Review Summary: An especially triumphant victory lap
With 2008’s The Formation of Damnation setting up a successful precedent for the releases to follow, it’s fair to say that Testament’s comeback era has been pretty comfy. The band has largely stuck to that signature thrash template and albums have been released at regular four-year intervals with plenty of tours in between. Not even the band’s now standard lineup changes can halt their momentum with drummer Gene Hoglan returning for another run and bassist Greg Christian permanently leaving again not too long after this album’s release.
Somehow the band’s knack for varying quality releases has persisted despite the rather samey formula and Dark Earth of Roots is easily the strongest album they’ve released in the new millennium. Much of that could be attributed to the songwriting just being better this time around but there’s also a sense of band pushing their dynamics to much further extents than usual. It doesn’t quite reach the extremes of The Gathering, but elements like the incorporation of blast beats and a more grandiose mood suggest that a comparably broader scope in mind.
True to that sentiment, there are some real potent thrashers to work with here. The charging “Rise Up” and “Last Stand for Independence” appropriately bookend the album with rousing call-to-arms gusto while “Native Blood” and “True American Hate” manage to inject some blast beats in their choruses without losing sight of their anthemic spirits. “Throne of Thorns” manages to be another epic standout coming the closest to nailing those death-groove aspirations while the bass-driven “A Day in the Death” and the hooky “Man Kills Mankind” round things out nicely.
But even with most of the album dominated by crushing speeds, the title track and “Cold Embrace” see the band exercise their more melodic aspects further than they had in decades. The former is a more abstract venture with its hazy guitars and warped vocals retaining a solid hook while the latter is the band’s first reach into genuine balladry since the days of “Return to Serenity” and “Trail of Tears.” I’m not sure if they ever really stood a chance of being included on a Twilight soundtrack like the band claimed to have hoped for, but the executions are well done all the same.
Overall, Testament offers an especially triumphant victory lap with Dark Roots of Earth. Like any good post-comeback record, it takes the formula seen on The Formation of Damnation and kicks it up a notch with tighter songwriting bolstered by some incredibly acrobatic musicianship. The band sounds as secure here as they do on the other albums of this era, but that comfort comes with some infectious confidence. As amazing as it would be for Testament to reach the heights of The Legacy or The Gathering, I’ll be happy if they ever manage to release something of this caliber again.
