Testament (thrash metal band)

~ Group

Annotation

The band were formed in 1983 under the name Legacy. After frontman Chuck Billy joined, they changed their name to Testament in 1986.

Annotation last modified on 2009-03-21 04:14 UTC.

Wikipedia

Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1983 under the name Legacy, the band's current lineup comprises rhythm guitarist Eric Peterson, lead vocalist Chuck Billy, lead guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer Chris Dovas. Testament has experienced many lineup changes over the years, with Peterson being the only remaining original member, though they have since been rejoined by one of its songwriters Skolnick, who had been out of the band from 1992 to 2005. Billy has been a member of Testament since 1986, when he replaced original singer Steve "Zetro" Souza, who had left to replace Paul Baloff in Exodus. He and Peterson are the only members to appear on all of Testament's studio albums, with the latter being the only constant member overall.

Referred to as one of the "big six" of the 1980s Bay Area thrash metal scene (along with Exodus, Death Angel, Lååz Rockit, Forbidden and Vio-lence), Testament is often credited as one of the most popular and influential bands of the thrash metal scene, as well as one of the leaders of the second wave of the genre in the late 1980s. They have also been referred to as one of the "big eight" of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Overkill and Death Angel. The band has sold over 1.4 million albums in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era and over 14 million copies worldwide. To date, Testament has released thirteen studio albums (one of which is a collection of re-recorded songs), four live albums, five compilation albums, twelve singles and three DVDs.

After signing to Atlantic/Megaforce Records in 1986, and changing its name from Legacy to Testament, the band released their debut album The Legacy in 1987, followed a year later by The New Order (1988); both albums were acclaimed by critics and the press, including heavy metal-related publications. The band achieved mainstream popularity with its third album Practice What You Preach (1989), which was Testament's first album to climb up the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart. A string of more successful albums were released during the early-to-mid-1990s, including Souls of Black (1990), The Ritual (1992) and Low (1994), with the first two also entering the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart. After Atlantic dropped the band in 1995, Testament (who had at this point had begun to experiment with a death metal-influenced sound) continued to record and perform until their temporary hiatus in 2001, when Billy was diagnosed with cancer. By 2005, his cancer was in remission and Testament had resumed activity, which saw a brief reunion of The Legacy lineup, resulting in the live album Live in London. Since then, Testament has experienced a resurgence of popularity, with four of their studio albums—The Formation of Damnation (2008), Dark Roots of Earth (2012), Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) and Titans of Creation (2020)—all entering the Top 100 on the Billboard 200, and they have continued to tour consistently. The band is currently working on new material for their fourteenth studio album, which is tentatively due for release in 2024.

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Discography

Album

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1987The LegacyTestament3.7510
1988The New OrderTestament4.6510
1989Practice What You PreachTestament4.256
1990Souls of BlackTestament3.58
1992The RitualTestament3.358
1994LowTestament3.654
1997DemonicTestament3.7511
1999The GatheringTestament3.658
2008The Formation of DamnationTestament48
2012Dark Roots of EarthTestament3.59
2016Brotherhood of the SnakeTestament4
2020Titans of CreationTestament7

Album + Compilation

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1996The Best of TestamentTestament3
1997Signs of Chaos: The Best of TestamentTestament1
2001The Very Best of TestamentTestament3
2001First Strike Still DeadlyTestament47
2004Days of DarknessTestament1
2007The Spitfire CollectionTestament1
2013Original Album SeriesTestament1
2019The Complete Albums 1987-1994Testament1

Album + Live

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1987Live at Eindhoven ’87Testament6
1995Live at the FillmoreTestament46
2005Live in LondonTestament2
2013Dark Roots of ThrashTestament6
2013Dark Roots Of ThrashTestament1
2019Live at Dynamo Open Air 1997Testament2
2020No Beast So Fierce (Live 1991)Testament1
2022Live 1995 (Radio Broadcast Recordings)Testament1

Single

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
2012True American HateTestament1
2012Native BloodTestament2
2013Animal MagnetismTestament1
2020Night of the WitchTestament1

EP

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1988Trial by FireTestament32
1993Return to the Apocalyptic CityTestament46

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