The Formation of Damnation - Dark Publications

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Album Description
The Formation of Damnation is the 2008 release-- the first Testament studio album of all new material in nine years. This is the first Testament album to feature Alex Skolnick on guitar since 1992's The Ritual, also the first to feature bassist Greg Christian since 1994's Low. Testament are an US thrash metal band from California. Some of their records entered the charts in major markets such as the UK and Germany. Testament has two Top 40 albums and one Top 50 album to its credit in the UK. Their 1999 album The Gathering also entered the Top 50 in Germany. They had minor top 100 album success in the United States.

Customer Reviews: Read 75 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

A solid release that will please long time fans. April 29, 2008
18 out of 23 found this review helpful

For once it's refreshing to see a band's promise about a forthcoming release actually live up to how they hype that it will sound like.

Testament's 1st album of all new material in 9 years was billed by the band of having the songwriting style of their classic 80's material while featuring the much more aggressive playing style/production of 1999's The Gathering (which is still a most amazing album.) Well, that's what we got with The Formation of Damnation.

To be honest, this isn't as great of an album as The Gathering was, and this is coming from a long time fan who has been listening to the band since 1987. I still greatly appreciate their classic material but I felt that with The Gathering the band really reached their apex (depsite the fact that Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson were the only 2 original members left in the group by that point). But The Formation of Damnation is still a very good release that will please long time fans (of Bay Area thrash in particular) while not being quite as earth shattering as it needed to be to convert current audiences into new fans.

Song wise the album isn't as thrashy or as brutal as the Gathering with maybe the exception of the crushing title track. Writing wise a lot of this sounds like The New Order and Practice What you Preach styles with a more brutal guitar/drum attack. Chuck Billy still occasionally dips into his 90's death metal growl at times, but he doesn't do it nearly as much as he did during that period. He sings here much more in his older style and while his range isn't what it used to be he still turns in a tremendous performance. Returning original lead guitarist Alex Skolnick does his usual brilliant guitar work and drummer Paul Bostaph (who played on their Return to Apocalyptic City E.P.) does his always solid and fantastic drum work. Original bass player Greg Christian returns and I was a bit disappointed by how root oriented his playing was on this album, but it still does fit, just don't expect some of his memorable bass lines from yesteryear (with the exception being the final track Leave Me Forever which features a fantastic bass line throughout and was co-written by Greg Christian ironically enough). Eric Peterson still remains one of the most criminally underrated rhythm guitarists (who also can rip great leads) in all of metal and his riff work here is great as always.

Seeing as this is basically a new fresh start for this band, it should be interesting to see how they are able to build on this release as while not being their best work is still much better than a lot of people are probably expecting out of it.

5 out of 5 stars

The best metal album of 2008!. June 28, 2008
11 out of 15 found this review helpful

The Formation of Damnation was an excellent album from Testament, this being their 9th album so far and they have been getting better throughout the years considering what singer Chuck Billy went through (he successfully recovered from throat cancer and is doing great) they only got heavier as the years progressed, it seems like Testament are still going strong and two old members have returned along with former Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph. The classic Testament thrash sound still lives on in such tracks as the title track and The persecuted won't forget and not to mention the brilliant More than meets the eye which has surprisingly thrashy tempos and blistering leads, it definitely sounds like a mix of the old thrash style found on Practice What You Preach along with the newer sound on The Gathering. I honestly couldn't find a single bad track on this album, it was flawless and it was definetely a great comeback album. The album retains some speed when it gets going it has some of the best frantic,savage riffing I've ever heard along with some fantastic drumming and great soaring melodies while retaining that metal basis, the band is instrumentally proficient with Alex Skolnick providing some great solos check out the great solo on Henchmen Ride which is another favorite song of mine. The songs also have more of a political theme and deals with alot of current events like 9/11 on The evil has landed, Killing season and Fear which is about the dishonest and untrustworthy Bush administration both are great tracks off course, theres also the great song Afterlife which deals with alot of personal stuff that Chuck went through and has some great lyrics, when I first listened to this album I didn't think that they would be as good as before since they were absent for so long but I was completely wrong, it was just amazing. Testament is one of the most respected groups in thrash metal and this album was their best next to Practice, The New Order and Low. Formation is a masterpiece and should be a part of any serious headbanger's collection period so get this album now WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!! \m/.

5 out of 5 stars

To those of you too young to know May 12, 2008
9 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is Testament. Formed in 1983 with Steve Souza singing originally known as The Legacy. Since the birth of American thrash back in the 80's Testament has been cranking out metal that was fast, intense and heavy yet melodic. 25 years later We are blessed with this masterpiece of an album. From the very get-go this album gets in the mood to rock. With crushing metal anthems like "More Than Meets the Eye" we see a brand new old band resurge with awesome crafted guitar riffs that seem to punch the ear drums as if to say, "Don't call it a comeback!" Alex Scholnick and Eric Petereson's chops cannot be matched by many. They shine on this album as if they never missed a beat. "The Evil Has Landed' displays a sort of Practice What you Preach era. One of my favorite solos is on this song. The title track is probably the most intense song I've heard since "Of Dog Faced Gods" off Low. Killer breakdown and double-bass by Bostaph(a far better drummer than Tempesta). Do yourself a favor and don't drive listening to "The Persecuted Won't Forget". Your bound to want to get a speeding ticket and possibly a bad case of road rage. "F.E.A.R. is one the most old-school songs I've heard them do in years. Sounds like maybe something off of The New Order. Very 80's type rock chorus with a fat solo break and dueling leads. All in all kiddies this band help influence and pave the way for bands like Shadows Fall, Avenged Sevenfold, The Absence,Trivium. So put this record and school yourself with some old-school metal

3 out of 5 stars

Heard all this before May 2, 2008
7 out of 16 found this review helpful

Listening to this is like hearing one of the first 4 albums, updated w/ todays production (not like the piece of crap First strike Still Deadly remakes, J. tempesta you disapoint me).
The overall feeling I get when listening to this, is Ive heard these songs before. Riffs and vocal lines seem plucked out of yesteryear, and while its not surprising as the "classic" line up is back together for the first time in 16 yrs, I was hoping for a further progression from the old guard. Low, to me, is the album updating the old sound and was refreshing. Demonic takes a left turn into "Murky Waters" w/ its slow, grooving, not-quite-death-metal vibe. That one took me a while to appreciate. The Gathering however is an instant classic, imo THE GREATEST THRASH ALBUM EVER, just slightly edging out over Pantera's FBD and GSTK an Metallica's Puppets. There was the old sound, beefed up beyond all hell, w/ some of the newer more deathly elements, but leveled up w/ The Hammer of the Gods, Mr Dave Lombardo and Dr Steven DiGiorgio of the Institute for Fretless Mind-Blowery.
History has proven to crap on Paul Bostaph. Forever in the spectre of Lombardo, he additionally has to contend w/ the fact that he was called in to replace Nick Barker in a pinch, the bastard son of Gene Hoglan and Hellhammer. I was really excited when Testament hooked up w/ Nick. It eluded to the new album being something new, The Gathering meets The Legacy, but FASTER. Alas, we'll never know what could've been. Lombardo, while not blasting away like the drummers that follow in his wake, has a special way of playing, not just fast, but w/ groove, a blending of latin/jazz and punk/metal. it doesn't matter Paul can't play as fast as Nick or Gene or can't copy Lombardo note for note, but what he does here just leaves me unimpressed.
Also, the 9/11 song is really lame.

1 out of 5 stars

A nine year wait for this garbage! April 29, 2008
6 out of 60 found this review helpful

Testament has failed. Their newest effort, the first in nine years, has basically rendered the band to nostalgic status. Songs such as More Than Meets the Eye and The Evil Has Landed sound tired and recycled. The only song worth listening to is F.E.A.R. and that might have something to do with the fact the it was penned by Alex Skolnick. But what makes this disc even more painful is to hear Chuck Billy propagate his audio diarrhea. His voice has been shot the past few years, but with Testament's latest offering, it more than shows.

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