Para Bellum

Graybeard thrash metal can take many forms. Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine has chosen to relitigate his claim to Metallica’s early material, Metallica themselves became a big-ticket bar band, Slayer cash festival paychecks, and a lot of the second-tier acts like Death Angel and Exodus stay in their tier. Then there’s Testament. Their 21st century albums have all been top shelf. Even knowing that, Para Bellum blows any expectations away. From the opening riff of “For the Love of Pain” — with its slashing guitars, tech-death drumming, and a deranged vocal performance from Chuck Billy — it thrills like their best Reagan-era screeds. Lyrics (never Billy’s strong suit) aimed at AI, shadow conspiracies, and gunslingers can feel a bit silly, but when backed up with the Alex Skolnick/Eric Peterson guitar onslaught and new drummer Chris Dovas’s nimble limbs, they hit the target. This feels vital because they’ve clearly been paying attention to what’s out there. They pick tremolos with the best black metallers, stomp all over Gojira, and out-groove Lamb of God. There’s even an actual heartbreak ballad (“Meant to Be”). In metal, feelings are perhaps the most surprising thing of all.