Review of Testimony - "The Beast That Prays" E.P.
- Geoff Teach
- Jun 26, 2014
- 2 min read
LOCAL LUNACY
By: Geoff Teach
Potential...Northwest Indiana’s thrash metal quartet, Testimony, is chock full of it. With that being said, the “players’ metal” (I invented the term specifically to describe them and their sound) that which the four-piece puts out is truly a sight to behold and a sound to be awed by, and never once have I seen them perform for an assembled mass of humanity and NOT wow someone new. Having been a fan and supporter of their work for nearly two years now, though, I cannot allow myself to do this review of their latest E.P., “The Beast That Prays”, without stating that I honestly don’t feel that this C.D. captures their incredible sound properly. On the contrary, “The Beast That Prays”, while filled with fantastic tech-thrash compositions, sounds tinny and over-compressed, and though the songs themselves are wonderful, I could not do this piece without stating that the final production of the E.P. really left me wanting more. To me, though, it ultimately and truly is “all about the music”, and THAT, my friends and readers, is nothing shy of astounding.
Starting with the acoustic lead-in, “Twisted Visage”, Testimony paints an audio picture of revelation and rapture before launching you tempestuously into the brimstone and fire of “Spectral Thoughts”, an excellently executed track featuring new, more powerful gang vocals during the chorus. Testimony uses these vocals to stunning effect more than once on the album, and I cannot help but notice the new dimension of depth they add. Moving further along into the five track effort, “Thrillers Prey” slaps, slams, and bangs, but it is the two final tracks that most impressed your humble music critic. “Suffer for Salvation” is my absolute favorite, with its twists, turns, and completely dizzying fretwork on both axe and bass, and finally, the title track, “The Beast That Prays” is over eight more minutes of the aforementioned “players’ metal” in all its might and glorious splendor. Overall, Testimony’s latest E.P. is tech-thrash metal of the highest order, even if the production left me feeling a bit salty. Still, I would NEVER discourage my readers from checking out Testimony’s live sets, nor to let a little thing like “production quality” deter you from giving “The Beast That Prays” a listen, for if the saying of “It’s all about the music” holds true, then this E.P. kicks fucking ass.
Keep it metal, class dismissed!
To check out “Suffer for Salvation”, just press play below!
To visit Testimony on the web, just click the following links:
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