Testament – Dark Roots of Earth

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Moosejuice

2012 Nuclear Blast

Man, there’s nothing better than hearing a metal band you loved in the 80’s and 90’s sounding more juiced and inspired than ever on a new release 20 years later. I remember back in 1987 when I bought their first album The Legacy (an album which initially scared the bejeezus out of me with its dark imagery) and I was blown away by the interplay between guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson on songs like Burnt Offerings. I honestly wasn’t as blown away by the songs on the album, but it was obvious that there was immense talent in the band and I was hooked.

Hooked enough to buy every release since then. I really thought they were the band that threatened to make The Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) The Big Five. Though it never quite happened, Testament earned immense respect and produced a bevy of cool albums in the years after. While I was totally disappointed when the classic Testament lineup eroded (beginning with the departures of axe wiz Skolnick and drummer Louie Clemente), I was equally thrilled when Skolnick returned for The Formation of Damnation a few years back. To say I’m thrilled with Dark Roots of Earth would be an understatement.

Skolnick and Peterson have never sounded more juiced and Dark Roots of Earth is quite possibly the best album Testament has ever recorded. This is a band thoroughly in love with the sounds they’re creating and obviously having a blast creating them. Kicking off with powerful opener Rise Up, this album just never lets up and it’s chocked full of everything that has made this band special from the very beginning. Lead throat Chuck Billy (cancer survivor…YEAH!) turns in one of his very best and most inspired performances, as does the whole band really.

Skolnick originally left Testament because he wanted to explore other less metal musical terrain, and I really believe the band is better for it. What he brings to the music now is that much better, and that’s saying a lot when you consider the quality of Testament’s songwriting. Peterson is more of a co-lead guitarist now and Dark Roots benefits from the two guitarists having a better chemistry than ever. Hell, this band has been bleeding talent from the early days, as evidenced on their absolutely killer metalized cover of Aerosmith gem Nobody’s Fault, quite a feat by a band that at that point was still proving themselves.

Witness Native Blood, True American Hate, Cold Embrace and Throne of Thorns, all delivering in spades and showing Testament to be a band with much more to offer…hopefully for many years to come. This is a guitar hero album in the best way. Many bands from Testaments early era are pretty much nostalgia acts, but these guys are perhaps more vital than they’ve ever been. Whatever the journey that’s gotten them to this point, it’s been worth it.

Squarely heavy metal (once again in the best way), Dark Roots of Earth is one of those albums that could truly earn these guys a whole new legion of fans. If you don’t like metal, you probably won’t like this album, but if you do like metal you’ll want to give this one a good thorough listen. It’s so good that you’ll probably find yourself wanting to check out their back catalogue,

It’s also so good that you may find that it outshines their fine collection of recordings. I haven’t been this stoked about a Testament disc since Low. Welcome back, guys!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Download/Buy Dark Roots of Earth and other Testament music

New Amorphis Video “You I Need”

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Moosejuice

My favorite Finnish band is back with another disc of some of my favorite sounds on the planet. Amorphis is really a world unto themselves, and their new CD “The Beginning of Times” continues with their use of the Finnish national epic poem “The Kalevala” for inspiration.

To amazing effect.

This is the first video from the disc, which was released on June 7th. A full Abysmal review is forthcoming, but in the meantime enjoy this taster.

Abysmally, of course….

Amorphis – Magic and Mayhem (Tales from the Early Years)

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Moosejuice

File:Amorphis - Magic & Mayhem.jpg 2010 Nuclear Blast

I remember in high school and college talking with my bro Dr. Peto about how cool it would be if Iron Maiden went back and re-recorded their self-titled debut and Killers with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Of course that never happened but man would it have been cool.

One of my absolute favorite bands is Finnish band Amorphis, and they just seem to get better and better with age. Further proof of this, as if 2009’s Skyforger wasn’t enough, is their new/old CD Magic and Mayhem – Tales From the Early Years. New/old because they’ve re-recorded material from their early years…namely from The Karelian Isthmus – Elegy. Some purists may scoff at me saying this, but everything is the better for it.

That’s not to slag the original recordings because they were excellent for sure, but there’s no denying the band sounds truly better than they ever have and the old material sounds better with Tomi Joutsen’s vocals. He is an absolute one-of-a-kind vocalist and the best thing that ever happened to this band.

“Black Winter Day” was the song that initially made me a fan of Amorphis back in 1993, and I’m still in awe of how superior this re-recording is both production-wise and because of the inhuman vocal performance of Tomi Joutsen. His deliberate and powerful roar is balanced by an equally powerful melodic voice that will have you shaking your head at the fact that both are from the same singer.

Their tongue-in-cheek cover of The Doors’ classic “Light My Fire” was a cool novelty when they originally recorded it during the “Tales From The Thousand Lakes” sessions, but it’s even better here and comes across as less of a mere novelty and more of an honest re-working of it in frightening Amorphis style.

In all, there are 3 remakes from The Karelian Isthmus, 5 from the classic Tales From the Thousand Lakes, 4 from Elegy and the aforementioned Doors cover as a bonus track (the original version is from the Black Winter Day EP). Every single track is an improvement on the original. Again, that’s not to slag the originals…it’s just that a once really good band is now great.

Highlights for me are Drowned Maid, Exile of the Sons of Uisliu, Sign From the North Side and the absolutely stunning reworking of My Kantele, which hypnotizes me the same way The Tea Party’s “Sister Awake” does. I’ll stop right now before this gets any more ridiculous than it already is, because there’s no other band that consistently leaves me awestruck like Amorphis. I honestly can’t believe what they have accomplished here.

Raging CD cover art, too…especially when you know the story behind the giant pike fish, as told on the song “Majestic Beast” from last year’s Skyforger CD.

Rating: 5 out of 5

CLICK HERE TO BUY Magic & Mayhem: Tales From the Early Years AND OTHER AMORPHIS MUSIC