Despite their 25-year career, Testament is the quintessential modern heavy metal band, with an undisputedly enormous influence over a whole nu generation of aural aggressors. With Dark Roots of Earth, Testament have deliciously served up ‘old school’ without the old, a crushingly heavy album without the weight of oppression, all crisp and lively like a ball-pin hammer-wielding maniac intent on bashing your brains to a pulp. The band’s live reserves of residual anger, aggro and raw visceral riffery are greater than ever. At the A, Testament are on a double-bill with Exodus. So, it might be safe to say legions of thrash metal fans will be in for a sonic coup d’état that night…