Testament
Low

THE REVIEW

Despite the resurgence in popularity that the genre has enjoyed in recent years, in the collective imagination, thrash metal seems to remain tied to a narrow handful of bands, usually those attributed to the Big Four, namely the "usual" Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax.

Aside from the fact that it has never been quite clear why one might be part of this clique (number of copies sold?), it is indisputable that the genre, fortunately, has gone beyond this narrow list, with noteworthy bands that have long surpassed five decades of career, but for various reasons, have always remained confined to a smaller circuit of fans. If some time ago the case of Exodus and their failed "leap in quality" in the Eighties was considered, a similar argument could be partially made for Testament. Born as Legacy, the band had already proven to be hyperactive since the late Eighties, regularly releasing albums that are now considered classics of the genre, from "The Legacy" in 1987 to "Souls of Black" in 1990.

While on the one hand the best works of the Big Four remained unattainable (albums like "South of Heaven" and "Rust in Peace" objectively remain on another level), Eric Peterson and company undeniably had the merit of keeping the genre alive even during the lean years of the Nineties, though with a lesser impact compared to the golden times. As might be expected, that period saw the band go into crisis, lose members along the way, and even face a brief breakup, but it must be acknowledged that the quality of the various albums written was never less than decent, always managing to deliver at least fairly good records and not appearing as mere shadows of their former selves. The disc in question was released in a year, 1994, when frankly, almost no one remembered thrash metal anymore and all the major formations had either disbanded or were exploring other realms.

With "Low," Testament attempted to have a foot in both camps, frankly convincing only halfway. On one hand, they tried to remain faithful to patterns already proposed in the past, while on the other, they ventured into territories hitherto unexplored. The entrance of James Murphy into the lineup, who had already lent his six-string to Death and Obituary, managed to inject new life into a possibly disoriented group that was not going through its best phase, at least updating the proposed sound and keeping it in line with the times. On one hand, it should be noted that those were years when Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and Pantera were reigning supreme, and death metal was experiencing one of its most prolific periods, but it must be recognized that this "extreme" version of Testament does not always convince. While tracks like "Low," "Hail Mary," and the beautiful ballad "Trail of Tears" showcase a cohesive group aware of their capabilities, capable of writing songs like "Dog Faced Gods," perhaps one of the best in their long discography, it must also be said that the B-side of the album often features tracks as aggressive as they are forgettable, failing to convey anything even after repeated listens. While the desire to try new sounds was commendable, albeit partly dictated by the need to stay afloat in a rapidly changing market at the time, on many occasions, there is the impression that the experiment was not entirely successful, with death metal sounds poorly blending with the band's classic sound and tracks frankly not always up to par.

From a purely technical point of view, it's worth acknowledging the high level of the instrumentalists involved, as always, and the fact that "Low" remains one of Chuck Billy's most interesting performances, convincing both when using clean vocals and when expressing himself on more extreme registers. Despite the more than decent performance, in the long run, the crisis of the genre would also hit Testament, now involved in a constant shuffle of musicians, leading to the breakup that would occur shortly thereafter. The band would nevertheless return to the scene later, first with "Demonic" in 1997 and then with "The Gathering" in 1999, an album usually credited with revitalizing the entire thrash movement, even though in this case too, the death matrix was very present.

In recent years, the quintet has returned to producing studio albums with a certain regularity, consistently churning out quality records and securing a prominent role in the history of thrash. 

Testament: 

Chuck Billy, vocals

John Tempesta, drums

Greg Christian, bass

James Murphy, guitar

Eric Peterson, guitar

"Low":

1. Low

2. Legions (In Hiding)

3. Hail Mary

4. Trail of Tears

5. Shades of War

6. P.C.

7. Dog Faced Gods

8. All I Could Bleed

9. Urotsukidoji

10. Chasing Fear

11. Ride

12. Last Call