Yeah I would have loved to have gone to that!
So far,,(and I haven't put a lot of time at home into it yet, and in the car I keep playing Rise Up and True American Hate over and over)It's a really good album.There are a lot of things they did that I had hoped they would.Longer deeper songs more nuances.Alex definitely dug deeper on this one.Chucks voice is really good,I thought at times on TFOD that his voice was too high,almost Zetro-ish.Now it sounds more like his original voice mixed with the Gathering and Low...and dare I say a little bit like Hetfield at times? In a good way of course.Hell someone should take advantage of that sound,Hetfield sure isn't lol.
I love Gregs bass tone and it's pretty easy to hear what he's playing even with everything else going on.The drums are very good.Of course.But non of it really sounds to me like it had to be Gene.They seem a little more reserved at times than I would have thought from Gene or Eric.
There are also some surprises.I always wanted more from Eric,and I never realized how much that might change the sound.He throws in a lot of bluesy licks that I wasn't expecting and since he and Alex are harmonizing more ,and on some of it instead of using a third guitar for rhythm, it's just them together.They have done this before but not for as long and to me it makes it sound a little more Iron Maiden -ish.
Also the slow song (cold Embrace?) they took that really far with some of the vocals. None of these things are bad.They are just surprises to me.
I definitely hear The ritual album peppered through out.Either in the form of little bits from Alex and Eric and also a few words here and there as well as vocal melodies.All for the benefit I think.We all know Testament is too talented to copy themselves.
I've only listened to it all the way through twice.So far I'm really loving the title track.And I look forward to drowning myself in this album.
what about you? what do you think?
P.S. I reserve the right to change my mind about any and all of this as time goes by
