Bay Area thrash legends Testament decided back in 2001 to put out a "best of" album, but instead of remastering some of their classic material for a hits collection they instead picked out the best tunes from their first two albums The Legacy and The New Order and re-recorded them. Basically what you get are 11 kick ass Testament tracks from arguably their best two albums, re-recorded with modern technology 15 years after the fact, from the line-up of Chuck Billy, John Tempesta, Steve DiGeorgio, Alex Skolnick, and Eric Peterson. Original Testament singer Steve Souza (also ex-Exodus) guests on "Alone in the Dark" and "Reign of Terror", songs which he originally sang on the band's early demo, which is great for nostalgia here. Otherwise, the band sound fresh as they did back in the mid-80's, rampaging through such thrash crunchers as "Into the Pit", "Trial By Fire", "Over the Wall", "Disciples of the Watch", and of course "First Strike is Deadly", among many other classics. While Billy can't get hit all the high notes like he used to, his voice still has held up pretty well over the years, and Skolnick's lead work is still awesome to hear soaring over the bone-crunching riffs from Peterson. Hearing tunes like "The New Order" and "The Preacher" with renewed vigor using modern technology keeps the listener rooted in the present but remembering past when Testament were one of the hottest young metal bands on the planet. First Strike Still Deadly is a great purchase for those new to the band or long-time fans wanting to hear how it would sound if the band recreated the early magic today.
Prosthetic Records is reissuing First Strike Still Deadly (with new cover art) along with Demonic and The Gathering, coinciding with the April release of the band's first new studio album in close to ten years, The Formation of Damnation. It's no doubt a good time to be a Testament fan.
Track Listing
1. First Strike Is Deadly
2. Into The Pit
3. Trial By Fire
4. Disciples Of The Watch
5. The Preacher
6. Burnt Offerings
7. Over The Wall
8. The New Order
9. The Haunting
10. Alone In The Dark
11. Reign Of Terror