TESTAMENT — First Strike Still Deadly (review)

TESTAMENT — First Strike Still Deadly album cover Boxset / Compilation · 2001 · Thrash Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Vim Fuego
One measure of a good album, is will someone who is not a big fan of a band still enjoy it? Generally, I would rather watch paint dry than listen to Testament, so 'First Strike Still Deadly' came as a huge surprise. It's Testament, but it is not boring!

This is one of those "Aha!" albums. You know the ones, where a band comes highly recommended to you, and you want to like it, but you are massively underwhelmed by the band until one day, "Aha! I get it now!"

A re–recording of tracks from Testament's first two albums, and a demo track, this album is rendered in near–perfect neo–thrash style — punchy drums, crisp guitars, rock solid bottom end, and crystal–clear production. What was once bland and flat has been brought to life and given a new spark.

On initial listen, the only song I actually recognised was "Disciples Of The Watch", the most distinct track from 'The New Order'. It is hard to believe, but Testament seems to have become more aggressive as they have aged, and that added dash of aggro has really spiced the mix. Everything is just so much louder, heavier and more convincing than in 1988. Chuck Billy's voice in particular is grittier, more guttural, but at the same time more versatile than it was, but at the same time the vocals are easier to understand. John Tempesta, who has also served Exodus and White Zombie admirably, is a far superior drummer to what Louie Clemente was, and also suits the band better than Gene Hoglan did.

In the early days of thrash, the guitar pairing of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson were spoken of in the same league as Hetfield and Hammett, Hanneman and King, and Holt and Hunolt. It is easy to see why when Peterson's riffs are given the crunch they deserve, and the classical stylings of Skolnick's leads punctuate the entire package.

The final two tracks on the album, "Alone In The Dark" and "Reign Of Terror" are two of Testament's oldest tracks. Both are old school headbangers, of the style which made the Bay Area famous. Guesting on vocals on both songs is Testament's original vocalist, Steve Souza. Souza made his name with Exodus, and these songs demonstrate what a loss he was for Testament.

If only Testament had managed this sound in the 1980s, we would now be talking about the Big Five of thrash, rather than the Big Four.
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