Top 10 Testament Songs

Photo: Cecil [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Testament is a thrash metal band from Berkley, California. Formed in 1983 and called initially Legacy, the band’s current line-up features guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick, lead vocalist Chuck Billy, drummer Gene Hoglan, and bassist Steve Di Giorgio. They have had numerous line-up changes since their inception, with Peterson being the only constant member. Billy has been a member since 1987 after replacing original vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza, who left to replace Paul Baloff in Exodus just before recording their first album, The Legacy. This makes him and Peterson the only two members to have played on every recording.

They are often regarded as one of the most influential and successful bands in the thrash metal scene, recognized as a key band in the “second wave” of thrash that emerged in the late 1980s. Overall, they have sold over 14 million albums. Their discography consists of 11 studio albums, four live albums, six compilation albums, 12 singles, and 3 DVDs. After the release of their debut, they broke big with the follow-up, The New Order, in 1988, and the next four albums after this were very successful, entering the Billboard charts. They have experienced several resurgences in popularity over the course of their career and have toured consistently. They are currently working on their twelfth album, so here’s a look at ten of the best so far…

# 10 – Burnt Offerings

Testament’s debut was a strong album that, quite understandably, quickly earned them recognition. A classic early track from 1987’s The Legacy, this song is awe-inspiring from a technical standpoint, starting with a melodic intro before exploding into a classic piece of thrash. Billy’s low-sounding vocals, coupled with Peterson’s complex guitar work, make this a truly brilliant headbanger.

# 9 – Trial by Fire

The Legacy may have been a strong debut, but with 1988’s follow-up, The New Order, Testament proved that there was more good stuff to come. With this album, they further proved that in addition to being a hefty and intense band, they were also very accomplished musicians, with this track in particular featuring some rather complex arrangements, somewhat reminiscent of early Metallica. The song also features well-written and thought-provoking lyrics about a person on trial, accused of a crime.

# 8 – Native Blood

A modern-day Testament song off 2012’s Dark Roots of the Earth, which interestingly takes inspiration from Native Americans both lyrically and musically, featuring a tribal intro. It is a very crushing track that shows that Testament still has interesting stuff to offer in the 21st century. The style of the number clearly indicates that Testament has been listening to and taking inspiration from many modern metal bands, with the riff on the chorus having an almost metalcore feel to it. A heavy-sounding and lyrically impassioned song that shows that the band is still musically relevant.

# 7 – Apocalyptic City

Another Legacy track showed that, despite the upcoming rise of more extreme genres such as death and black metal, thrash was not an irrelevant genre and still had some strong material to produce. With classic thrash lyrics dealing with apocalyptic themes, its brilliant riff and solo towards the end also showed that even at this early stage, the band had some significant potential progressive tendencies. Clearly, a band who were already ready to join the thrash elite.

# 6 – Sins of Omission

This track was featured on the third album, 1989’s Practice What You Preach. It shows progression on Testament’s part, not quite being out and out thrash and taking the approach of the 90’s post-thrash “groove metal” pioneered by the likes of Pantera and later Machine Head. It is not as overly technical as previous material and has more of a free-flowing feel. With that said, there are still some killer solos included and it is definitely fast in parts.

# 5 – Into The Pit

Probably Testament’s most iconic anthem off Legacy and one that the title would suggest is a fan favorite at live shows, even though it is not actually about moshing. The lyrical content is rather dark, about falling into a deadly pit of death. It is one of the band’s shorter numbers, clocking in at just under three minutes and casting aside technicality in favor of pure speed and aggression. All in all a definitive thrash metal classic.

# 4 – Disciples of the Watch

This cut from The New Order is another excellent track that shows the band’s technical proficiency as well as their penchant for well-written fantasy-based lyrics. This song is also another example of early Metallica-esque music, with Metallica clearly being a significant influence on Testament at the time. It has a good dark atmosphere that makes for a compelling listen.

# 3 – Return to Serenity

Off the fifth album, 1992’s The Ritual , this is a slow number which showed that Testament were not limited to pure thrash. Lyrically, it comes from a personal perspective of feeling lonely and depressed. It is also very well-played and is easily something that could have potentially gotten them some mainstream radio play.

# 2 – Over The Wall

The lead track off of Legacy , which even had its own video, gets Testament off to a bright start. Musically, it is a very uncompromising and energetic-sounding thrash anthem. Like many tracks on the first album, it was written by vocalist Steve Souza, who left before the recording process, leaving Billy to take over vocal duties. It is actually one of two songs that were written by Souza exclusively, the other being “Alone in the Dark.” Lyrically, it is about being trapped and yearning to escape, as seen in “Over The Wall!”

# 1 – Electric Crown

Also off The Ritual, this track is another one that saw Testament move away from all-out thrash to more mid-paced metal without overly compromising. Although Testament has always been a very talented band, here they are showing what they can do with their talent, as at this point they were moving into a new era beyond the golden age of thrash. The lyrics here are very thought-provoking and reflective of life in general, with talk of wasted years and facing death. Another track that was a little more mainstream, but still a brilliant piece of heavy metal.