Released just this week, on April 29th, The Formation of Damnation is a poundingly potent disk from Oakland's thrash pioneers, Testament. Appearing via Nuclear Blast, it's the band's first compilation of all-new material since 1999's The Gathering, and the 11-track effort proves to have been well worth the wait. Coming from a crew considered by many to be the "classic" Testament lineup, The Formation of Damnation, despite its ominous-sounding title, delivers a thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful handful of hard-rock nuggets. Founding guitarist Eric Petersen teams once again with ace axe-slinger Alex Skolnick, bassist Greg Christian, drummer Paul Bostaph, and ever-able frontman Chuck Billy, on an album that combines rugged rhythms, vigorous vocals, and expert production into a meaty, metallic platter that should satisfy old and new fans alike. The CD opens with a minute-long instrumental overture called "For the Glory of ... ," which comes on both strong and structured, like a high-decibel symphony orchestra, and which includes keyboard work from a guest named Lyle Livingston. Although no other keys appear on the disk, nor do any acoustic tracks, Testament's tunes sometimes take turns towards the progressive, as heard in a song such as "The Persecuted Won't Forget," which provides an interesting contrast between a typically chunky chordal foundation and adventurous changes that forage into more complex, varied terrain. Peterson and Skolnick both shine as fretboard experts on this song and throughout the disk, sometimes as independent soloists, sometimes in harmonized tandem.
Although Testament has been shown to be a thinking band, it's not exactly a political one, and so some might ask whether we need, after seven years, any musical commentary from a thrash band on the horrific events of September 11th, 2001. With
"The Evil Has Landed," Chuck Billy and his bandmates have emphatically answered, "Yes, yes, hell, yes!" -- and without degenerating into raw, one-dimensional rage, the song speaks of how "we will pick up the pieces ... we will rebuild our home." As a kind of companion to that piece comes "Killing Season," dedicated to soldiers fighting abroad, acknowledging the trials and traumas they face. Then again, there's a biker anthem entitled "Henchmen Ride" that pays homage to modern-day "soldiers of the street," the highwaymen who roam the roads in freedom on their steeds of steel.
Touching on freedom in another way is "Afterlife," a work of deep feeling that addresses the enduring questions of death, separation, and eternity, and which contains an ultimately hopeful thread to hang onto. The song is appropriately followed by a Skolnick composition called "F.E.A.R.," in which we're reminded that "Fear is only what you feel ... False Evidence Appearing Real." That concept could be linked also with the CD's title track, for while "The Formation of Damnation" may represent the seeds of modern mayhem that are reaching woeful fruition, Chuck Billy insists that "The time is now. Resist the persecution. We won't lay down. ... I breathe hope inside of thee ... I fulfill my destiny." These sentiments are in alignment with a preceding cut, "More Than Meets the Eye," wherein the singer asserts, "I'm no longer slipping ... I've turned my life around." Yes, with Testament, a band that's been thrashin' it out for about a quarter-century, there's definitely more than meets the eye, and it's all good. And on a final note, recent announcements indicate that the Oakland rockers will be opening up for a really big arena tour this summer, featuring Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, and Motorhead. So fans who missed Testament in the clubs this spring will have another chance to see them soon, with a slew of fellow veterans, carrying the metal torch into the new millennium.
