I'm going to listen to the Testament debut album sometime this week. I have to admit that I don't have really high expectations for it, but maybe I'll be surprised.
Controversial opinions on metal
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EternalMetal
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Testament is one of those bands that never really clicked with me. They come across as the poor man's thrash band compared with their contemporaries (just look at how many of their band members attempted to jump ship to better bands), and even at their best have a very straightforward and generic thrash sound. The vast majority of their albums barely pass the threshold of being mediocre. Even The Legacy is missing that "X factor" that elevates the other bands in their scene, and it is definitely their best album. And to top it all off, Chuck Billy's vocals are really boring.
CiG
The Veils of Negative Existence
I've now listened to The Legacy in its entirety. I'll say it's a decent album but definitely not an exceptional one. It's a solid enough piece of thrash with heavy Metallica influence. Unfortunately, I didn't think that the songs ever achieved anything above just being good and I have to say that I find Chuck Billy's vocals kind of annoying at times on this album.
I'll definitely stick to Breaking the Silence over this album, although it's not bad. I don't see how HamburgerBoy finds them to be inseparably intertwined, because it seems clear to me that Heathen was a more focused band.
I'll definitely stick to Breaking the Silence over this album, although it's not bad. I don't see how HamburgerBoy finds them to be inseparably intertwined, because it seems clear to me that Heathen was a more focused band.
His process for picking bands that he finds "essential" is very strange and arbitrary so we may never find out why he fellates Testament so much.
As for me, I think they're alright for thrash. But I don't generally like most thrash anymore so yeah.
As for me, I think they're alright for thrash. But I don't generally like most thrash anymore so yeah.
mutantllama
Active Member
This and "Raging Waters". Also, "The Legacy" would be even better if "Alone In The Dark" had been replaced by "Reign Of Terror", which (luckily) was at least included on the "Live At Eindhoven"-EP.
Could you elaborate on this? I don't see much similarities between both albums. The sound on "The Legacy" is rawer than on "Ride The Lightning" (which I do like, though I don't think it would fit the songs on the latter as well), and whereas all songs on the former except of "Alone In The Dark" are played fast more or less from beginning to end, this only applies to three songs on "Ride The Lightning". The latter surely offers more musical diversity and while I would also rank it higher (probably still 10/10) than "The Legacy", the latter wouldn't follow far behind.
Krow
Garbage Connoisseur
Testament is the most vanilla thrash band I can think of. Very bland stuff.
Proficient enough to not be terrible but I tend to remember nothing when I hear them.
I actually don't like Heathen either... But I've never been big on pure thrash metal unless Slayer wrote it.
Proficient enough to not be terrible but I tend to remember nothing when I hear them.
I actually don't like Heathen either... But I've never been big on pure thrash metal unless Slayer wrote it.
HamburgerBoy
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I love how I'm suddenly a massive Testament fanboy when just a few months ago, TechBarb was commenting on how I hated them (or maybe just Chuck Billy's voice) just because I said Chuck doesn't have a great singing range. I like the band, I think they have their own sound and that to write them off as completely generic is unfair at best, or aping common consensus at worst.
The only thing Testament REALLY has in common with Metallica is that they built many of their songs on the kind of riffing style that afaik "Damage Inc" invented (at least in a metal context), that really rapid but tight syncopated kind of stuff that tends to sound something like dut dutahlut dut-dutahlut. There is a riff about three minutes into Apocalyptic City where they take the proto-melodeath riff of Damage Inc and basically play it backwards, so I'm obviously not denying a tangible influence. I'm just saying that what influence they did take (from arguably the most influential metal band of the 80s) was not mere copy-cat stuff, but a progression on it. The evolution of that riffing style from Damage Inc, to early Testament, to other thrash bands like Sacrifice and Believer, to melodeath period Carcass, to The Haunted and metalcore is really apparent. The album doesn't resemble Ride the Lightning at all.
You could apply the jumping-ship to other bands too. Of course some people will want to follow the money. Aside from Damage Inc in particular as mentioned above, who do you think Testament sounds like on the first two albums?
The only thing Testament REALLY has in common with Metallica is that they built many of their songs on the kind of riffing style that afaik "Damage Inc" invented (at least in a metal context), that really rapid but tight syncopated kind of stuff that tends to sound something like dut dutahlut dut-dutahlut. There is a riff about three minutes into Apocalyptic City where they take the proto-melodeath riff of Damage Inc and basically play it backwards, so I'm obviously not denying a tangible influence. I'm just saying that what influence they did take (from arguably the most influential metal band of the 80s) was not mere copy-cat stuff, but a progression on it. The evolution of that riffing style from Damage Inc, to early Testament, to other thrash bands like Sacrifice and Believer, to melodeath period Carcass, to The Haunted and metalcore is really apparent. The album doesn't resemble Ride the Lightning at all.
You could apply the jumping-ship to other bands too. Of course some people will want to follow the money. Aside from Damage Inc in particular as mentioned above, who do you think Testament sounds like on the first two albums?
CiG
The Veils of Negative Existence
Feel free to compare albums and have a 73 page discussion about how 3 riffs weren't really comparable and production is different and vocalist isn't identical to Metallica's.
I don't care.
All I'm saying is, they probably listened to Metallica a-fucking-lot at that time.
I don't care.
All I'm saying is, they probably listened to Metallica a-fucking-lot at that time.
HamburgerBoy
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No shit they did, so did virtually every other American thrash band up to the mid 80s. You still need to point out specifics if you're going to say that they're that derivative. A band like Heathen directly copies Metallica and Exodus ideas far more often, and didn't have nearly the creative impact of Testament. I can listen to a given band and think "Hey, that sounds like Testament"; I've never listened to a band and thought "Hey, that part was so Heathen".
I used to hate it because of an autistic prejudice against the chorus, but these days yeah, classic song. Battery and Leper Messiah are probably the only ones that aren't 10/10 tracks for me.
I used to hate it because of an autistic prejudice against the chorus, but these days yeah, classic song. Battery and Leper Messiah are probably the only ones that aren't 10/10 tracks for me.
HamburgerBoy
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Just because I didn't quote it doesn't mean I ignored it. The Metallica influence is present, but it's not inseparable. Testament, on their first two albums, had their own niche carved in thrash.
I don't even know what you mean by calling them a less focused band than Heathen. Even on Breaking the Silence you get that Sweet cover or songs so basic they barely even count as thrash, and then their second album you get a Rainbow cover, a fucking horrible power ballad, and a Yngwie ripoff leftover from when they still played AOR.
I don't even know what you mean by calling them a less focused band than Heathen. Even on Breaking the Silence you get that Sweet cover or songs so basic they barely even count as thrash, and then their second album you get a Rainbow cover, a fucking horrible power ballad, and a Yngwie ripoff leftover from when they still played AOR.
HamburgerBoy
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Well, actually I'll backtrack somewhat because the second Testament album is pretty unfocused too (Aerosmith cover and excessive intros out the butt), but debut vs debut, Testament had a far more consistent and developed sound.
CiG
The Veils of Negative Existence
It's not hard to have a developed sound when you lift your entire sound from an already well-developed band. [shit-eating grin]
HamburgerBoy
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YEAH BRO FUCK THOSE HACKS
TESTAMENT IS SHIT
LET'S CHUG SOME PETROL
GEHENNAH TIL DEAAAAAAAARHHHHHFDGDFGTH
TESTAMENT IS SHIT
LET'S CHUG SOME PETROL
GEHENNAH TIL DEAAAAAAAARHHHHHFDGDFGTH
CiG
The Veils of Negative Existence
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