American newcomers TESTIMONY formed in late 2009, and have released this debut EP, "Transcending Reality". It's a very promising record, with a heck of a lot going for it, and to be honest, it astounds me that they haven't been snapped up by a record label yet.

They sound a lot better than a lot of unsigned bands out there today, in terms of production values. And whilst the drums could maybe be a little more prominent, it's still obvious that these guys are very talented musicians. So with the help from a label, I think they could sound absolutely awesome. Gawel's solos are amazing, and really complemented by Derek Lambacher's bass (he even gets some leadwork in), and Taylor Lambacher's drumming. I couldn't help being reminded of METALLICA while listening to this EP. Every intro on here sounds like it has a purpose, rather than just being a placeholder until the main meat of the song comes around. Gawel's guitar playing is very impressive, it doesn't feel like he's just going through the motions - he's got a very unique way of combining scales and harmonics. Harris' vocals certainly deserve a mention; his voice is gruff, but very melodic, and goes extremely well with the instruments.

TESTIMONY describe themselves as Progressive Thrash, and the song lengths certainly suggest as such, with them all (besides the intro track "Exordium") being over 5 minutes long. But the band stay true to more traditional Thrash Metal roots, with head banging riffs, and galloping guitar work. But the Progressive elements really add another level to the music. It's always good to hear unsigned bands, because you get a truer sense of what they're about, without any label influence. So you can really get a feel for what makes the band tick, and hear them in their rawest form whilst at the same time they're trying to gain recognition. It's not something you get to hear from a lot of the more 'mainstream' bands, but unfortunately many unsigned bands might be written off just because they don't have a label.

This EP, this band, is something that every Thrash fan should at least give a chance. It seems to me that they've got a bright future ahead of them and, if they do get signed, with the help of a label, they've got the potential to produce something very special.