963. Testament / Brotherhood of the Snake. 2016. 3/5

Since the reformation of the (almost) original line up of Testament in the past decade, there have been only good things coming forward. New albums to enjoy, a great feeling coming from the band at large, and tours to most of the world. The thought of a new album was something to be celebrated. And perhaps this is where some of the anomalies lie.

The two comeback albums, The Formation of Damnation and Dark Roots of Earth have been good – spectacular in places even, backed by opening tracks that kick start the momentum immediately. The energy present in “More Than Meets the Eye” and “Rise Up” is contagious. Here though, the title track “Brotherhood of the Snake” doesn’t match that, and comes across a little weak in that respect. You would hope for better to follow, and while there are songs that can bring a bit of vibrancy to the album such as “The Pale King”, “Centuries of Suffering” and “Neptune’s Spear”, something isn’t quite right.
What perhaps is a little troubling here on Brotherhood of the Snake is the sameness of the song content. Some may feel this is a general attitude of this genre of music, but Testament has always managed to steer clear of the similar rhythm and riffing that can bring this comparison. Here though it has sounded like it has crept in. The consistent double kick of Gene Hoglan’s drum kit can be attributed to some of that, but it is a combination of factors such as the drums, the rhythm guitar and bass riff blending in together, and Chuck Billy’s vocals not really moving out of the one key for the majority of the album. This might appear to be ill informed or just plain wrong to many people, but I have been waiting for this album to grab me since its release. Usually I can at least attached myself to a couple of songs, and from that point I have a connection which drags me in. That hasn’t happened here. Sure, I can put the album on, and I can have it play in the background and listen to it easily enough. But there is no pull to MAKE me put it on in front of any other album on my current rotation, and that spells trouble to me.

For the first time in a long time, I just feel like we’ve heard it all before. It’s not a bad album, it is just an average album. No doubt many of these songs will sound much better in a live environment, and I hope I get the chance to experience that. Compared to what they have produced in the past, this is slightly disappointing.

Rating:  “There's no place to hide, our sights are set on you”.   3/5