Section H8 – Phase One


White noise feeds back into the listener’s ears. An overwhelming feeling of discomfort sets the stage for Phase One (Flatspot Records) to begin in riotous fashion. ‘A. D. (Anno Diabolus)’ starts with a slow, brooding bass and excerpts of a voice talking about “the demon” that “feeds on your hate”, before the screaming starts. As the band kick in underneath the yelped vocals, there’s a carnal urge to flip tables and spin kick like your life depends on it. In a mere forty seconds, Section H8 are able to tap into the base urges of humanity’s inherently violent nature and get your adrenaline pumping like a shot to the heart.Continue reading


Testament – Brotherhood Of The Snake


testament-brotherhood-of-the-snake

Whenever the subject of The Big Four of Thrash Metal pops up in conversation, the first thing that tends to happen after the absolutely compulsory ranking process (THIS MUST ALWAYS BE DONE) is the equally mandatory “Band X should have been included instead of Band Y” debate.Continue reading


Testament Reveal Artwork For New Album, Brotherhood Of The Snake, Due This Fall


Testament band 2016 photo credit Gene Ambo ghostcultmag

Testament. Photo credit: Gene Ambo

 

Bay Area Thrash legends Testament have announced their new album, Brotherhood Of The Snake, will release this October 28th from the bands longtime label, Nuclear Blast. They have revealed the cover art for the album as well, created by artist Eliran Kantor (Hatebreed, Soulfly, Kataklysm) who also worked on 2012’s Dark Roots Of The Earth. You can see the artwork below:

 

Testament Brotherhood of The Snake ghostultmag

 

Producer Juan Urteaga (Exodus, Heathen, Machine Head), guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy, Brotherhood Of The Snake was mixed and mastered by well-known metal producer Andy Sneap (Accept, Arch Enemy, Cradle Of Filth, Kreator, Machine Head, Megadeth).

Peterson commented on the new music:

“It’s very diverse, but it’s very epic. There’s nothing on there that breeds commercial. And I think for thirty years of recording music and trying different formulas and stuff, we’ve found a formula that is very metal. I think for the metal fan that is looking for something, for the nooks and crannies… not just your normal, ‘Oh, it’s got a thrash beat and a riff.’ There’s a lot going on here.”

“It’s different. This one is more thrash. I mean, this has got some of the fastest stuff that we have ever played. Usually, we have one or two thrash songs, and then we have some mid-tempo, and then we have a slow, heavy one, and then up-tempo kind of stuff. Half of the new record is thrash, which we’ve never done before.”

“It’s kind of like ‘Demonic’ and ‘The Gathering’, but a little bit wiser. Chuck’s not singing so death. I mean, he does some death stuff but he’s singing more like he did on the last record and then with the craziness of ‘The Gathering’ or even heavy stuff like ‘Demonic’.”

Testament will support the new album with a UK/Ireland tour this fall with Amon Amarth and Grand Magus this autumn.

Testament tour dates with Amon Amarth and Grand Magus:

Oct 31: Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK

Nov 01: -O2 ABC, Glasgow, UK

Nov 02: Vicar Street– Dublin, UK

Nov 04 : Roundhouse- London, UK

Nov 05 : O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK