Testament Albums Ranked
Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1983 under the name Legacy, the band’s current lineup comprises guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick, lead vocalist Chuck Billy, drummer Gene Hoglan, and bassist Steve Di Giorgio. Testament has experienced many lineup changes over the years, with Peterson being the only remaining original member, though they have since been rejoined by one of its co-founders Skolnick, who was out of the band from 1992 to 2005. Billy replaced original singer Steve “Zetro” Souza (who left the band to join Exodus as the replacement of Paul Baloff) in 1986, prior to the recording of their first studio album, The Legacy, and has been a member of the band since. He and Peterson are the only members to appear on all of the Testament’s studio albums. Over the course of its career, Testament has experienced several resurgences of popularity, with their last two studio albums—Dark Roots of Earth (2012) and Brotherhood of the Snake (2016)—entering the Top 20 on the Billboard 200, and has toured consistently. The band released their thirteenth studio album, Titans of Creation, on April 3, 2020. Here are all of Testament albums ranked.
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10. Brotherhood Of The Snake (2016)
“The album is full of killer songs, Chuck’s vocals at his top shape, great production, great line up, all sound perfect. The top songs, in my opinion, are: ‘Centuries of Suffering’, ‘Black Jack’ and ‘Stronghold’ but overall i enjoy every other song. I can listen to the album over and over again, amazing artwork which is nice to stare at.
9. Souls Of Black (1990)
“This album’s fairly overshadowed by the equally formidable “The new order”; but I struggle to see how the former is any better or indeed how this album could in any way be improved upon. Thrash perfection: Strong guitar:- riffs and lines; a permeable production, a clean & sweeping percussion, all topped with a scorching vocal, seals this one as one of the very best ever.”
8. First Strike Still Deadly (2001)
” I think that First Strike Still Deadly is one of the greatest metal albums that I have ever heard. It is pulverizing rhythmically. I love the chunky wild guitar riffs with the drums. I especially love how incredible the skill level of guitar playing is. There are some leads and guitar rhythms that just positively blow my mind on this. All around this album has floored me. The singer has an amazing voice. He is wild. Lyrics are great and I know the guy has loads of melody in him.”
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7. Dark Roots Of Earth (2012)
“Dark Roots of Earth is an album that surprised me in a BIG way. In fact, its in their top four best albums. Chuck’s vocals are amazing. The solos are pretty nice and the drumming as always is great. If I’m not mistaken I believe this album uses blast beats as well which I find as a nice addition to the personality of this album.”
6. Low (1994)
‘Low’ is the album where the band made a change in their style and embraced a much heavier direction. The opening song and title track, ‘Low’, kicks the album off with John Tempesta’s superb drumming and James Murphy’s heavy-as-hell guitar work. It’s hard to pick highlights on an album this strong but I reckon the standout tracks are Low, Trail of Tears, Hail Mary, All I Could Bleed, and Legions (In Hiding).”
5. The Gathering (1999)
“With The Gathering, Testament has summed up the best aspects of all their previous albums, and considering their excellent track record that’s saying a lot! They’re still a thrash metal band at heart, but with many different nuances that make their music as complex as is it heavy. There are touches of death and progressive metal among the many standout tracks.”
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4. The Ritual (1992)
“A Slower, more-mature offering from one of metal’s heavyweights. Testament has stood the test of of time, and in my book is one of the better of the “thrash” bands of that era. Approaching 20 years since the release of this album, it presents itself as being just as crisp and fresh as the time it was released. Arguably their best, but definitely one of my favorite from this excellent metal act.”
3. The Legacy (1987)
“The Legacy, Testament’s epic thrash metal debut, might as well have come out yesterday, because every time I listen to it I feel like I’m hearing something fresh. Saying it has aged well is an understatement of criminal proportions. The Legacy hasn’t merely aged well; it’s still as relevant to the thrash genre as it was when it came out in 1987.”
2. Practice What You Preach (1989)
“When I think about Testament’s best albums, “Practice What You Preach” doesn’t come to mind, although it was far higher quality than a vast majority of bands that were playing thrash in the late 80’s. This is where Testament began to go soft, or at least softer, a trend that continued on their next two releases after this one. The speed slowed way down from their first two, “The Legacy” and “The New Order,” as only two songs on “Practice” have a fast-paced thrash beat.”
1. The New Order (1988)
“Testament’s 2nd studio album “The New Order” is an absolute classic in thrash metal. It came out a little over a year after their debut “The Legacy” in 1988. Their direction changed a bit and in my opinion, it’s a better album. It’s a bit more melodic and complex than their first album, songwriting is better also. Musically it’s more technical and the band showed a lot of maturity early in their career.”