Testament Para Bellum

From the first note to the last breath, "Para Bellum" is an album of warriors--forged in chaos and built to outlast the wars to come! With every generation comes a great war. It may take years to fully unfold, but the seasoned warrior knows that preparation is everything. Now, in 2025, Bay Area thrash metal icons TESTAMENT return with their fourteenth studio album, "Para Bellum," via Nuclear Blast Records. Derived from the Latin phrase "Si vis pacem, para bellum"--"If you want peace, prepare for war"--the album is both a rallying cry and an observation of humanity's uneasy alliance with its own creations. As technology accelerates and disconnection increases, with "Para Bellum," TESTAMENT reflects modern chaos through music that is urgent, perceptive, and unwaveringly human. True to their legacy, "Para Bellum" is a masterpiece of dynamic thrash songwriting, guided by founding guitarist Eric Peterson and vocalist Chuck Billy, who continue to lead the band with vision and power. Each track on the album stands on its own--distinctive in structure, key, and atmosphere--but together they create an album that flows seamlessly, like a puzzle, across eras and styles. From the haunting, grooving "Shadow People" to the whipping intensity of "Infanticide A.I.", the band explores timeless yet contemporary themes: the advance of technology, supernatural fear, generational conflict, and duels worthy of a stalemate on "The Gathering's"-esque "High Noon."