Looking at the news, it’s easy to feel like the end of the world is mere moments away: if the state of global events is getting to you, who better to listen to than one of the most tried-and-true bands in all of metal? Testament may be on their fourteenth studio release, but the fire that burned throughout classic records like ‘The New Order’ and ‘Practice What You Preach’ continues to define the band— hell, even the new album’s cover has been engulfed in a nuclear blaze. Any fans of balls-to-the-wall thrash metal owe it to themselves to check out ‘Para Bellum,’ a record that falls right in line with the cutthroat wickedness of 2016’s ‘Brotherhood of the Snake.’

At this point, Testament falling out of top-form would be more surprising than the announcement of a full scale man-made apocalypse: the band have old school metal flowing through their very veins. Peterson and Skolnick are one of the most reliable duos in the genre, and they’re far from slacking off this time around. From the bruising riffs that kick off ‘For the Love of Pain,’ the sheer intensity these two play the guitar with comes jumping off the speakers— their wicked harmonics and ruthless style of pick attack could inject even the most mundane of riffs with serious venom (and believe us when we say that Testament’s writing is far from mundane). The entire band seem to take a twisted kind of glee in creating chaos: Chuck Billy’s booming growls have the commanding presence of a general, absolutely selling the cheesy melodrama of “high noon, death soon,” though they never get in the way of the excellent bass work of Steve Di Giorgio. There are no weak links dragging the team down— new drummer Chris Dovas absolutely earns his keep as he bashes his way through cuts like ‘Witch Hunt’ and the title track.

In many ways, ‘Para Bellum’ fits neatly into the band’s modern direction. Any listeners familiar with Testament’s post-reunion material, whether that be the triumphant return of 2008’s ‘The Formation of Damnation’ or 2020’s ever-reliable ‘Titans of Creation,’ will find the new record fairly comfortable: perhaps the greatest criticism to be levied against the new album is that it’s quite risk-shy. Lead single ‘Infanticide A.I.’ is a solid indication of what Billy and company have in store this time around, as the cut’s squealing guitar leads and apocalyptic deconstructions of modern technology lean into all the group’s usual strengths. ‘Para Bellum’ is a particularly boisterous record, even by this group’s standards— it’s absolutely crushing, always aiming to push the soaring lead parts of its title track and the bulldozing momentum of ‘Shadow People’ as far as humanly possible. This may not the band’s most innovative record, but neither is it a stale formula: Testament can still kick all kinds of ass.

If the new album does set itself apart at all, it’s in its groovier, bluesier moments: the band seek to prove that they can get you head banging even without the blast beats, and it’s a gamble they win every time. ‘Nature of the Beast’ has all the sleazy charm and memorable choruses of a dad rock song, but comes equipped with the ripping guitar leads and impactful sound design you’d expect from one of thrash metal’s best— it’s moments like these, as well as the unfairly catchy hooks of ‘Room 117’ and ‘Havana Syndrome,’ that prove Testament to be not just strong performers, but excellent songwriters. The band balance brutality against their dependable musical instincts, giving us a crop of tracks with more to offer than sheer volume: the Wild West-themed antics of ‘High Noon’ and eery note choices of ‘Witch Hunt’ are as solid as they come.

If we were forced to nitpick the record (which we are, given that it’s currently under review), it must be said that the clean vocals on offer here, however sparsely they might be used, aren’t the strongest elements of ‘Para Bellum.’ The band throw a real curveball into the mix with the lengthy epic ‘Meant to Be,’ instilling in the song some real heart and ambition— it’s a wonderful moment of reflection in amongst Testament’s usual madness, even if Billy’s vocals aren’t nearly as appealing as the variety of guitar styles that appear throughout the cut. Still, it’s a fairly small complaint when the group’s melodic offerings manage to sound so daring and weighty: even of their fourteenth album, the band are crafting records with not an ounce of filler left on the bones. It is, of course, impossible to ignore how closely ‘Para Bellum’ ties into its predecessors— every time we praise songs like ‘For the Love of Pain’ or ‘Shadow People,’ it feels like ‘Brotherhood of the Snake’ is giving us a dirty look. That does little to take away from the chaotic fun Testament continue to conjure though, especially when they commit to it so heartily.

Chuck Billy is sixty three years old, and most of the band around him aren’t too much younger— on ‘Para Bellum,’ they could easily be mistaken for rising stars with something to prove. Most bands would shrink back from the challenge of creating an album this adrenaline-fuelled: for Testament, it honestly sounds like a walk in the park. On their fourteenth album, the group continue to bring all the thrash metal explosiveness we love them for— if the end really is coming soon, at least Billy and company have given us a worthy soundtrack.