Testament – The Gathering
Prosthetic Records

(4.5/5)

If you are looking for classic Thrash metal at its absolute finest, you need The Gathering by Testament! Time and time again, Testament has proved that they are a Thrash force to be reckoned with, but my personal favorite reason is this 12-track, non-stop energy filled, masterpiece. From beginning to end, the guys from Testament keep you moving with demanding vocals from Chuck Billy, insane guitar riffs from guitarists Eric Peterson and James Murphy, powerful bass lines from bassist Steve DiGiorgio, and thundering drums from drummer Dave Lombardo. As one of the many changing line-ups of Testament, these five really put their skills together to create an amazing piece of art that is The Gathering. As a whole, the album doesn’t have a lot of room for improvement, but there are a few tracks that stood out to me as being more exceptional tracks. My personal top favorite is track 5 which is better known as “3 Days in Darkness”. To me, this track really captures the sound of what you should get when you mash Thrash and Heavy metal together. Constructed of Pantera-like guitar riffs and drums, “3 Days in Darkness” is “mortared” with the yells and almost Death metal-like growls of Chuck Billy. The second song in my list of favorites is track 7, or “Careful What You Wish For”. “Careful What You Wish For” is another song that just has an overall dominance and power to it that contains truth among lyrics. Really, it has the feel of an anthem for a rebellion or some sort of uprising! My last top song from this album is the closing track, “Hammer of the Gods”. This track is completely instrumental, giving a slow yet heavy ending to a great album. Overall, it’s a great song and the instrumental aspect helps it to stick out from the rest of the tracks. With these three tracks and the rest of the talent that went into this album, The Gathering is definitely an album for the ages!

SiX – Between the Warning and the War
1605 Records

(4/5)

With Between the Warning and the War as their third release, SiX is continuing to make their presence known as a West Coast Rock band. Not only are there Heavy metal and Punk influences helping push SiX through this 13-track (plus 3 “hidden” tracks), fist pumping, Hard rock album, but vocalist Lauren is helped out by Tony Campos from Static-X on “The Day I Died” (track 1) and “Warning” (track 7) as well as Mike Clark from Suicidal Tendencies on “Forgiveness” (track 4). Overall, Lauren, guitarist Alfunction, and drummer Rob Woods, and bass player Bob K really attack mainstream music while letting their roots show with the mix of old school power and the future of aggression on Between the Warning and the War! Honestly, I think it’s a great album and it was really hard to choose favorite songs, but “The Day I Died” and “Circles” were the two that really jumped out at me. “The Day I Died” sticks out for its aggressive, Punk/Thrash-like sound that starts the album off with a bang! When you hear it, you can’t help but want to start pumping your fists and moshing with your friends. “Circles” is just one of the songs off the album that show off some of Nate Bowers’ double bass skills along with the Drowning Pool-like feel of the whole track. All in all, Between the Warning and the War is an album for your arsenal if you’re into Hardcore punk and Hard rock! Look for Lauren, Alfunction, Rob and guitarist Johnny Utah playing live near you!

Cavalera Conspiracy – Inflikted
Roadrunner Records

(4/5)

Thrash is back in full force with Cavalera Conspiracy’s debut album, Inflikted. Originally, his would have been a self-titled debut, but due to legal reasons, the band had to change their name. CC is not just any Thrash metal band, but it is made up of some of Metal’s finest musicians. The All Star line-up consists of Max Cavalera (Sepultura co-founder and Soulfly founder) on vocals and rhythm guitar, Igor Cavalera (Sepultura co-founder) on drums, Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo, and Joe Duplantier (guitarist and vocalist from Gojira) on bass. Together, these four guys have managed to put together an incredible album that utilizes components of Thrash metal, Heavy metal, and even some Hardcore punk. Although all 11 tracks are vital in making this album awesome, “Inflikted” (track 1/title track), “Ultra-Violent” (track 5), and “Bloodbrawl” (track 8 ) stuck out over the rest to help prove that CC has what it takes to be an amazing band. “Ultra-Violent” has to be my overall favorite from the album for the fact that it is HEAVY! It shows a more old school Thrash style, with a slow and heavy groove to it. Also, Rex Brown (current Down and ex-Pantera bassist) is featured as the guest bassist on this track. “Bloodbrawl” ranks high for its overall heaviness, its classic Thrash feel, its massive breakdowns, and the use of insane sweep picking! Also, it shows a bit of diversity with the mellowness of the last 30 seconds or so of the song. Overall, this album could help in resurrecting the Thrash sound of older bands such as Slayer, and Testament. So let down your hair, get pumped, and thrash with your friends! Cavalera Conspiracy is here and they mean business!