Testament - Para Bellum (Album Review)

Testament - Para Bellum
‍Released: October 10, 2025‍

Line Up

Chuck Billy // Vocals
Eric Peterson // Guitar
Alex Skolnick // Guitar
Steve DiGiorgio // Bass
Chris Dovas // Drums

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Many fans have wondered what it would be like for thrash bands to age gracefully. With Slayer in semi-retirement and Megadeth about to join them, we’ve seen longer gaps between albums from both Metallica and Anthrax, while the likes of Exodus and Kreator have been inconsistent at worst but can still offer lightning fast riffs when the stars align. Thankfully we still have Testament, who despite the longer gaps between LPs, have unquestionably continued to produce top quality thrashfests since The Formation of Damnation (2008) through to Titans of Creation (2020). Para Bellum is no exception - pushing tempos and finding ways to mix in approaches that reflect their long career. 

What’s immediately obvious about this new album, is that Testament are unafraid of their legacy (pun intended). The opening riff to ‘For the Love of Pain’ is a leftover from The Legacy sessions, giving the song a link to the band’s roots even though Chuck Billy soon roars in his (more) modern death metal style. It’s an absolute rager that sees the band embrace a black metal sound for the first time, thanks to the combination of founding member Eric Peterson and new drummer Chris Dovas, whose work with Seven Spires is a clear influence. As an opener it sets a high bench mark, combining the familiar with experimentation, a trend that continues on the furious blast beats of lead single ‘Infanticide A.I.’ It’s a mosh pit filler that’s sure to trigger whiplash, as is the similarly blackened thrash of ‘Witch Hunt’. 

Dovas might have reinvigorated Peterson and Billy, but there’s something to be said for the predictability of ‘Shadow People’. It could have come from any of the four Testament albums, such is its dedication to haunting groove and some killer leads by Alex Skolnick and Peterson. Less repetitive is the power ballad ‘Meant to Be’, a less than subtle reminder of Billy’s vocal range and the band’s ability to transform itself when the song requires it. It’s their first ballad since ‘Cold Embrace’ (The Dark Roots of the Earth, 2012), so it isn’t a lever they pull often but man do they nail it. The acoustic guitars are majestic, combining with the electric leads and the strings by Dave Eggar, it’s a grand song of lost love that avoids being too corny. It recalls moments from their past without being a straight facsimile. It’s awkwardly contrasted with the meaty spoken intro to ‘High Noon’, an otherwise great arse kicking song that recalls the stripped back approach of The Gathering (1999).

The album’s back half is familiar in the sense it combines faster songs (‘Nature of the Beast’, ‘Havana Syndrome’) with slower groove songs, like ‘Room 117’. They’re all good songs but aren't as exhilarating as the album’s first half. If there’s a weak point to the album it's that the lyrics are fairly standard for the genre - mythical and social-political dread. The real clincher for me is the final track, ‘Para Bellum’, which has all the characteristics of a thrash classic. It’s air guitar heaven from a couple of gun players with mind melting leads, thundering rhythms and a dominating performance from Billy. Peterson’s classical guitar outro is just gorgeous, contemplative without overstaying its welcome. 

It’s hard to claim a veteran band can be at the peak of their powers some 40 years into their career. But Para Bellum continues the run of great Testament records and is probably my favourite since The Dark Roots of the Earth. It’s never dull and the first half challenges their established norms in seriously epic ways without selling their fans short. Time will tell if it becomes a classic but, when we don’t know how long the legacy thrash bands have, at least Testament keep smashing them out of the park. 

Rating: 7.5 / 10
‍Para Bellum is out now. Get it here. 
Words by KJ Draven @kjdraven‍