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Titans of Creation

Titans of Creation is the thirteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on April 3, 2020.[3][4][5] This album marked the first time since The Ritual (1992) that the band had recorded more than one album with the same lineup, though it would turn out to be their last to feature drummer Gene Hoglan, who left Testament for the second time in January 2022.[6] Titans of Creation is also the band's first album to be co-produced by Juan Urteaga, who previously worked with Testament's two studio albums Dark Roots of Earth (2012) and Brotherhood of the Snake (2016).

Titans of Creation
Studio album by
Testament
ReleasedApril 3, 2020
Recorded2019
StudioTrident Studios, Pacheco, California
GenreThrash metal
Length58:34
LabelNuclear Blast
Producer
Testament chronology
Brotherhood of the Snake
(2016) 		Titans of Creation
(2020)
Singles from Titans of Creation
  1. "Night of the Witch"
    Released: January 31, 2020[1]
  2. "Children of the Next Level"
    Released: March 6, 2020[2]

Background, writing and recording

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Testament's intention to follow-up Brotherhood of the Snake was first revealed by Chuck Billy in March 2017, who told Japan's Roppongi Rocks that the band had begun writing new material.[7] Billy also expressed hope that the album would be released in 2018, stating, "We thought we'd have a record out after two years; it just ended up being four, because the process just... I don't know what happened, but it took forever. So this time, like, you know what? I don't wanna do that again. I told Eric exactly when we were done recording. I said, 'You know what? It's a great record now, but I don't wanna go through what I had to go through to do this again. So why don't we start writing now?' So we decided that when we're not on the road, let's get together and just jam and maybe come up and at least get to that point where we were with this record — a bunch of ideas and riffs and lyrics."[8] In a December 2017 interview with Metal Messiah Radio, Billy stated that Testament would start working on their thirteenth studio album after they finish touring in support of Brotherhood of the Snake in August 2018, hoping not to repeat the four-year gaps between their last three albums. He explained, "If we can get a head start on riffs and ideas, and then hopefully after that, you know, really dig in to put out a record in 2019, sometime."[9]

In a February 2018 interview with RockSverige, guitarist Eric Peterson said, "Our plan was to end in August 2018 and maybe get into the studio by the end of 2018 and put the record out in 2019. But, you know, Slayer's announced their farewell tour and they want us to be a part of it. I would imagine, if that stuff happens, then things will get pushed back a little bit, but the initial plan is to have it out in 2019. [We're] ready for summer to do all the A markets for festivals and stuff. This summer we're not doing a lot of festivals; we're actually talking about bowing out of a couple to make other things happen with the Slayer farewell thing."[10] Billy stated in a May 2018 interview that opening for Slayer on their farewell tour would be "the final lap for [them] touring" in support of Brotherhood of the Snake, and added, "We want our focus, during this and after this, to dive back into the songwriting process. We want to release a new album in 2019, so we need to get started soon."[11] A month later, Billy told Full Metal Jackie that, "the goal is to get in the studio hopefully by January and have a record out hopefully by April."[12][13] He also told Metal Heads Forever Magazine that, "Me and Eric, we'll start really just creating and working, trying to get the next record out as soon as possible, because we have plans and hopes of setting a deadline on ourselves to have it out by summer 2019. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."[14] Billy told Talking Metal podcast in August 2018 that the band would start work on the new album after their tour with Slayer, and added, "Our hopes and dreams would be to get in the studio by January and have an album out by the summer." He also said that they would work with Andy Sneap as the album's mixer.[15]

In a January 2019 interview with Jimmy Kay of Canada's The Metal Voice, Billy confirmed that Testament had been writing songs for their thirteenth album, and added, "We should have it out hopefully by July. Hopefully we'll get into the studio by April. That's the goal."[16] A month later, Billy announced on social media that work on the new album had started,[17] and pre-production began in May.[18] Drummer Gene Hoglan revealed in a June 2019 interview on the "Talk Toomey" podcast that the band had finished recording the album for a 2019 or early 2020 release.[19] Peterson announced later that month that it would be released in January 2020.[20] In an interview at a Metal Allegiance concert in Anaheim on January 16, 2020, Billy revealed that the then-still-untitled album would be released on April 3.[21] It was later revealed that the album would be titled Titans of Creation.[3][4]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[22]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [23]
Blabbermouth.net8/10[24]
Exclaim!8/10[25]
KNAC3.5/5[26]
Metal Hammer     [27]
Metal Storm6.0/10[28]
Rock Hard8.5/10[29]
Sputnikmusic3.9/5[30]

Titans of Creation has received positive reviews from critics. Jason Roche of Blabbermouth.net gave the album a rating of eight out of ten and said, "While Testament has in the past shown to be capable of much more in terms of lyrics and songcraft, the fact that the band is using their power in 2020 to simply put out a killer thrash record full of songs about well-worn topics such as World War III, serial killers from a generation ago, and the Heaven's Gate suicide cult is comforting and very welcome."[24] KNAC.com contributor Peter Atkinson, who rated Titans of Creation 3.5 out of five, called it "sort of kick in the ass we could all use right now. And the album most definitely kicks ass."[26]

AllMusic writer James Christopher Monger gave the album four out of five stars, and stated that "The Bay Area thrash legends' 13th studio effort, Titans of Creation commences with the familiar sound of immaculate guitarmonies, blast furnace-forged double-kick drum, and taut, palm-muted riffage. Inspired by the mass suicide of the UFO religious cult Heaven's Gate, the blazing 'Children of the Next Level' may be straight out of the Testament playbook, but its potency is undeniable."[23]

Accolades

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Publications' year-end list appearances for Titans of Creation
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref
Consequence of Sound Top 30 Metal/Hard Rock Albums of 2020 24 [31]
Louder Sound Top 50 Albums of 2020 21 [32]
Loudwire Top 70 Rock/Metal Albums of 2020 N/A [33]
Metal Hammer The 50 Best Metal Albums of 2020 15 [34]

Track listing

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No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Children of the Next Level"
Eric Peterson6:13
2."WWIII"
  • Billy
  • James
Peterson4:48
3."Dream Deceiver"
  • Billy
  • James
Peterson4:58
4."Night of the Witch"
  • Billy
  • Peterson
  • James
Peterson6:32
5."City of Angels"
  • Billy
  • James
Peterson6:43
6."Ishtar's Gate"
  • Billy
  • James
Peterson5:09
7."Symptoms"Alex SkolnickSkolnick4:37
8."False Prophet"
Peterson4:54
9."The Healers"
  • Billy
  • James
Peterson4:23
10."Code of Hammurabi"
  • Billy
  • Skolnick
  • James
Skolnick4:52
11."Curse of Osiris"
  • Billy
  • James
Peterson3:24
12."Catacombs"InstrumentalPeterson2:01
Total length:58:34
Japanese edition bonus CD - Live in Tokyo (Live recording at Tsutaya O-East in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on February 20, 2017.)
No.TitleLength
1."Brotherhood of the Snake"4:26
2."Rise Up"4:35
3."Disciples of the Watch"4:26
4."The Pale King"5:00
5."Practice What You Preach"5:06
6."The New Order"4:36
7."More Than Meets the Eye"4:28
8."Dark Roots of Earth"5:33
9."Stronghold"4:14
10."Into the Pit"3:21
11."Over the Wall"5:18
12."D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)"4:19
13."3 Days in Darkness"6:01
14."The Formation of Damnation"8:00
15."Alone in the Dark"7:45
Total length:77:08

Personnel

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Additional personnel

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  • Chuck Billy – production
  • Eric Peterson – production
  • Lyle Livingston – keyboards on track 12
  • Greg Goss – vocals
  • Rigo Martin – vocals
  • Juan Urteaga – co-production, recording
  • Andy Sneap – mixing, mastering
  • Eliran Kantor – artwork

Charts

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Chart performance for Titans of Creation
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[35] 30
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[36] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[37] 175
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[38] 147
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[39] 6
French Albums (SNEP)[40] 138
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[41] 3
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[42] 13
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[43] 29
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[44] 7
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[45] 36
Scottish Albums (OCC)[46] 52
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 7
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[48] 9
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[49] 4
US Billboard 200[50] 96
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[51] 12
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[52] 8
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[53] 5
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[54] 13
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[55] 5

References

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  1. ^ "Listen To New TESTAMENT Song 'Night Of The Witch'". Blabbermouth.net. January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  2. ^ "Listen To New TESTAMENT Song 'Children Of The Next Level'". Blabbermouth.net. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "TESTAMENT To Release 'Titans Of Creation' Album In April; Cover Artwork, Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Titans of Creation by Testament". Apple Music. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "Testament Detail 12th Album 'Titans of Creation'". Loudwire.com. January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  6. ^ "TESTAMENT Parts Ways With Longtime Drummer GENE HOGLAN". Blabbermouth.net. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "Testament Is Already Working On Material For Next Album". Blabbermouth.net. March 13, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Testament Hopes To Release Next Album In 2018". Blabbermouth.net. March 20, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "Testament: No New Album Until Next Year". Ultimate-Guitar.com. March 19, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "TESTAMENT Hopes To Release New Studio Album In 2019". Blabbermouth.net. April 2, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "TESTAMENT's CHUCK BILLY: 'We Want To Release A New Album In 2019'". Blabbermouth.net. May 9, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "TESTAMENT Frontman Hopes To Begin Recording New Album In January". Blabbermouth.net. July 24, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  13. ^ "Chuck Billy: Testament's New Album 'Hopefully' Out April of 2019". Loudwire.com. June 25, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "TESTAMENT's CHUCK BILLY: The Goal Is To Have Next Album Out 'By Summer 2019'". Blabbermouth.net. July 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "TESTAMENT Frontman: 'It's Time To Buckle Down And Try To Get Some Music Written'". Blabbermouth.net. August 8, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  16. ^ "TESTAMENT's CHUCK BILLY On Next Album: 'Hopefully We'll Get Into The Studio By April'". Blabbermouth.net. January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "TESTAMENT Are Working On New Album". MetalAddicts.com. February 8, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  18. ^ "TESTAMENT In Pre-Production For New Album: 'It's Gonna Be A Monster Record'". Blabbermouth.net. May 5, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  19. ^ "TESTAMENT Has Finished Recording New Album, Says GENE HOGLAN". Blabbermouth.net. June 18, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  20. ^ "TESTAMENT's New Album To Be Released In January 2020". Blabbermouth.net. June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  21. ^ "TESTAMENT's New Album Gets Official Release Date". Blabbermouth.net. January 18, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  22. ^ "Reviews for Titans of Creation by Testament". Metacritic. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Monger, James Christopher (April 3, 2020). "Titans of Creation - Testament | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Roche, Jason (April 3, 2020). "CD Reviews - Titans Of Creation Testament". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  25. ^ Hopkins, Manus (April 1, 2020). "Testament Titans of Creation". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Atkinson, Peter (April 3, 2020). "KNAC.COM - Reviews - TESTAMENT 'Titans Of Creation'". knac.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  27. ^ Lawson, Dom (April 24, 2020). "Testament's Titans Of Creation album is state-of-the-art Bay Area thrash". Metal Hammer. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  28. ^ "Testament - Titans Of Creation review". Metal Storm. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  29. ^ Bittner, Ronny. "Testament - Titans Of Creation". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  30. ^ Spencer, Trey. "Testament - Titans of Creation". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  31. ^ "Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  32. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Louder Sound. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Divita, Joe (November 30, 2020). "The 70 Best Rock and Metal Albums of 2020". Loudwire. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  34. ^ "The 50 best metal albums of 2020". Metal Hammer. Future plc. January 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  35. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  36. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Testament – Titans of Creation" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  37. ^ "Ultratop.be – Testament – Titans of Creation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  38. ^ "Ultratop.be – Testament – Titans of Creation" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  39. ^ "Testament: Titans of Creation" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  40. ^ "Top Albums (Week 21, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  41. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Testament – Titans of Creation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  42. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 19. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  43. ^ 13, 2020/ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: April 13, 2020" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  44. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  45. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Testament – Titans of Creation". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  47. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Testament – Titans of Creation". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  48. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  49. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  50. ^ "Testament Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  51. ^ "Testament Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  52. ^ "Testament Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  53. ^ "Testament Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  54. ^ "Testament Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  55. ^ "Testament Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
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