Testament
Return To The Apocalyptic City

THE REVIEW

Ladies and gentlemen, here are Testament! One of the greatest thrash metal bands from the Californian Bay Area! The band has faced numerous obstacles throughout their career (strong disagreements with record labels, constant lineup changes, the poor health of singer Chuck Billy), but with great tenacity, they have managed to secure a prominent position in the metal rankings. A significant part of the credit goes to the dazzling guitarist Alex Skolnick, creator of sharp riffs and blazing solos, but also engaging melodies. To me, he is an impeccable guitarist from every point of view.

After the great successes of the '80s, the band found themselves struggling at the beginning of the next decade. Thrash rapidly declined, due to new musical forms like grunge and alternative rock, which made the fortunes of greedy record labels and MTV. As everyone knows, most thrash groups took a more commercial turn in their sound (a random name… Metallica!). Alas, even Testament were victims of this generational change, and “The Ritual” (1992) is clear evidence of that. While the shift of bands like Metallica and Megadeth did not record a drop in popularity (on the contrary!), that of Testament proved to be a commercial failure.

After this failed experiment, Testament released this live EP, “Return to the Apocalyptic City” (1993). This work marks the beginning of many lineup changes for the band, which could no longer remain united. Skolnick leaves, no longer interested in heavy metal, dedicating himself to new musical experiences like his jazz group (Alex Skolnick Trio), and drummer Louie Clemente abandons music to go into the antique trade. Thus, guitarist/founder Eric Peterson, Chuck Billy, and bassist Greg Christian enlist two former members of Forbidden (another valued band in thrash metal), such as guitarist Glen Alvelais and the legendary drummer Paul Bostaph.

The new lineup delivers a worthy performance in this work, and Alvelais, from a technical point of view, is in no way inferior to Skolnick. Additionally, Bostaph is no less compared to Clemente. In the short span of the EP, some of the quintet's historic tracks are revisited, namely "Over the Wall", "The Haunting", "Disciples of the Watch", and only one piece from “The Ritual”, "So Many Lies", the only one that seems out of place in the setlist. I would have preferred "Electric Crown", one of the few salvageable tracks from Testament's worst album. The last two tracks are recorded in the studio by the classic lineup (Billy, Peterson, Skolnick, Christian, and Clemente): the Slayer-inspired "Reign of Terror", recorded during a demo session for “The New Order”, and the ballad "Return to Serenity" without the first minute of intro.

It would have been a great live performance if it had included a greater number of songs. Nonetheless, it is always a good live performance.