A few weeks ago I wrote about an upcoming Exodus show and mentioned how the band is often overlooked when folks get all misty eyed about the glory days of thrash. The same could be said for Testament. Like Exodus, Testament originated in the Bay area and released several amazing records that helped cultivate the sound many associate with thrash today.
I first heard Testament sitting in my high school biology class. A friend and fellow metalhead brought the band's debut album "The Legacy" in and, instead of learning about evolution (which my teacher said she didn't believe in anyway - true fact!), I hid out in the back of the room and listened to Testament on my friend's headphones.
Testament > Biology
Testament's first 6 records were released on both the major label Atlantic Records and the indie Megaforce Records, a label who became synonymous with thrash after releasing the debut albums by Anthrax, Overkill and a band named Metallica. You may have heard of them. No big deal. Fronted by a tall Native American by the name of Chuck Billy, Testament were immediately recognizable but, other than getting a couple videos on Headbanger's Ball, they didn't gain the notoriety some of their contemporaries did. In hindsight, the band's early records often didn't sonically measure up to what other bands of their caliber were releasing. As far as songwriting and dynamics went, Testament were incredible but it's often hard to tell on those first few records like "The New Order" and "Practice What You Preach". The band likely felt the same way since, in 2000, they rerecorded some of the most popular songs from those early releases for a record called "First Strike Still Deadly". I wish more older metal bands would do this.
One of the things that set Testament apart from many of the thrash bands from the 80s is they released two of their heaviest and, I'd argue, best records in the mid-90s when metal was not the fashion focus it is today. "Demonic" and "The Gathering" were incredible records but went out of print fairly quickly. Thankfully, with the renewed interest in metal, both records are easy to find today on both cd and vinyl. Get them. Better yet, get the band's entire catalog. Seriously.
Since the release of their latest record "The Formation of Damnation", Testament have already been in Seattle once opening for Judas Priest. I was there and it was incredible! On Fri, September 3rd, Testament will be back in town at the WaMu Theatre playing with a couple bands called Slayer and Megadeth. You may have heard of them. No big deal.
Words by Roy Culver
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