Bay Area thrash veterans Testament have unleashed Para Bellum, their fourteenth studio album, out now through Nuclear Blast Records. The new release marks more than forty years since the band’s 1983 formation and sees them channelling both the chaos of the modern world and their own battle-hardened legacy into a blistering, high-energy statement of intent.
Recorded with longtime collaborator Juan Urteaga, mixed by Jens Bogren, and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios, Para Bellum finds Testament at full throttle. The album’s title, Latin for “Prepare For War,” encapsulates both its sound and message – a fierce call to arms that doubles as a commentary on humanity’s uneasy relationship with technology, aggression and self-destruction.
Frontman Chuck Billy says of the new record, “We are so fired up about the release of Para Bellum. These new songs pushed me out of my comfort zone as a vocalist, but I’m proud of what I accomplished. See you in the pit.”
The lead single High Noon arrives with a dark, animated video directed by Freakshot Films. It’s a moody, groove-driven track that builds a sense of dread and foreboding, both lyrically and musically. Testament have always excelled at merging aggression with atmosphere, and High Noon is no exception – it feels cinematic, dangerous, and entirely human.
The album artwork, painted by Eliran Kantor, rejects the current AI-art trend for a piece steeped in symbolism: a serene angel sculpted from missiles, her halo formed by an explosion, surrounded by shovel-bearing cultists with books strapped to their faces. It perfectly captures the tension and duality that runs through Para Bellum.
Para Bellum Tracklisting
For The Love Of Pain
Infanticide A.I.
Shadow People
Meant To Be
High Noon
Witch Hunt
Nature Of The Beast
Room 117
Havana Syndrome
Para Bellum
Since forming in Berkeley, California in 1983 under the name Legacy, Testament have been at the forefront of the thrash metal movement that erupted from the San Francisco Bay Area. Alongside Metallica, Exodus, Death Angel and Forbidden, they helped define the genre’s second wave, earning their place among what many fans call the “Big Six” of Bay Area thrash.
The band’s debut The Legacy (1987) and its follow-ups The New Order (1988) and Practice What You Preach (1989) established Testament as one of the premier forces in American metal. Their 1990s output, including Souls Of Black, The Ritual and Low, showcased a band unafraid to evolve, blending thrash ferocity with groove, melody and even progressive touches.
After surviving lineup changes, health battles and the rise and fall of multiple metal subgenres, Testament re-emerged stronger in the 2000s with The Formation Of Damnation (2008) and Dark Roots Of Earth (2012), both hailed as modern classics. Later albums Brotherhood Of The Snake (2016) and Titans Of Creation (2020) reaffirmed their status as genre legends still creating at a world-class level.
Testament 2025 Line-up
Chuck Billy – Vocals
Eric Peterson – Guitar
Alex Skolnick – Guitar
Steve DiGiorgio – Bass
Chris Dovas – Drums
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