Thrash albums often get underway with a bang, and that is exactly how Titans of Creations kicks off. There is no atmospheric build up or symphonic scene-setter, as Children of the Next Level, which also acts as one of the album's main singles, opens things up with the first of many big riffs from Peterson. Despite my preamble regarding the band's love of groove, Children of the Next Level is a pacier piece, with a chugging verse driven by some tight Gene Hoglan drumming that proves to be the perfect backing for Billy's bellowing vocals. While some veteran vocalists of the thrash world are starting to loose some of their vocal power, Billy sounds as good now as he did back in the 1980s. His bellows and barks are just as potent now as they ever were, and it is his performance that really helps Titans of Creation, and the modern Testament in general, to hit as hard as it does. He shines during the song's anthemic choruses, which see the pace slowed somewhat to allow his melodies to shine, while both Peterson and fellow guitarist Alex Skolnick get a chance to solo - with the latter particularly impressing with an extremely pacey shredded effort. WWIII is a bit heavier than the album's opening cut, doubling down on the thrash speeds while adding in a lot more weight. Steve DiGiorgio's bass is very high in the mix throughout the song, which really adds to its heaviness. The bass can often get a bit buried on thrash albums, so it is great to hear DiGiorgio's playing highlighted here - he is a virtuoso player so his work deserves to be showcased. The big grooves that define the Testament sound are also present here, with the song often switching between fast-paced thrashy moments and Pantera-esque moments of pure groove. It is this dynamic arrangement that keeps the song interesting, while another expressive Skolnick solo allows the jazz-influenced guitarist to put his stamp on the track. While the album's opening couple of tracks go for a big, expressive sound, Dream Deceiver is a much snappier and catchier track that is packed full of the Testament groove and plenty of shout-along melodies. Why this song was not released as a single is anyone's guess, as it has a massive, anthemic chorus that is sure to go down well if the song is played live; while Peterson's riffs have a strident, 1980s-style stop-start pattern that give the verses extra punch. DiGiorgio and Hoglan fill in some of the gaps between the riffs, providing an interesting back-and-forth arrangement that acts as a great bed for Billy's vocals. While many of the album's songs have a lot more going on throughout, few are as instantly-anthemic as this one - which makes the track a fun listen. Night of the Witch ups the pace a little in comparison to the previous number, but it still manages to create a strong groove throughout thanks to DiGiorgio's presence and some off-kilter Hoglan drumming. It is also one of the couple of songs here that features out-and-out extreme metal influences. While Demonic focused on that sound in more of a prominent way, many of Testament's albums nod to heavier vibes. Moments of this song evoke black metal aesthetics, with screamed harsh vocals (which I think are provided by Peterson) and tortured, blackened dual guitar leads. These moments are quite short-lived, but they really help the song to stand out and allow the band to showcase a different side of their playing.
City of Angels really showcases the band's love of big grooves, as Testament slow the pace right down early on with a Black Sabbath-esque riff and some lyrical bass playing. While the pace does not always remain at this speed, as the song has quite a varied arrangement that tackles a number of different moods, the piece is nevertheless dominated by grooves. The song rarely goes for the break-neck speeds that thrash is known for, but instead creates a creepy vibe through groove and atmosphere. Parts of the verses feature melodic clean guitar lines and Billy singing in a much gentler way than usual, while elsewhere the band ramp up the heaviness with manic bass playing and weighty riffing. The band seemed to enjoy playing around with effects throughout this song too. Billy's voice sometimes has some strange effects on it which enhances the creepy atmosphere, while other moments see the riffs infused with wah - which is certainly not something heard too often in thrash. It all comes together in service of the song however, and the tricks used help the track to become another memorable one. Ishtar's Gate, which was one of the gates to the ancient city of Babylon, toys with Eastern-tinged melodies; a sound which fits nicely into the band's established platter. Given the song's subject matter, this inclusion of Eastern influences is unsurprising but their inclusion works really well and helps give give the classic Testament sound a different vibe. This is another track that relies heavily on groove. There is very little out-and-out speed here, instead the band let DiGiorgio lead the charge with his weighty, melodic bass playing. His basslines are pretty prominent throughout, and they allow Peterson and Skolnick to weave their riffs and Eastern magic over the top perfectly. Both take a solo too, with Peterson's effort being more of a typical metal explosion of notes, while Skolnick's takes the Eastern themes and runs with them - which really adds to the song's overall vibe nicely. With Billy and Peterson writing most of the songs on the album, Symptoms is wholly written by Skolnick - and his love of jazz is evident in the song's off-kilter arrangement. While the track still sounds like Testamemt, there is a clear fusion element here - particularly during the instrumental sections which feature more lyrical basslines and meandering guitar leads. I really like this shake-up of the band's established formula, and it is interesting seeing the band's core sound through a different perspective. While Peterson's riffs define Testament, and always have done, Skolnick's jazz influences allow the band to occasionally move off in different directions from most other thrash acts, which really helps them to stand apart from many of their peers. False Prophet returns to more familiar territory however, with a choppy riff driving everything and occasional burst of twin-lead guitar throwing things back to the 1980s. In many ways, this song is generally a bit of a throwback; taking the listener back to the band's heyday. It is a track that contains all of the hallmarks of the band's classic sound, but brought up-to-date with a big, modern-sounding production. It is perhaps telling however that it is not as memorable or as interesting as some of the more 'experimental' numbers here. It is certainly a satisfying piece of old-school thrash, but the modern Testament that experiments more with different vibes and styles within their established template is certainly more interesting in 2020 - in my opinion anyway.
The Healers is somewhat similar, but goes for a big groove throughout that mixes a fairly slow-paced tremolo-picked riff with some really fast Hoglan drumming. This combination gives the song a bit of an extreme metal vibe at times, but Billy's huge voice ensures that it still sounds like Testament - and instead the song just rests on this huge groove rather than expanding to wider, or more extreme, territories. This is a track that is totally dominated by Peterson. He takes the song's only solo, and shows that he is also a more than capable soloist, but the tremolo-picked riffing is also reminiscent of his love of black metal - and sounds like something he could have done with his other band Dragonlord but played through a Testament lens. If The Healers was all Peterson, then Code of Hammurabi is all Skolnick. It is the second of his two compositions on the album and once again his love of fusion and a different way of doing things is showcased. DiGiorgio opens the song with a melodic and effects-heavy bassline, while the rest of the song is based around a melodic riff that certainly feels more musical than the average Testament riff. While Skolnick's compositions are not wildly different, they still add some variety to Testament's albums. He is still a trash player through and through, but the way he includes his love of jazz into his songwriting for Testament has always been one of the band's secret weapons. This different viewpoint can be seen throughout the song's lengthy guitar solo, which is less a thrash speedfest and more a heavily-controlled jazz workout set to a metal backing - which is a combination that works well together. Curse of Osiris the last of the album's 'proper' songs, so perhaps unsurprisingly the band go for pace and heaviness here. The album's opening couple of numbers went for the throat, and that is the same here - with more overt black metal sections included here featuring more of Peterson's screams. The black metal influences are much more prevalent here, and they really help the song to stand out. The song as a whole has something of a call-and-response feel to it. Billy obviously handles the lion's share of the vocals, his booming voice impressing one last time, but the short Peterson-led sections are packed full of power - his rasping voice sitting perfectly against a backdrop of blast beats and lightning-fast riffing. It is a really powerful song that only gets better the more I hear it. It works well as a closing number, showcasing the band's core sound perfectly, while it transitions into the instrumental piece Catacombs which brings the album to an end. It is a dramatic, keyboard-heavy piece with gothic choirs and punchy bass playing that acts as a coda to the album as a whole - and builds on the extreme metal vibes of the previous track with symphonic black metal trappings and an eerie feel. Overall, Titans of Creation is a really strong album from Testament that stands head and shoulders over their previous album, and it up there in quality with some of their other modern releases such as 2012's Dark Roots of Earth. It is a varied and dynamic release that sees the veteran band firing on all cylinders, and displaying a strong mix of styles that help to set the band apart from the pack.
The album was released on 2nd April 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Children of the Next Level.
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