Album Type: Reissue
Date Released: 26/01/2018
Label: Nuclear Blast
When at their best, as on “The Gathering”, there
are few thrash bands who are their equal.
"Live At The Fillmore" (1995), "Demonic"
(1997), "The Gathering"
(1999) (remastered by Andy Sneap) "First Strike Still Deadly"
(2001), “Live At Eindhoven '87"
(2009)
The Review:
Testament's career is generally viewed
as being a little behind the pace of the Big Four, but not by too much. Cursed
with a late start via their debut of “The
Legacy”, they followed it up impressively with “The New Order”, got a little more catchy on “Practice What You Preach” and then... lost their way a little
chasing Metallica
and then Pantera's
coat tails. The records they released in the first half of the 90's were thus a
mixed bag- great moments, weaker moments, thrash, no thrash and so on.
These
welcome reissues, then, remind us of what a potent force Testament returned as via a shot
of more extreme metal and an iron will. These reissues cover a couple of live
albums- from 1987 and 1995 and then their studio output from 1997 into the new
millennium. Let's be clear, Testament at their lowest ebb were still one
of the best metal bands around, and so if “Live
at The Fillmore” catches them on tour after the release of the album “Low”, it cherry picks the best tracks
from their career to that time. It's a solid and punchy listen- if maybe
lacking the “lightning in a bottle” x-factor that, say, “No Sleep Til Hammersmith” has. It works as a fine live best of-
most of the best album tracks are represented. 1987's “Live at Eindhoven
1997's
“Demonic” is a superb and
surprisingly extreme listen. Chuck Billy introduced some very extreme elements
to his vocals to excellent effect and the overall impression is of a band
revitalised and out-heavying the competition (Metallica and Megadeth
were at career low points musically at this point, Anthrax were effectively
inactive and Slayer
were coming off the back of their worst studio album). Eric Peterson was firmly
at the helm as usual, with Chuck ably upping his game and the mighty Gene
Hoglan stepping in on drums. While Alex Skolnick was not present, Greg Alvelais
proved a worthy replacement with Greg Ramirez rounding out the studio line up.
The death metal influence is strong and the record finds the band doing what
they want to do- trends be damned. Great performances all around and impressive
writing; what a great come-back record! It also sounds great- tight and clear
with lots of weight to the production.
However,
with “The Gathering” in 1999, the
band hit an all time high. Dave Lombardo delivers a masterclass in thrash metal
drumming (thanks Aaron!) and all the material is top notch. From the massive
opener “DNR” to “Hammer of The Gods”, this is a thrash
tour de force from a time when no-one was releasing such records. There are
some classic tunes on here- “Riding The
Snake”, “3 Days in Darkness”, “Legions of The Dead”. Every track is
prime Testament
and is right up there with “The Legacy”
and “The New Order”- with much better
production. The fact that it is, in my view, Testament's best makes it one of
the best thrash albums of all time. Chuck proves on this one that he is one of
the best and most versatile vocalists in metal, while the chemistry between
Peterson and Lombardo is sublime. Steve Digiorgio helping out on bass really
helps the cause too- metal royalty! As a final boost, Andy Sneap's production
is excellent.
“First Strike...Still
Deadly”
rounds out the studio releases and is one of my favourite Testament records. Whilst some
fans may moan about the band re-recording their earlier classics and the
clinical sound, I loved this at the time of release and still do. The sound is
excellent, the performances are uniformly good (John Tempesta on drums this
time around) and the song choices are stellar. Having Steve Zetro Souza come
back for a couple of very early compositions is a nice bonus and overall I
would recommend buying this over and above the first two studio albums! That
may well not be a popular view, but there it is.
The
verdict on this set of re-issues? Three essential releases and two live albums
of good to great quality. Testament are usually mentioned in the same
breath as Exodus
and Overkill
as being just outside the Big Four, but that is not to say that they don't
knock all of Anthrax's
work plus half of Slayer's, Megadeth's and Metallica's discography into a
neatly cocked hat. When at their best, as on “The Gathering”, there are few thrash bands who are their equal.
After an extended break while Chuck Billy dealt with cancer, Testament
returned and to date have released three great studio records from 2008
onwards. A classic band.
Band
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