Everybody talks about the Big 4 of American Thrash, and for good reason: they helped establish the look & feel of the genre here in the states. Granted, some of the Big 4 have withstood the passage of time better than others, but none the less they’re still important to the history of Thrash. However, it wasn’t just the Big 4 that were kicking ass & taking names. There were plenty of other Thrash Metal bands around in the 80s that were helping to establish the legitimacy of the subgenre, and the band that most often comes to my mind.....is Testament.
That’s right, Testament. Often considered by many fans to be the unofficial 5th member of the Big 4, Testament was a highly successful band. Selling 1.4 million albums in the states since the beginning of the Soundscape Era, and selling 14 million albums worldwide, Chuck Billy & the rest of the Testament crew continue to cement their legacy. Speaking of the word “legacy”, that’s a perfect segue to today’s review, as it will cover the band’s first record, The Legacy. Let the review begin!
Background
Before the recording of The Legacy in 1986, the band known as Testament was originally called Legacy. The Legacy lineup included Alex, Eric, Greg, and Louie, but had Steve "Zetro" Souza as it’s original singer. Future singer Chuck Billy was the singer for a band called Guilt (Although he sang with Legacy a few times before his arrival), and was asked to join when Souza left for Exodus. A strange complication arose when the band had to change their name, as a Jazz Band already was called Legacy. The Testament name was a suggestion from Billy Milano, a friend of the group.
After getting together & recording, The Legacy was unleashed on metalheads on April 21, 1987. Three years after in March of 1990, the album was sold over 150,000 in the United States, making The Legacy one of their best selling albums of all time. It should be noted that the single for this album, Over the Wall, is perhaps their most playing song out of their library, as it had some time at Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley, California before they were known as Testament.
Basic Description
80s Thrash at it’s finest!
You’d think that going alongside the Big 4 would have shoved Testament to the side.....and you be wrong! Testament not only managed to not get pushed away, but they managed to stand right alongside them, creating some great music in the process. The band itself is great as well, with Chuck Billy’s vocal range that can go from emotional to brutal screeching at the drop of a pin, Alex Skolnick & Eric Peterson form a great guitar duo, Greg Christian nails the bass, and Louie Clemente just wields the drums with skill. With their inaugural outing with this record, Testament can be just as great as their Big 4 counterparts, while doing their own thing.
Best Track
Pretty tricky one to pick, fellow Otaku & Metalheads. All 9 tracks on The Legacy are such perfect representatives of 80s Thrash, you honestly can’t single out a specific. My personal favorite, however, would have to be the second to last song, Alone in the Dark. Sharing the name with a classic Survival Horror game series, Alone in the Dark is a sinister & rhythmic track. It’s the kind of song that pops in your head when it’s dark & cloudy, it’s raining, and the sound of thunder can be heard off in the distance. I love listening to this track later on in the evening, as it brings in a bit of the supernatural, creating an awesome experience.
Alone in the Dark
Worst Track
Honestly, I can’t think of any bad song on here. The Legacy is not just a perfect album, but a perfect starting album as well. If a listener wanted to be nitpick a little, it would probably be because of the overall theme. Thrash Metal has always been the domain of war, religion, and politics, but The Legacy puts those aside, and adopts some supernatural elements. Songs like The Haunting & Burnt Offerings are more moody & atmospheric than your typical Thrash tunes, but they’re still excellent regardless.
Other
If you’re curious about The Legacy, here’s a link to the album. Hopefully when you’re done listening to it, maybe you’ll go out & buy it!
The Legacy
Overall Impression & Rating
The Legacy is just one of those albums that could have only come from the rise of Thrash in the 80s. Right alongside classics like Master of Puppets, The Legacy is a strangely appropriate name for a beginning band. While I do find this record to be a tiny bit cheesy, I can’t deny that I head-banged a little while I was listening to this. A good legacy indeed!
The Legacy gets a 10 out of 10. A perfect Thrash record, and one that should belong in your headbanging collection!
So this was my look at Testament’s first record. Again, it’s a shame that they weren’t part of the Big 4, but perhaps they didn’t need to be. Anyways, this festival of Thrash Metal is just about over, but we’ve got 1 final stop up in Canada before this is all over. See you all next week!
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