Testament is one of the bands best qualified to include in thrash metal’s “other big four” alongside Overkill, Death Angel and (add your own band here). They admitted to rushing their fourth album so they could go on a European tour with Slayer, but there are definitely some worthwhile moments here.
The title track, while a bit slower than some of their other work, is a song to behold. It’s just amazing from beginning to finish, with great grooves, amazing vocals from Chuck Billy, and excellent guitar work from Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson. The song is just something awe inspiring to hear. “Falling Fast” is on the same lines as well, great thrash metal that is something to bow down to.
“Absence Of Light” completes the trilogy of greatness, and while it’s the weaker of the three, it still holds its own and works well within the confines of the record. “Malpractice,” on the other hand, doesn’t seem to go anywhere despite the great guitars from Skolnick and Peterson. “One Man’s Fate” is another fantastic track that proves that not only did Testament have the skill, they also had the ability to crush any lesser bands in front of them (cough, cough, Exodus, cough).
“The Legacy” was their attempt to create something along the lines of “Fade To Black.” They had already attempted this with “The Ballad” and would go on to do something better with “Return To Serenity,” but this one is interesting. Chuck Billy’s soaring vocals really help the song come into its own and allows the band to find their own identity in the already cluttered world of thrash metal. It was by being able to come up with creative nuggets like this that enabled them to extend their career a bit longer than others.
Though this was admittedly a rush job, it’s still damn good and actually a much better record than the far more successful follow-up The Ritual. All in all, it’s a pretty great release and one that diehard Testament fans should be going back to over and over again.
