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Testament
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| By
Vinnie Apicella
The long awaited
rerecording of the bands' early material has finally
arrived. And like a bolt of lightning aimed straight for your nervous
system, it'll prove equally as devastating as it did the first time
around if not more so. The basic idea of course to employ the modern
techniques and improved production abilities of today and apply them to
the late great classics of yesterday, and the resulting chaos proves
beyond a shadow of doom worth the effort. Unearthing and recreating the
madness from their first two early favorites, "The Legacy,"
and "The New
Order," the impact of each for its time, immeasurable. even by
today's
standards. Testament arrived from the Bay Area Thrash community that
spawned the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and later Exodus, and simply
conquered with unmatched power, speed, and precision that their many
predecessors would no longer have the stomach for, and to this day they
have remained true to their roots in spite of the many driving forces
that seek to destroy them. "First Strike Is Deadly" features
contributions from many original players from differing intervals (of
which there are many) rejoining to rejuvenate the likes of "Into
The
Pit," "Trial By Fire," "Burnt Offerings," and
"Over The Wall," four of
the eleven total tracks which also features a guest appearance by
original vocalist Steve Souza from their earliest Legacy days and the
rare "Reign Of Terror" demo track! As big an impact as
something like
"The Legacy" or "The New Order" made when they were
first unleashed in
the late eighties, the differences between then and now, having
experienced both, are obvious from the onset listening to these new
recordings. to say nothing of the degree of impact which in itself
cannot be fairly observed. While others of their time went off course
long ago, Testament's always stayed true to their roots and does not
disappoint their loyal fan base. Few could argue that the original
Testament was in peak form-even though we're not hearing the band in its
completely original form, the music they created stands amongst the best
in their history. Even now to hear Skolnick rattle off riff and burning
riff and teamed again with Peterson, an incomparable duo, is simply
awe-inspiring. Tempesta's thunderous drumming, never as impacting as
now, and Chuck, the beast behind the mighty roar-save for Souza's
frightening versions of "Alone In The Dark," and "Reign
Of Terror" to
conclude, remains a prominent feature as always and in fact struggles
for survival in some cases behind the non-stop pounding of the rhythm
section! Recorded in tribute to renowned Death front man Chuck
Schuldiner and Testament legions worldwide, consider this an early
holiday gift from the band that keeps on giving. The first strike was
deadly enough in its day. but this one'll surely kill ya!
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