This last week was interesting. There were only two releases that I knew I was looking forward to. And while there were a few others that were released that I added to my library, I haven’t even had a chance to check them out yet. I added them strictly because of fairly decent reviews that I had seen. I’m not going to include those, but there are two from bands that I’ve been following. I was excited for them to come out, so let’s jump in.
Testament – Practice What You Preach (2026 Remaster)
This is far from the first Testament remaster. However, this is one that really, really needed it. It doesn’t mean that The Legacy or The New Order didn’t also need it. But Practice What You Preach is one of those albums that, even going so far as to buy the CD and ripping the MP3s or the FLAC files myself, wasn’t enough to save the real piss poor production.
In fact, listening to this remaster now leads me to realize just how little I listened to the original album, and it was entirely because of that terrible, terrible production. This 2026 remaster sits nicely alongside those two previous remasters from 2024, and it has been a ton of fun rediscovering this album from what remains my favorite thrash metal band.
Draconian – In Somnolent Ruin
I have been following Draconian for some years. However, their 2020 release didn’t really click for me. Six years have passed, and they are back with their latest album, In Somnolent Ruin.
And guess what, folks? This one is totally working for me
Draconian dabble in that melancholic, gothic, death-doom space that I find absolutely intriguing. There is a heaviness balanced by a mournfulness. There is a beauty balanced by harshness. This album has been firing on all cylinders for me since Friday. Sometimes an album just clicks. It has some ineffable quality that makes it stick with me. And this is one of those albums. I’ve been listening to it far more than I ever thought I would.