[posted 07-13-2000 06:29 PM] by Overkill94
One of the few thrashers still around these days, they were once considered wannabe Metallicas, now Metallica wishes they could be as good as Testament (well they probably don't think so, but metalheads do).
The Legacy: You know the drill with debut albums: bad production, usually their fastest album, thin guitar sound, etc. This is one of the better debuts though because Chuck Billy's vocals still sound good and Alex Skolnick is one hell of a guitarist. "Do or Die" has a killer riff as does "Burnt Offerings". "Alone in the Dark" is catchy as hell and is one of their best tracks ever. Raw, but good, this is only a look at what was to come.
The New Order: Ahh, the wonders of better production. There's still plenty of speed on this one, but Chuck's vocals are clearer, the guitar sound is a little better, and the songs are a lot tighter. Most of the aggression is still there from the debut, but Testament found a way to constrain it into a more mature sounding album. "Disciples of the Watch" is probably their best song ever with one hell of a chorus and Chuck's gruff singing. Their cover of Aerosmith's "Nobody's Fault" is damn cool too.
Practice What You Preach: Perfection. My favorite metal album of all time. Every song is solid as a rock with great riffs, Chuck's usual great vocals, and some of the best soloing this side of the Mississip. Even "The Ballad" is a great uhh ballad that never gets cheesy but instead shows Chuck at his most emotional. Skolnick's great leads and solos are in full effect on this one, just check out the intro to "Time Is Coming" to hear what I'm talking about. I don't think I've ever heard an album so tight in my life...well, maybe Rust in Piece, but Dave's singing isn't as good.
Souls of Black: Of course it's gonna be a letdown, but how big of one is the real question here. Well, not that big. For some reason the guitar sound is fuzzier than usual on this one, giving the album a much more treble-based sound. The guitar work is still great on this one, but the production doesn't do it justice. Still, the songs are still great on this one and the title track is great as is the pseudo-ballad "The Legacy". Of course Chuck puts in another stellar vocal performance, but that's become commonplace for him.
The Ritual: Hmmm, what have we here? Testament goes soft? Kinda. The songs are a lot slower and the crappy production from SoB is back, but some of the songs have a good groove like "As the Seasons Grey". The title track is kinda creepy but cool. I find myself listening to this one the least out of the Testament catalogue, but it's still pretty good, just not up to par with their other stuff.
Low: Sadly, Alex Skolnick left before this one and they brought in James Murphy. The sound as a whole gets a lot lower - both the guitars and chuck's voice. Some good groovers on this one, but not too much sticks in my head. Now that Chuck's using a gruffer voice I don't like his vocals as much. I miss the old lineup so this one's not one of my favorites.
Demonic: Chuck decided to take it a step further and go all-out death on this one, but for some reason I like this one better than Low. The guitars are still deep and heavy, but there are better hooks on this one. Still not one of my favorite Testament albums, but better than the last two in my opinion.
The Gathering: Everyone's been praising the hell out of this album and though I think it's good, I still prefer their older stuff. The guitars and drumming are fast and furious on this one which makes for a good listen, but doesn't allow the songs to breathe much, thus sounding good while listening to, but not memorable afterwards. This is the best of the post-Skolnick albums and probably on par with SoB, but not as good as the first three. Oh yeah, and the vocals kind of mix between those on Low and Demonic. The one song where Chuck uses melodic singing is "True Believer" which sounds like old school Testament which is probably why it's my favorite track on the album. -closing- Testament still rage on today and continue to put out great albums. Hopefully they, Slayer, and Overkill will keep thrash going through the '00s and maybe even bring it back a bit, that would rule!