Indeed, with the classic duo of Alex Skolnick and Eric Petersen once again pulling guitar duty, very few releases to bear the thrash tag over the course of the last five years can come anywhere close to sounding as technically flawless and immediately mesmerizing as this -- that much is clear when the dual salvo of "More Than Meets the Eye" and "The Evil Has Landed" mop the floor with practically every Johnny-come-lately and reunited gang of OAPs in a matter of a handful of a earth-shatteringly on-target, masterfully executed riffs. Not to be outdone by his associates, Chuck Billy turns in one of the finest performances of his career; his voice veering more often than not toward the melodic snarl of _Souls of Black_ rather than the all out death metal onslaught _Demonic_ and _The Gathering_.

Ironically though, this seems to up the intensity stakes even more, with "The Persecuted Won't Forget" and "Afterlife" serving as prime examples of just how a devastating a musical entity Testament can still be. Now, if only a certain other member of thrash metal's big four can get their acts together in quite the same manner, then this will be a year for much rejoicing and merriment indeed.