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"With "The Gathering", Testament achieve total mastery of their art, allowing them to express their thirst for extremeness and violence without sacrificing their class."
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4/5
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In 1999, Testament seems to be in great shape. Their two previous offerings, the brutal "Low" and the death-metal "Demonic", showed us a band eager to evolve and take radical paths with undeniable artistic success. Testament also presents a line-up that would make any extreme metal band green with envy. Alongside the indestructible Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson, we find Dave Lombardo (then ex-Slayer) on drums, Steve DiGiorgio (ex-Death) on bass, and the master of sweeping, James Murphy (ex Agent Steel, Death, Obituary and Cancer), on lead guitar.
Served by an impressively powerful and clear sound and a first-rate interpretation, the compositions of "The Gathering" prove to be implacable. A blend of efficiency and violence, the album was, at the time, one of the best in its genre. The tracks unfold without fail, revealing their capacity to rattle our senses without mercy. And yet, Testament has cleverly added a little variety to his brutal universe. Although the rhythms are on the whole very fast, the combo shows us that it knows how to modulate its music and its vocals. We move from tracks with a more rock'n'roll ambience ("Allegiance"), to less primal approaches in which the tension builds more subtly ("Eyes Of Warth", "Riding The Snake"), to blasts of velocity and hatred ("DNR"). And if these latter tracks are the most numerous, the care given to their composition, the conviction displayed by the musicians and their mastery in terms of interpretation make each of them a little gem.
With "The Gathering", Testament achieves total mastery of its art, allowing it to express its thirst for extremeness and violence without relinquishing its class. In artistic terms, the album is a veritable masterpiece. In terms of public recognition, and despite many excellent reviews, Testament still finds it hard to shake off its image as a second-rate band. And yet, in 1999, from a strictly musical point of view, few bands could claim to rival Chuck Billy's band. There's still time to right this wrong... - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate) - 03:34
02. Down For Life - 03:23
03. Eyes Of Wrath - 05:26
04. True Believer - 03:36
05. 3 Days In Darkness - 04:41
06. Legions Of The Dead - 02:37
07. Careful What You Wish For - 03:30
08. Riding The Snake - 04:13
09. Allegiance - 02:37
10. Sewn Shut Eyes - 04:15
11. Fall Of Sipledome - 04:48
12. Hammer Of The Gods (instrumental) - 03:11
LINEUP:
Chuck Billy: Chant
Dave Lombardo:
Eric Peterson: Guitares
James Murphy: Guitares
Steve Digiorgio: Basse
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READERS
3.7/5 (3 view(s))
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STAFF:
4/5 (3 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH TESTAMENT
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