LORDS OF CREATION

TESTAMENT bring the metal to the masses with Titans of Creation, the 13th chapter in their canon of symphonic savagery. Guitar World checks in with guitarists ERIC PETERSON and ALEX SKOLNICK and gets a glimpse inside the making of the legendary group’s latest thrashterpiece.

- JEFF KITTS

2020 STARTED OFF WELL ENOUGH, BUT IT UNRAVELED SEEMINGLY overnight — by early spring, we found ourselves crushed under the weight of unprecedented distress and uncertainty, trapped in a world fraught with as much disease as dis-ease. By the time April came limping into view, there wasn’t much anyone could put their faith into — that is, unless you’re a fan of classic American thrash metal. When Testament unleashed its 13th studio album, Titans of Creation, on April 3, it gave Gen-X metalheads a reason to rejoice — a reason to celebrate during a time of great discomfort. It also served as a bludgeoning reminder that Testament is still at the top of its game 33 years after the release of its debut album, The Legacy.

And that’s really what the metal community has come to expect from Testament through all these years — that the thrash veterans from Berkeley, California, will be there when they need it most, no matter what. Since first emerging from the Bay Area in the midEighties, Testament have been through an abundance of turmoil and disruption, including a dizzying number of lineup changes and singer Chuck Billy’s bout with cancer in 2001 — yet here in 2020, the band sounds better than ever.

“Our dark times were definitely dark,” says guitarist Eric Peterson, “but through ruin comes creation. Somehow we’ve always been able to keep it going.”