Testament
Album Dive
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There’s no denying that the drummer in a band can radically impact (good or bad) the overall dimension, weight, and power of a band’s sonic palette. And when that drummer is DAVE LOMBARDO, and that band is TESTAMENT, and those two forces join together, it results in the most dynamically brutal album of their entire catalog.
Testament’s 1999 opus, THE GATHERING, is the first and only album (thus far) to feature Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Grip Inc.) behind the drums. Now that Dave is officially back in Testament again, we can reflect on this thrash masterpiece and begin to genuinely appreciate (and anticipate) the crushing level of awesome that the next Testament album will possess.
Check out Testament on the InterWebs
Released June 8, 1999
Recorded 1998–1999
Chuck Billy – vocals
James Murphy – lead guitar
Eric Peterson – lead and rhythm guitar
Steve Di Giorgio – bass
Dave Lombardo – drums
Production
Chuck Billy – co-producer
Eric Peterson – co-producer, engineering
Andy Sneap – engineering, mixing
James Murphy – engineering
Phil Arnold – executive Producer (2008)
Vincent Wojno – engineering (2008)
Kent Matcke – engineering (2008)
Dave McKean – album cover artwork
You’ll want to have “King Krug” help with the uncorking (“remember when we used to gulp?”) before you get your boots and spurs ready for “riding the slug” (hey, there’s a first time for everything…*gulp*) and find out “The New Core” that’s been officially sanctioned for this episode by none other than “Elvis Anselmo” as you JOIN US for a dive into the brutally glorious, sonic ecstasy that is Testament’s eighth studio album, “THE GATHERING”.
Track by Track
D.N.R. (DO NOT RESUSCITATE):
The creepy intro has a very “dark & foreboding” feel to it…indicating what is to come. Immediately, the superbly heavy production quality can be felt, in the drums, the low end, the guitars, the vocals, ALL of it! Definitely a killer opener. Makes one wonder what Testament might have sounded like in the 80’s if Dave Lombardo had been behind the kit back then.
“And there’s all these possibilities, some will fail, and some will achieve…”
DOWN FOR LIFE:
Whenever Dave Lombardo joins a band, you just KNOW it’s him. This track has that old-school Testament vibe to it too; a nice blend between what once was and what now is (and by “now” we’re referring to 1999). Their former sound versus their (then) current sound. Brutally heavy. Allegedly, the writing chemistry between Dave and Eric (Peterson) bordered on magic. Which makes the fact that Dave is back in the band all the more awesome.
“All along he could never see, who he was and always will be…”
EYES OF WRATH:
Don’t deny the power of Testament’s unique ability to bring the eerie and the creepy to their music. Definitely has that 90’s groove and swagger (and weight) to it. That groove breakdown that moves into the solo riff (and finishes out the song) is super cool (and is also, I believe, the first guitar solo on the album up to this point).
“Random crime spree attack, there’s nothing random at all…”
TRUE BELIEVER:
More creepy intros. Pretty straight-ahead riff, peppered with dark, groovy heaviness. Don’t deny the power of Testament’s 90’s swagger.
“Ash to ashes, dust to dust. All I ever wanted, was power of the blood…”
3 DAYS IN DARKNESS:
I guess those wacky Mayans were wrong. 2012 was supposed to be the end of the world (and we’re still waiting…), with 3 days of darkness happening at some point around or near the end of the world. It doesn’t matter. Obviously, the world hasn’t ended (yet…that we know of anyway), and obviously this song has all the balls.
“The meaning of life ends in prophecy, premonitions bring tragedy, is there hope for humanity?”
LEGIONS OF THE DEAD:
“Uhhh, yeah, I’d like to order ‘The Lombardo’ please. Yes, with all the fixins, extra heavy, and an extra order of double bass and speed on the side please. Actually, just mix it all together. Oh yeah, and a side of chili as well. Yeah, EXTRA Lombardo sauce in the chili please. Thank you.”
Definitely has that old school, chaotic, ultra-Hella intense thrash energy.
Don’t deny the power of thrash bone.
“Where’s your God to save you now from the hordes of undead?”
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR:
Almost a Sabbath-y kind of swing in the groove. That “uncomfortable” intro riff almost has a “Dissident Aggressor” feel to it. It makes a really cool, super heavy reappearance later in the song.
“HEY! We live in a FUCKED-UP world, hiding behind the disguise, never let your feelings show, why can’t you be yourself?”
RIDING THE SNAKE:
There is no sound more beautiful than the sound of Dave Lombardo’s double-bass precision paired up with the power of Eric Peterson’s brutally rifftactical fury. Also has that nice creepy harmony guitar part that’s reminiscent of “The Haunting.” Not sure if you ride a snake bareback or with a saddle, cowboy boots and spurs.
“Drowning in pools filled with lies, condemned in pain, watch how the serpent survives…”
ALLEGIANCE:
Kind of a “short one” relative to the other songs. Add some extra volume and enjoy LOUDLY with a bowl of Lombardo chili.
“Come together, raise the knife. Same old promise that we’ve heard a thousand times.”
SEWN SHUT EYES:
One thing that I think we can all agree on is that, for old school 80’s thrash bands, the 90’s, and really, every decade following the 90’s, only served to make those bands heavier. Testament effortlessly combines the speed and intensity of 80’s thrash with the heavy, grooving swagger of the 90’s on this album, moving in and out of the various dynamics in sound and structure.
Oh yeah, the solo part with that incredible double-bass flourish…I cannot fucking wait until the next Testament record comes out with Dave behind the kit because it’ll be like The Gathering but with a whole extra side of Dave Gravy (don’t make it weird, you ALL know exactly WTF I’m talking about).
“Hate always eager to rise above all to gain full control…”
FALL OF SIPLEDOME:
Ahhh, Siple. That lovely little volcano in Antarctica; the “unknown continent” that somehow, we know nothing about (probably because it’s a bit nipply down there…as it reaches a sweltering 32*F in the summertime).
The perfect way to close the album. Two great bookends with the opener and the closer and then all the heavy filling in the middle.
The riffs!!! HFS, those riffs are heavy as BALLS! And those fucking drums! Even though this was a full 13 years after R.I.B., Dave shows that he can go just as fast in ’99 as he could in ’86 (and perhaps, maybe, even faster…maybe?).
“The core revealed the past of a world once lost…”
Show Notes:
(00:01): #innit #STFU #wordvomit #arewerollingjimmy #theuncorking #theanticipation #squeakygoodness #climax #spokealloverit / ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** #onehundredpercentuncorked #pourinitup #choppinitdown #vibratorASMR and #phonemysteries (#Skynet is #fuckingstupid!!!) #masking #magic #smokin #thisepisodesclinkyoftheepisode #FireOnTheMountain #HailAndFareWell #TaylorHawkins #trexarmsunite #clinky ***HAIL AND FAREWELL TO TAYLOR HAWKINS AND POSITIVE ENERGY AND UPLIFTING VIBES TO THE FOO FIGHTERS!!!*** #hailandfarewell #TaylorHawkinsRIP #FooFighters / A #Studio666 #moviereview #shocker courtesy of Russell… #dontdenythepowerof #Krug #ItsFine (***Go check out #DreamWidow!!! It’s like #Probot on #steroids!!!***) #continuity and the beauty of #streaming
(07:04): Surprise guest / #segue / #thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode #whatdidimiss (#seealsofat instead of #portly) / #SlightlyMighty #DogfishHeadBrewery #ummm #firsttimeforeverything #monkfruit ***not bad for a lite beer*** #shotgun and #beerchugging #Vergina #noswallowingforme #rememberwhenweusedtogulp #theartofgulping and #adultshit (#Parents are #ridiculous!!!) #dontworryaboutit #thosewerethedays #waitwhat (and a #newsegment: #RussellRecalls) / #TheVoicemailSegment #asamatteroffuckingfact ***GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!*** #olympicgrade #didithaveodor #burpbouquet #what!? #Blessing (***Make it make sense!!!***) #markthetime #SpartanRaces and #healthconsciousness (as a choice!) #Whostherealassholehere?
(13:48): An #email from #pissingpost regarding #TheUnending (we think, anyway)…#channelling #relaxerinfusion #dontdenythepowerof #herewego #pissingpostimpression #taketwo (#ThanksRon) / #addtreatment #foreducationalandinstrucionalpurposesonly #safer #paynoattention #gingerburger / #LEGALIZEITALREADY (and let those #dominoes fall…) #skunkfarm or a #skunkorgy / ***THANK YOU, PISSING POST!!!*** / An #email from Trevor regarding the #LegacyOfTheBeastTour ***EMAIL US AT METALNERDERY@GMAIL.COM *** / #thatsoundsprettygood #chicharron ***Check out our alternate upcoming tentative #FoodNerdery #podcast!!!*** #chunkyburps and #herewego #wearegonnareadit #ThankYou #somethinginyourbeard
(21:55) #ournewsegment ***A NEW METAL NERDERY SEGMENT!!! WE’LL PLAY YOUR SHIT!!!*** #PoonDoom #listencarefullyforinstructions / #MetalNerderyWillPlayYourShit #WellPlayYourShit: The artist is Salvations End: The song is MONARCH (#SalvationsEnd) #HellAintABadPlaceToBe #Eh #fromearth #fuckyeah #badass #KingDiamondPowerProgThrash #Hail #loadsofriffs (***HOLY FUCK…GIVE US A CALL, GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK!!! LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!***) / Also, there are hints of #Nevermore and even #Sanctuary #Testamentesque and #Forbiddenesque #getsome / #jingle
(28:06): #whatisprobrem #Fonzi / THE DOCKET: DAVE LOMBARDO IS BACK WITH TESTAMENT!!! HAIL AND REJOICE!!! We’re diving into 1999’S “The Gathering” (The mix is incredible…#elephantscrotumcore #TheNewCore) and the transition of Testament’s sound from “Souls of Black” to more the “Low” and heavier era… / **Are you familiar with #TestamentsBlackAlbum?” ** #moredeathmetaly #moreheavy / A giant side of #extragravy / #BookEndsOfGreatness / The personnel (and relative tangentionalality to #JudasPriest and also #Sabbat) / #SkolnickTheJazzMan / #crispybois #crispyballs / #theopener and #blacklight #galaxies / #killeropener D.N.R. (DO NOT RESUSCITATE) #laypeople #inclusivepositiveASMR and the #playthings of #laythings #cantbeloudenough (***BUCKLE UP CHILDREN!***) #joyfulnoise / A “different kind” of Testament (now with #DaveLombardoChili) / The change in Chuck Billy’s vocal style, and the ever important #vocalballs
(39:40): Killer second track energy: DOWN FOR LIFE (#killertone) / Very cool incorporation of groove with Thrash. (#ThankYou #Pantera!) 😉 / A “deeper” version of Chuck (#postvocalballdrop) / #howdoyoufeel #onoraround #handsonmyhorn / You can completely alter an album with the same album mix. / #softintro EYES OF WRATH #doomy with shades of #doommetal #creepy #eerie #hashtagprojectilevomitous #itsfine #readthoselyrics (EDIT: That’s Dragon LORD, not FORCE! Sorry, it was #relaxers) / TRUE BELIEVER (NOT the “Nightstalker”). Dude, #CharlesBronson vs #CharlesManson would be rad! / #mayismellyourbox
(48:32): #verver #era #ElvisAnselmo #awwmannn 3 DAYS IN DARKNESS (#alltheballs) #earlyVikingThrash #drumbone vs #guitarbone / The “least best” Testament album per #MetalNerd (and #applicableanalogies) #ehhhhh / #ashortone LEGIONS OF THE DEAD #TheManIsAMachine #violentthrash #likethegoodolddays (Side 2 #killer opener or no? With regard to the #cassette).
(54:24): CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR #canyoupickupwhatimlayingdown #swing and #shuffle (***Definitely listen through headphones. Very nice! ***). Was Pantera the Black Sabbath of the 90’s? #isaidit / ***Go check out “The Dark Roots of Thrash” Double Live album…most excellent!!!***) / #ridingtheslug RIDING THE SNAKE #oldschoolsound (*Go check out our Legacy / The New Order Album Dive episodes! *) #awwmannn / #newgenre ALLEGIANCE #heyeverybody #groove
(1:00:27): SEWN SHUT EYES (#deathgroove) *Updated production techniques…* / FALL OF SIPLEDOME #antarctica #flatearthbros #spaceisdark #howcomespaceisntbrightasfuckingfuck #volcano #pubesacrifice #buckleupchildren #nothingbutgoASMR #cantbeloudenough #newfavoriteTestamentalbum #veggieveggie / Favorites #markthetime and a reasonable #analogy (or, as we say here in the bowels of our 33rd Floor Inverted Underground Bunker Poon (I.U.B.P.) Studio complex / #Oreos and various “colour combinations” / Tracking? / Production credits and the re-release with #differentalbumcover for #TheGathering / #amomentofrant #FuckVlad #nottheimpaler #untilthenext #illenditwiththis #tits and #thelastword #youvegottawantit #igaveittoyoulasttime #teaserino #outroASMR