The Formation of Damnation
| The Formation of Damnation | ||||
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| Testament studio album | ||||
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Publication |
April 25, 2008 |
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| Label (s) | Nuclear Blast | |||
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Format (s) |
Picture-LP, 180g-LP, CD, CD / DVD |
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Title (number) |
11 |
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running time |
49m 40s |
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| occupation |
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Eric Peterson & Chuck Billy |
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Studio (s) |
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The album The Formation of Damnation of the Bay Area - Thrash metal band Testament is the ninth studio album of the band and the first with new songwriting after several years. It was released seven years after the album First Strike Still Deadly , which contained newly recorded songs that had already been released, and nine years after the album The Gathering .
History of origin
There have been a few line-up changes in the band in recent years. That was one of the reasons why it took nine years before newly composed songs could be released on an album. Another reason was the sickness of the singer Chuck Billy with a tumor in the chest area and the long break that went with it. Likewise fell Eric Peterson from longer time due to a broken leg. The decision to make a new album was made after the performance of the Earthshaker Festival in 2005.
Except for Paul Bostaph , the record was recorded in the band's classic line-up with Eric Peterson, Greg Christian , Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy. Andy Sneap was responsible for the sound . He has recently been criticized for similar and sterile sounding productions, but thanks to the well-rehearsed guitar parts of the Testament guitarists and a well-rehearsed real drums, in contrast to a so-called trigger sound from the computer, he was able to produce an album that almost had a live character owns.
Eric Peterson wrote most of the music and Chuck Billy overlayed his lyrics, which deal with political and philosophical subjects and are often personal in nature.
Originally Nick Barker (ex- Cradle of Filth , ex- Dimmu Borgir ) was supposed to be playing the drums. He was also involved in songwriting. For Eric Peterson, however, his style no longer completely matched the ideas of the rest of the band members. As an Englishman he was refused entry to the USA in 2007 because of problems with the work visa and because of security requirements, he was separated in order not to jeopardize the publication date. Long-time friend of the band Paul Bostaph stepped in for him. Since Paul Bostaph did a good job for the new record in the opinion of the band, he is now an integral part of Testament. Another advantage of Bostaph over Barker is that it lives close to the rest of the band, which makes rehearsing easier.
The album was presented to the press for the first time in the Soho district of London in the Crobar, which had been selected by the English department of the record company.
title
According to the guitarist Eric Peterson, the title has two meanings: It symbolizes the signs of today and the associated possible end of the world. The title also refers directly to the current album. Because “formation” is a synonym for “band”, and that means the band Testament. “Damnation” stands for the type of music they play on the album.
content
For the Glory of… - This purely instrumental intro was composed by Eric Peterson.
More than Meets the Eye - The title is a well-known English expression and means “there are more facts than have come to light”. The song is a mid-tempo track with melodic vocals with the first solo by Alex Skolnick and the second solo by Eric Peterson. The style is reminiscent of the songwriting of The Ritual .
The Evil Has Landed - This is also a mid-tempo track with a guitar solo by Alex Skolnick. The text is a description of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA and was written by Chuck Billy at Christmas 2007. The title is a play on the sentence The eagle has landed , which historically u. a. was used in connection with the landing in Normandy or the first moon landing .
The Formation of Damnation - is a fast played track with the first solo by Eric Peterson and a second solo by Alex Skolnick. This song is the only piece of music on the album with a Death Metal- like guttural vocals by Chuck Billy. First and foremost, the song's lyrics are about the political position of the USA, the current war in Iraq and the way we deal with nature.
Dangers of the Faithless - This song is very experimental, using voice effects. There is also a guitar solo by Alex Skolnick.
The Persecuted Won't Forget - is a very traditionally composed Thrash Metal song, whose songwriting is reminiscent of the album Practice What You Preach . The first solo is by Eric Peterson and the second by Alex Skolnick.
Henchmen Ride - reminiscent of the track Bestial Invasion by Destruction in the middle section or the songwriting of the Souls of Black album. The song has a guitar solo by Alex Skolnick.
Killing Season - That this song has the same title as an album by Death Angel is pure coincidence. The first solo is played by Eric Peterson and the second by Alex Skolnick. This title pays tribute to people who have to go to war.
The Afterlife - Musically, the title is reminiscent of the Metallica Master of Puppets album . The first solo is played by Alex Skolnick and the second by Eric Peterson. Lyrically it is about the death of Chuck Billy's father and Eric Peterson's father.
FEAR - is musically a mix of the metal style of the 1980s and the modern style. The guitar solo is played by Alex Skolnick.
Leave Me Forever - is a multi-layered, experimental composition with calm and violent moments.
Track list
- For the Glory of ... (Peterson) - 1:12
- More than Meets the Eye (Peterson / Billy) - 4:33
- The Evil has Landed (Peterson / Billy) - 4:44
- The Formation of Damnation (Peterson / Billy) - 5:09
- Dangers of the Faithless (Skolnick / Peterson / Billy) - 5:47
- The Persecuted Won't Forget (Peterson / Billy) - 5:49
- Henchmen Ride (Peterson / Billy) - 4:40
- Killing Season (Peterson / Billy) - 4:52
- Afterlife (Peterson / Billy) - 4:13
- FEAR (Skolnick) - 4:46
- Leave Me Forever (Christian / Peterson / Billy) - 4:28
illustration
The cover comes from the artist Eliran Kantor and shows a group of flying angels in a threatening colored sky. The angels in the foreground are armed with swords and spears. A twisted tape with “The Formation of Damnation” on it hovers below them. To the right and left behind this group of angels are three angels playing trumpets. Behind the group of angels, a line of similar angels is drawn in a line, flying out of a burning city in the background. The angels apparently destroyed this city. So the whole thing is an apocalyptic representation.
reception
Reviews
The album was named album of the month by the well-known genre magazines Rock Hard and Metal Hammer .
The Metal Hammer reviewers gave an average of 4.94 out of seven points; Detlef Dengler wrote that the album "is a typical testament neck-breaker with unmistakable rhythms, filigree guitar solos, peppered with brutal but melodic songs and a singer who plays out his entire vocal range with a mighty volume."
The album received an average of 8.4 out of ten points from the rock-hard editorial team; Uwe “Buffo” Schnädelbach was of the opinion that four things stood out positively on the new album: the riffs, the guitar solos by Alex Skolnick, the vocals by Chuck Billy and the varied songwriting.
Charts and chart placements
At the time of publication, the album was ranked 15, the band's highest ranking in Germany to date . In addition, a testament album was able to place itself in the Austrian charts for the first time .
| Charts | Top ranking | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Chart placements | ||
 Germany (GfK)
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15th (4 weeks) | 4th |
 Austria (Ö3)
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23 (3 weeks) | 3 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
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33 (2 weeks) | 2 |
 United States (Billboard)
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59 (4 weeks) | 4th |
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j studio report, in: Metal Hammer, Magazin, April 2008
- ↑ a b c d e f Evaluation report and interview with Chuck Billy, in: Rock Hard, No. 252, May 2008
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Evaluation report and interview with Eric Peterson, in: Metal Hammer, Magazin, May 2008
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j CD booklet, DVD / CD edition of "The Formation of Damnation"
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US