of Whoa O.. O..O.uh..OOO to the last note its a great song. Great way to start off the album like "Electric Crown" did on "The Ritual" album. Great vocals, awesome melody, kick ass solo that had me smiling to hear that Alex hasnt lost a step. This along with Afterlife are the two songs that are the most "radio friendly." But they have always been dissed by the public so I dont see anything changing. I dont mind though if keeps them on edge and stops them from selling out like Metallica did.
Rating 9.5
3. The Evil Has Landed - Another great song. Probably my second favorite on the album. Its a powerful song about the September 11th attacks. Chills went up my back when I first heard Chuck Billy sing "So many people killed, two thousand nine hundred seventy four, Innocent blood spilled, Extremist fighting a holy war!" also the first chorus "See the flames on the river, Is this our judgement day? Prey in the hands of a killer, When evil flies our way!" The solo in the song is amazing. Fits the tone of the song perfect and one of my favorite Alex solos ever. F-ing classic song and im sure will be a concert favorite.
Rating 10
4. Formation of Damnation - the title track. Speed metal galore. One of the fastest tracks on the album. Most of the song is also sung in Chuck's lower growl range. Great mosh pit song. Another cool unique solo.
Rating 9.0
5. Dangers of the Faithless - cool intro reminds me a lot of Tourniquet. Starts off with heavy effects laced vocals with a traditional Testament type of chorus. I originally didnt like this song but its grown on me but its still my least favorite of the album.
Rating 8.0
6. The Persecuted Wont Forget - super fast intro riff that transform into a bad ass moshing groove. Just overall a solid heavy Testament song. Very different for them but still bad ass. Another kick ass breakdown and solo. Damn i missed Alex! Hopefully this is the line up for the future.
Rating 9.5
7. Henchmen Ride - Probably the best "heavy" song on the album. It has a lot of old school energy to it like the "Legacy" album and even has a Metallica "Kill Em All" type of vibe.
Rating 9.75
8. Killing Season - The mid tempo groove song of the album sort of like "Souls of Black". Cool middle break down section with awesome Satriani blues type of leads.
Rating 8.5
9. Afterlife - awww yeah. The best kick ass grooving sing along song on the album. Catchy hooks and choruses. I knew it was special the first time I heard it. The song is about Chuck's dad that recently died and his personal feelings towards the issue. This song has it all, cool lyrics, great riffs, catchy choruses and another kick ass lead. The other "radio friendly" song that would be huge under the right circumstances.
Rating 11.
10. F.E.A.R. - the opening fast heavy riff is just like a Space in Your Face era Galactic Cowboys song. In other words....kick ass. Another great job especially by Chuck Billy. His voice pierces through with conviction and utter badassness. I know you are tired of hearing this but another kick ass solo from Alex and the song ends strongly with Chuck growling "Fear is only what you feel, thoughts of a disappearing real."
Rating 9.5
11. Leave Me Alone - the closing track and one of the strangest songs on the album. The song bounces from ballad type singing verses to heavy riffs. Pretty cool bass licks on the slow parts. When it gets to the middle of the song it has a bad ass breakdown with Chuck singing along with the beats of the drum and rhythm guitar. The song appropriately ends with Alex soloing till his last final beat of the song.
Rating 8.75
In closing this album is the best speed metal/thrash album of the millenium and I wouldnt doubt it would remain that way until their next album. Props goes to Paul Bostaph's drumming on the album. Another great effort but kinda pales to the drumming clinic that was by Dave Lombardo on "The Gathering". Kinda like comparing Kobe to Jordan, still great but not quite there. Overall its a more consistent album than "The Gathering" but I would still place it a tiny notch below that album overall. Maybe another 30 listens and I'll change my mind though. Upon first listen it may not catch to the great degree as my review but after repeat listens it quickly grows on you. I give this my highest recommendation and a rating of 9.8 out of 10.