The Legacy

Testament is one of the most famous thrash metal bands in the world, which, however, debuted a bit later than Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. This kind of pushed them out of the way of expanding the famous Big Four (an artificial term created by the press), and thus gaining such colossal successes as the first three of them (again, the fault of the press). Well, it did not prevent them from crystallizing their own style and qualitatively surpassing those giants at the end of the 20th century and maintaining a clearly better form. Meanwhile, at the very beginning, the story of Testament might have suggested something quite different. After the release of the demo from 1985 (but under the name of Legacy and with Mike Ronchett and Steve Souza in the line-up) and the debut album entitled - no pun intended - "The Legacy" might have seemed that Testament was one of those bands that - simply - emerged on the wave of popularity of thrash metal music because of fashion, not originality.

Nothing could be more wrong! Although it would be a cardinal omission on "The Legacy" of the very significant influences of Metallica and Slayer, the quintet of Chuck Billy (vocals), Eric Peterson (guitar), Alex Skolnick (second guitar), Greg Christian (bass) and Louie Clemente (drums) already at the times of their debut longplay made efforts to ensure that their music did not give the impression of being polished with someone else's patents. It's known that at this point (and the ambitions of that time) some barriers were not overcome by the Peterson's band, because there are strong references to melodics like "Ride The Lightning" and thrashing in the type of "Show No Mercy", although not to such an extent that it's impossible to hear their own idea for this style of thrash metal. First of all, "The Legacy" impresses with the incredible catchiness of the riffs and their quite advanced technical degree, Skolnick's guitar talent (much better than Kirk Hammett and Jeff Hanneman), Chuck Billy's high-pitched vocals with occasional falsettos (yet without the characteristic low singing or growls) and the extraordinary ease of adding melodies to the general thrash metal fast paces. For this reason, such titles as "Raging Waters", "Apocalyptic City", "Burnt Offerings", "Over The Wall", "Alone In The Dark" (ultra-hit!) or "Do Or Die" are extremely catchy in a good way - they are instantly remembered. The production is also cool, which, despite a lot of rawness and underground sound, adds lovely attractiveness to the whole album and does not erase the spontaneity of all instruments.

So, despite a relatively late debut, Testament showed that they are not an ordinary follower of Metallica and Slayer's ideas, but a group that successfully intercepted their thrash metal standards and processed them through a separate feeling. Only a year later, however, it was even better - the band showed its self and in the following years clearly expanded their style.

Originally on A bit of subjectivism...in metal

One of the most important and well-known bands in the thrash metal panorama, even if they are not part of the Big Four: Testament. Their debut, entitled The Legacy, from the previous name of the band, is to be considered a masterpiece of the thrash genre and of the whole metal, together with their second album, The New Order (which I consider even superior, despite the level being more than valuable either way, but that's just my opinion).

Returning to The Legacy, it is a fundamental album, in which the heavy and fast guitar riffs of Eric Peterson combine perfectly with the solo parts of the other phenomenal guitarist of Testament, Alex Skolnick, coming from the same guitar school of Kirk Hammett. The powerful voice of the great Chuck Billy, whose talents are universally recognized within the metal world, dominates throughout the record, his vocal performance on The Legacy is truly excellent. Also noteworthy is the work of Greg Christian on bass and Louie Clemente on drums who, within a monstrous formation like that of Testament, risk going unnoticed, but who nevertheless give their contribution, in some cases also in songwriting.

As for the album itself, it contains nine tracks, which are truly one better than the other. To be clear: only masterpieces or very good songs. Among the masterpieces we must absolutely include the opener Over The Wall, with which Testament present themselves to the whole world, a song with a very heavy riff and an excellent refrain, with Chuck Billy's voice recognizable among thousands; needless to mention the solo, which is also beautiful and characterized by truly inspired melodic cues. Another excellent piece built on Skolnick's solo skills is Burnt Offerings, another spearhead of the album, a perfect example of what we ideally call melodic thrash metal. Then we have another classic: First Strike is Deadly, characterized by heavy riffs and with the voice of an absolutely fit Chuck Billy, but Skolnick is again at the forefront, as the author of a memorable solo, to say the least, something exciting. Do Or Die is no less, very heavy, with a truly exceptional refrain. Impossible not to spend a few words on the last two tracks, namely Alone In The Dark and Apocalyptic City, two masterpieces in which the soul of Testament is completely laid bare, which corresponds to the desire to combine power and speed with melody. Two masterpieces full of enthralling riffs, exalting solos, refrains that you can't help but sing, full of pathos (almost as if you were talking about power, not thrash metal) and which give a charge never seen before. Although it is not up to these masterpieces, C.O.T.L.O.D (Curse of the Legions of Death) should also be mentioned, a splinter (just over two minutes long) of uncompromising thrash metal.

In short, a fundamental, beautiful album: a classic. A work that is very much influenced by Metallica, especially in the insertion of more than significant melodic inserts. A record to have, for those who love thrash and metal in general. The production could make someone turn up their noses, being quite crude, but when the quality is what it is, the problem doesn't even arise.

Wow! 21 reviews for “The Legacy” with an average of 94%. It’s been 35 years since I bought this piece of vinyl (unbelievable and shocking), and I admit that I did not listen to the record very often during the last, well, 33 to 34 years. This is not to say that Testaments first full-length is a bad album – not at all. Nevertheless, back in 1987 thrash metal was, at least from my point of view, still pure ecstasy (“Reign in Blood”), cold-hearted violence (“Bonded by Blood”) or, in its less pure yet still mega-exciting form, crossover-influenced catchiness (“Game Over”). Three perfect albums – and then came “The Legacy”. Once again, a good album, but not even close to perfection.

A lot of good songs can be found here, a stable fundament of classics. Testament did not yet suffer from the "one killer one filler disease" in 1987. One can discuss about the short, somewhat expressionless “C.O.T.L.O.D.” (very weak chorus), which does not reach the filigree level of song-friendly guitar work that characterises this debut. This track wants to reflect the primitive and completely strict side of the band, but it fails to leave an authentic impression. It delivers a relatively solid crossfire, no more, no less. Instead of this song, the band should have put "Reign of Terror" of the Legacy demo on the album. I will never understand why exactly this neckbreaker was the only song of the tape that did not get access to this debut. “Reign of Terror” is missing, in terms of the song itself, but also in view of the general musical approach.

The remaining eight tracks give us the feeling to listen to good thrash, competently designed, equipped with energy, a proper dose of melody and a fine, sometimes even excellent flow. “Over the Wall” grabs the listener by his dirty collar and pulls him into the song and the entire album immediately due to its rebellious and speedy guitars. The dynamic “The Haunting” with its slightly bulky riffs is even better in view of the earworm chorus. This list could be continued up to the mighty, multi-layered closer “Apocalyptic City”. One hit follows the other, but there is a small amount of water in the wine. What I miss is a tiny little portion of raging madness. Sometimes single parts or screams border on insanity, but after all, “The Legacy” appears as an album of more or less controlled outbursts. Okay, “Raging Waters” or “First Strike is Deadly” give almost full speed ahead and maybe I cannot fully express what I mean. For me it just feels as if the guys did not take the final step on a long and actually great journey. Or did they already know that slightly more melodic songs are their core competence? The extremely strong melody line of the verses of “Burnt Offerings” point into this direction.

In terms of production, Chuck Billy’s voice gives no reason to complain, but the recording of the instrumental section left room for improvement. “The Legacy” suffers a bit from the blurred drums and the guitars lack the deadly sharpness of the guitars of “Bonded by Blood”. The entire album sounds a little dull. Anyway, the songs reveal their strength and the casual riffing of “Alone in the Dark” or some furious parts of “Apocalyptic City” show impressively that the dudes do not run out of steam. This is why you can still pay attention to the record every now and then, even 35 years after its release. It is a thrash metal classic, no matter what I say and regardless of my objectively high though comparatively low rating.

Having initially formed as Legacy in 1983 but not releasing their full-length debut until 1987, it’s easy to forget in hindsight how shaky Testament’s place could’ve been in thrash metal’s development. The group was of two worlds in a way, seemingly outpaced by the Big Four’s commercial success and risking obsolescence by the hands of the more aggressive variants to come. An album like The Legacy could’ve ended up a one-off obscurity in lesser hands but fortunately, Testament had some secret weapons to help them stand out from their competition.

Right off the bat, the band had a pair of truly exemplary guitarists in Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick. Much in the template codified by AC/DC’s brothers Young, Peterson mostly serves up an array of intricately tight rhythms while Skolnick grabs much of the attention with his flashy lead playing. As strong as the former’s riff game often is, the latter is easily among the most skillful and unique shredders in the classic thrash scene with his scale choices making for some of the genre’s most exotic-sounding leads and solos.

Chuck Billy also stands out as one of thrash’s most iconic vocalists. His mainstay mid-range bark would always result in inevitable Hetfield comparisons and many of this album’s vocal lines were already set by Steve Sousa, who previously sang for the band before getting promoted to Exodus. However, Billy’s bellow always had a more controlled demeanor in comparison and demonstrated a broader range with feral shrieks, cleaner reaches, and hints of the harsher growls to come.

Speaking of which, the lyrics on this album also manage to be fun as hell. These occult themes were getting played out or put to more extreme ends by this time, but Testament presents them with a more refined slant. It’s not fine poetry by any means but there’s a variety of topics presented with imaginative phrases and flowing narratives. There’s a lot of pulp fiction pleasure to be had in the seafaring horror of “Raging Waters,” the encounter with a furious snake pit on “First Strike is Deadly,” and the pyromaniac’s reflections on “Apocalyptic City.”

But at the end of the day, the songwriting is the most important component of any classic, and The Legacy delivers that in spades. The songs generally stick to a fast-paced approach but there are enough dynamics and signature touches for each track to stand out. The opening “Over the Wall” is tailor made to be a live staple, “Raging Waters” spews seemingly endless verses in rapid succession, “Alone in the Dark” and “Do or Die” throw in the most melodic touches, and “Burnt Offerings” and the closing “Apocalyptic City” hint at the ambitions to come. Not even the slightly muffled production job can bring this album down.

Much like their evil twin in Exodus, The Legacy is an incredibly strong debut and arguably the strongest in Testament’s discography. The years before the band’s name change might’ve worked in their favor as these compositions are well fleshed out and the musicianship always puts its best foot forward. Subsequent albums would see Testament teetering between growth and instability. Either way, their first strike might just have been their deadliest after all.

Testament as a band never really…did much for me compared to some of the other classic thrash acts from the eighties that arose around the same time as them. Not saying they were or are bad but to be completely honest I had a hard time getting into their music. I started off with “Practice What You Preach” and “Souls Of Black” and found them to be particularly boring; an opinion that has changed somewhat since then. Of course I’d venture back to listen to their sophomore effort, “The New Order” and was pleasantly pleased with how much I enjoyed that one and jumped right into their debut, “The Legacy”, and that’s when the band really clicked for me. “The Legacy”, and in a similar fashion Exodus’s “Bonded By Blood” as well, started the band off at the top of their game but never reaching the same heights, in my eyes. “The New Order” gets close but I’m still of the opinion that “The Legacy” is still Testament’s Magnum Opus out of all of their career.

Arguably “The Legacy” is probably the catchiest release from the bands whole catalogue, offering a fair share of memorable riffing, hooks, and Chuck Billy’s excellent vocal delivery. “Over The Wall” starts the album off on a high note, opening the record to a speedy thrash assault with a irresistible head banging rhythm section. Most of the record follows in this vein, overloading with speedy riffing, snappy and melodious hooks, and unforgettable jazz and classical influenced solo wizardry. There’s not much outside of tempo variety, besides adding some slower moments in already fairly speedy songs, such as slowing down the rhythm section towards the middle of “Over The Wall” when the solo begins, the eerie yet beautiful opening of “Burnt Offerings”, or transitioning to a more grooving riff in the middle of “The First Strike Is Deadly”. The whole album just grips the listener with high octane thrashing and never lets up. The only song that I could say tries to do something different tempo wise is “Alone In The Dark” as it goes for a mid-tempo stroll for most of its duration.

Even when most of the music opts for fast paced tempo work, the songs never really feel similar to one another as that’s the bigger drive of variety found on “The Legacy”, rhythmic variety. Every song surprisingly sounds distinct from each other and there are elements that weren’t really used on your typical thrash / tech thrash debut in the eighties. I mentioned “Alone In The Dark” and “Burnt Offerings” above and, to me, those songs have an overall Arabic musical influence in the rhythm sections that helps set them apart from most of the songs on this record and among Testaments peers while also being distinct enough from each other. Testament also adds little interludes to some of their songs, such as the dark and atmospheric opening in “The Haunting” and “Apocalyptic City”, and the little guitar melody in “Burnt Offerings” which helps set up the tone and overall feeling that lasts throughout these songs. One could say that none of those things are new, as the thrash genre started messing around with that type of writing since eighty four and I’d agree with that. Yes it isn’t entirely new but it’s done very well as it establishes a tone and atmosphere and, for a side note, seems that the band has taken notes down to make sure their songs fit in the next stage of the genres evolution so they could stand up to those newer records from thrash bands that has already put out two or three albums already. And for the most part, “The Legacy” can stand toe to toe with them.

Another element “The Legacy” has that the genre was developing and headed towards was more technical finesse and Testaments debut surely has that as well thanks to Alex and Eric’s dual guitar attack, being one of the best combos in business. With Alex’s clear influence of jazz and classical music and Eric’s excellent palm muting rhythm skills, Testament was able to hammer such fairly interesting and technical riffs and solos while never sounding sloppy or getting over their own heads. Some of their best trade offs come out of songs like “Raging Waters”, “Curse Of The Legions Of Death”, and the already mentioned “Over The Wall”. They know their own skills and are able to work off one another to make a tight, cohesive performance. Both Louie Clemente on the drums and Greg Christian on bass put on a hell of a performance but the writing itself isn’t nearly as interesting as the guitar work. They’re solid, no doubt, but the writing for both those instruments are used to help prop the guitars up and not really given a time to shine. Luckily both Greg and Louie really get to shine on later albums.

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but Chuck Billy’s vocal performance on “The Legacy” is downright my absolute favorite out of the band's whole discography. Chuck is absolutely wild on this record and his most aggressive without his death growls that he’d utilize more in the nineties. Not to mention, Chuck has much more of a higher pitch on here than anywhere else in their timeline. There’s plenty of snarl or high sqeeching screams that would rival Blitz if Blitz didn’t already class the whole school of thrash screams in his first two records. But besides all of the aggressive barks and screams, Chuck is actually very melodic, with the bridge in “Alone In The Dark” being a prime example and an excellent showcasing of his skills as well. Compared to future releases, where it’s clear Chuck chose to go more into that melodic route with a clear James Hetfield influence, I think Chuck really tried to embody Zetro here, seeing how Zetro was the original singer and Chuck came in towards the end. After listening to the original Legacy demos, I think that’s very much the case. Personally I think it’s not only admirable but also memorable as Chuck hits it right out of the park on “The Legacy”.

“The Legacy” is a classic for sure, a top tier thrash debut with a ton of great ideas with excellent execution. After spending my time going through Testament's early catalog to set a right mind for myself to formulate a series of reviews, “The Legacy” always seemed to pop up in my brain, even as I was listening through “The New Order” all the way up to “The Ritual”. I wholeheartedly believe “The Legacy” is their most cohesive record they’ve put out. There’s something special about this album and, if it came out earlier, I could have seen it making a bigger splash within the evolving genre. Yet it did not. Regardless of when it came out, “The Legacy” is an excellently written album with fully interesting twists and turns between tracks and an absolute classic in the thrash genre. If there was only one Testament record that I could choose as a centerpiece of their legacy, I’d clearly choose “The Legacy”.

Rounding out the last of my reviews of Testament's peak period of releases from 1987-1990 is none other than their fantastic debut album simply titled The Legacy, a nod to their former band name. Legacy settled on the name Testament suggested by Billy Milano due to Legacy already being trademarked by another band that wasn't even a metal band or was even active at the time. The name change was great in the long run as Testament sounded much more powerful and the Testament logo looks way better than the Legacy logo. For me The Legacy is the best debut album of all time beating out other golden thrash debuts like Bonded By Blood and Kill em' All by miles. Released in April of 1987 The Legacy pushed boundaries with Skolnick's lethal melodic guitar playing that blended so blissfully with Peterson's more dark and sinister riffing. The duo would go on to put out some outstanding riffs and solos together for the next few years the best in the entire genre culminating in 1990 with Souls of Black.

This is by far Testament's fastest album from their golden years and the most thrashiest. A lot of these tracks were already written by the time Chuck Billy entered the band as vocalist replacing Steve "Zetro" Souza as he would go on to replace Paul Baloff in Exodus. I think this paid off tremendously for Testament as Chuck Billy is a much more versatile singer and he would become the singer from here on out on all future Testament releases. The Legacy would be the start of Testament's reign as the most dominate metal band around especially with the classic lineup of Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick, Eric peterson, Greg Christian, and Louie Clemente. These 5 would conjure up some of the most memorable, melodic, and catchy thrash metal albums of all time. This lineup is still my personal favorite in the entire bands history, yes despite how many better drummers technicality wise they had no one fit in this band better than Louie Clemente. I don't give a damn the dude was the perfect counterbalance to keep this band from becoming too off the tracks fast. Louie's drumming while may not be the most technical, his suit the song best type of playing made all the riffs stand out and provided a perfect foundation for Skolnick's solos to flourish at their maximum potential. The band has had phenomenal drummers since Clemente and still haven't even come close to topping the albums he was on.

The production/mix is badass here it's 1987 reverb is on everything guitars are saturated in a slight amount of delay and this record sets the tone for the future installments in Testament's career. Chucks vocals sit pretty damn well in the mix here he's not as up front as the next few albums but he's definitely heard very well here. The guitars are nice and crunchy and this is classic Marshall JCM 800 tone at his best scooped mids and all. Skolnick's lead sound here is not as doused in effects as future releases but man for 18 years old the dude was shredding harder than anybody in the bay area at this time. This is probably the least audible Greg is on any classic Testament record. You can still hear him but its pretty faint on this record. Louie is blistering here this is his most intense performance throughout his 5 album stint with Testament and while it's damn impressive I much prefer his more toned down mid tempo beats combined with this fast pace style. Nonetheless Clemente's drum sound here is top notch.

The songs on this record are strong as hell for a bands debut release and are well crafted and structured. "Over the Wall" starts the album and man this is like the cornerstone of what a Testament song is classic, melodic, technical, memorable, and catchy. Next up is "The Haunting" which features some trademark guitar harmonies by Peterson and Skolnick and has a more melodic vocal approach compared to the rest of the tracks. "Burnt Offerings" is just a ripper of song starting with Skolnick using the volume knob to fade in an arpeggio into a tasteful mini solo that bridges into the barrage of earth shattering riffs. The Chorus is ridiculously catchy in this one as well. "Raging Waters" keeps the momentum moving with another catchy chorus yet still remaining pretty damn heavy and fast. "Curse of the Legions of Death" is the fastest song on the entire record and its only 2 minutes. The song was written by former guitarist and Peterson's cousin Derrick Ramirez and while its still pretty rad it's my least favorite tune on the record. "First Strike is Deadly" is a nasty tune that has some intense ass drumming on it from Clemente and has a lot of super heavy riffs and some really fast picking. "Do or Die" is one song Chuck Billy had writing credits on and like the rest is pretty blistering in pace and gives a glimpse how Chuck would attack songs vocally on future releases. "Alone In the Dark" is more mid tempo song that has a insanely crushing pre chorus and a more cleanly sung chorus. "Apocalyptic City" closes this beast being the longest track and features like the rest of the songs an incredible solo. There is a literally a section which Skolnick does 12 sweeps back to back and it isn't just noodling they are structured intelligently with one another. Just goes to show how developed he was as a player here and how insane he will get by 1990.

This album has the most destructive and chaotic atmosphere of all the classic Testament records. this is the band at their most ruthless form before refining this sound to a more technical approach on the upcoming releases. This is the first record of their peak period peaking right out of the gate on the debut and and not letting up for the next few records before slowing down a with 1992's The Ritual another masterpiece but of a different direction. Chuck Billy really proved himself here by adapting to a more thrash vocal style after his days in his glammy sounding band Guilt. He really put on a stellar vocal performance for being the new guy walking in to a band already signed. Peterson is at the start of his prime here as the main songwriter of the band crafting the best thrash possible his songwriting skills are among the best in the history of metal and combined with his right hand man on lead guitar Alex Skolnick they are a force to be reckoned with. Skolnick is just mind blowing the guy shreds harder than bands with 2 lead players and put everyone to shame with The Legacy. Skolnick is my all time favorite guitarist and the biggest influence on the way I play guitar and its albums like this that I cut my teeth on as a lead player. Greg and Louie are a solid duo that display here with The legacy that they can keep up with the best of them when it comes to frenzied faster thrash metal a lot of folks tend to bash Christian and Clemente but they are the perfect fit for Testaments unique sound and overall vibe both keep things in time as the backbone of the band and can play at any tempo the band decides to delve into.

Overall this album is a classic and a must have if your into old school metal. Majority of fans claim this to be their finest hour and while I sort of agree to an extent I love all their classic albums and think their finest hour spanned over the course of the first 4 records. Even The Ritual and Low were brilliant but my favorite Testament album is by far 1990's Souls of Black the solos on that release are just timeless. Some fans like me even consider The Legacy to be the greatest thrash debut album of all time beating out classics like Kill Em' All and Bonded By Blood by miles. This record is the first chapter of the best metal band in the world, yeah I know that's a bold statement to many but Testament are and will forever be my all time favorite band and all their classic material is pure gold. I'd highly recommend this record to literally anyone as it is a landmark release in the thrash metal genre and has stood the test of time with many tracks still being mainstays in their live set to this day. Testament set the bar extremely high right off the bat and somehow despite the odds continue to raise that bar the next 3 albums.

So, I decided that I’m gonna review every Testament album in chronological order, so expect a lot of high scores. The Legacy, my 3rd favourite thrash album and my 7th favourite album of all time, the production is foggy, eerie, saturated in reverb, and that’s just how I like it. The bass is quite prevalent, and the drums are similar to Hell Awaits in the sense that this record literally sounds like it’s being played live in a huge building, the low end is mixed so well and I love it. Alex Skolnick is a phenomenal guitarist, and every song shines in terms of riffs, I don’t think there’s a single song on here that I haven’t been addicted to. Over the Wall is a thrash anthem, if you don’t know it, can you really call yourself a metalhead? The solo and energy is amazing, always loved that song. The haunting lives up to its name perfectly, it’s hauntingly creepy, the main riff is incredible, and Chuck’s vocals are so on-point with the music.

The entire album carries an eerie, dark and gripping atmosphere. Don't tell me you don't find songs like Alone In The Dark, The Haunting and Apocalyptic City hauntingly ominous, the music seems to carry a weight drenched in reverb that feels like you're hearing it live in the ruins of a castle, it's epic and exciting and emotionally overpowering and I love it. Also, the foggy production matches perfectly with the songwriting, and the songs I just mentioned have such harrowing riffs, but it balances out the darkness with aggression and climactic structure, it's hard to explain, but I hope you understand what I mean when you listen to it.

Burnt Offerings is my favourite Testament song, that intro is gold, the stuff of Gods, and I’m honestly suprised that opening solo alone didn’t earn Testament a spot in the hall of fame with Metallica and Judas Priest. Raging Waters and Curse of the legions of death are anthems and live staples, there’s nothing better than Chuck Billy shrieking “THE DEVIL’S TRIANGLLLLEEEE”. Both songs are sick and catchy. Do or Die is fast and has an epic riff, and First Strike is Deadly is my 2nd favourite Testament song (that FUCKING duel guitar solo). Overall, this album is completely sick, through and through, you're doing yourself a disservice by not listening to it. It's layered so well, and everything merges perfectly with each other. What are you doing if you haven't listened to it?

If this isn’t their best album to date, Testament‘s debut album is one of the classiest thrash metal records and also a pioneer to the genre. Featuring their new name as Testament and a new vocalist, the almighty Chuck Billy, The Legacy offers five new songs and three re-recorded versions with Chuck’s vocal layouts to them. These songs are Burnt Offerings, Raging Waters, and Alone in the Dark. I’ve known Testament for about four years, but finally it’s the right time to get into them; essentially what I hope will become my favorite thrash metal band.

Just by hearing the opening of Over the Wall, you’ll have more of that for the remaining of the album. Chuck’s vocal ranges, heavy guitars and tied solos, heavy bass, and great drumming. Also, the rest of the band members together giving a heavier vocal layer like street thugs is an exceptional touch. I don’t like that kind of backing singing, but Testament’s was decent. So said opening song has you covered in these departments.

The Haunting possess the same traits as the first song, though it’s groovier but simpler. Not that it’s a bad thing, just straightforward thrash metal. The next two songs are the re-recorded versions of Burnt Offerings and Raging Waters, both of which have heavier tones and they’re as good as the demos. Even the shortest song C.O.T.L.O.D. (Curse of the Legions of Death) will put you at the edge of your seat, with shredding guitar solos, slamming drums, and Chuck’s heavier vocals. More outstanding riffs and screaming in First Strike Is Deadly, as the title suggests. While Do or Die sounds like a Metallica song from the vocals, the guitars, bass, and drums sound superb. From the song’s fast pace, there’s just a lot to extract. Apocalyptic City, being the longest song, had given the band room to explore and add atmosphere to their craft. Chuck’s overall vocals in this song and the guitars were excellent.

Like its demo version, Alone in the Dark still maintains that traditional heavy metal style with Chuck’s version. Still bears an awesome solo, and Chuck’s vocals sure gives the song a fresh taste. But despite being different, the song is the weakest link in the album. Like the demo, it drove me off. Maybe they shouldn’t have reintroduced it in the new testament, if you know what I mean.

While it’s not the most exciting record I’ve heard, there’s no denying it’s a masterpiece and helped lay more into thrash metal’s foundation. Even my own words aren’t enough to express why it’s enjoyable. Overall recommended to newcomers and worth picking up and blasting some fun, energetic and classic thrash metal powerhouse in the likes of Testament. The best songs are Over the Wall, The Haunting, Raging Waters, C.O.T.L.O.D. (Curse of the Legions of Death), Do or Die, and Apocalyptic City, but I'm sure you'll like the entire album equally from every song.

It's no secret that Testament's debut album is one of the greatest examples of a raw thrash metal effort that has such a fluid viscosity. The extreme levels of variety that The Legacy contains vocally and instrumentally is obviously one of the biggest reasons why these Bay Area metallers made such a large splash when dropping. But I chalk a lot of this up to the smart timing within the riffing, and the choices in track placement. It's also one of the band's only classic records to heavily touch on the occult, demons, witches, and the spooky works. So the bar had already been set pretty high as things already were.

Chuck Billy's vocals range from rough, spat bursts of speed, falsetto shrieking, and legitimately melodic singing. But lets look at the way those approaches are arranged. "The Haunting" lets on relentless outbursts of vocal fire before dramatically shifting into the chorus that takes on much more range. To compliment this, Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson use a similar approach in their playing. One minute it's all backed with the familiar, thrashy palm-mutes, and out of nowhere they'll be crawling up the fret-board. The duo even manage to achieve a wavy effect in "Burnt Offerings" without it sounding out of place. That song has some of the weirdest progressions (for this style), which transitions beautifully into the furious "Raging Waters."

Breaking up these different attacks was also a good move, allowing no space for The Legacy to feel repetitive. Thus, the speed-reliant tunes make appearances right when they're called for. "Do Or Die" is a firestorm of a song, borrowing the attitude from "Raging Waters" but injecting eeriness into the cooler waters that flood the chorus. Others like opener "Over The Wall" or "C.O.T.L.O.D." keep things one sided for the entire run, with the goal of maintaining the focus on that pure fury. On the contrary, you also get "Alone In The Dark," which molds melody and steadiness for the entire run-time. Even with that in mind, the ghostly aura never fades away.

It was always a mystery to how such a raw effort from a band with no sturdy background pulled off such an amazing debut without relying on hooks too much. The truth is, it's all in the placement of everything. For years I would spin this disc just as a go-to for something angry and thrashy. But there's a lot more method to the madness than that, and I can't get enough of it.

Throughout their over 3 decades of existence, Testament has made a name for themselves as a solid, dependable thrash metal band, never breaking any boundaries but instead following the example set by their predecessors and contemporaries like Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer. On their 1987 debut "The Legacy," they begin their career on a high note, creating quality, anthemic thrash, which may not be wholly original, but is jam-packed with masterful riffs and strong songwriting, and over 30 years later, it is this timeless songwriting and riff-work that causes the album to remain a high point of thrash metal.

The album wastes no time getting into form, as opener "Over The Wall" with fast, chugging riffs and pounding drums, before vocalist Chuck Billy's aggressive bark enters for the first verse. Throughout the album, Billy demonstrates his prowess as a thrash metal vocalist, being capable of hitting screeching highs and growling lows with ease. With a less versatile vocalist, these songs would never be able to reach the heights of memorability without Billy's skill and charisma. In addition to his more aggressive work, he can sing quite tunefully, as demonstrated on the melodic, eerie "Alone in the Dark."

The guitar duo of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson create a rock-solid musical backing. The two fill the album with bludgeoning riffs and eerie, Slayer-esque guitar harmonies that add a grand sort of dissonance to the music. Skolnick shines as a lead guitarist, and his solos go far beyond simple shredding. He creates leads that propel the song into the stratosphere, that stick in your head and won't let go, and that serve as a means of telling the story of the lyrics. In the hectic "Raging Waters," Skolnick's frantic sweep picking during the climax of the solo compliment the lyrical themes of sailors being swept overboard to a watery grave. On the aforementioned "Over The Wall," which tells the tale of a prisoner attempting a daring escape, he gradually brings the solo to a point where he wrings every note out the guitar by force, conjuring images of a fierce struggle. Maybe this all sounds like overdramatic fanboy-ism, but Skolnick's importance to this album really cannot be overstated. Not bad for 18 years old!

While Testament wasn't breaking any new ground with "The Legacy," they still created one hell of an album through pure skill and drive, brimming with energy and passion. The music speaks for itself, and the album can hold it's own with any of the bands that influenced it.

Well, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, obviously. I think it's universally agreed on (by the smart people anyway) that those four particular artists get to be in that category because they were the first four thrash bands to pioneer and release albums before other thrash bands did. Mustaine was a little more late to the party than the supposed second tier, but he had a doctor's note from Metallica. But the reason I ask this is because it seems like for the past ten years or so, the thrash collective has been begging for Testament to be included and the colloquialism be upgraded to the "big five." That would be well and good, if Overkill and Exodus weren't much worthier contenders for that spot for punctuality alone. Granted Exodus wasn't very consistent after Bonded By Blood, and I always thought Overkill was more consistent than Testament. But for whatever reason, Testament has been seen as more loyal to their sound and more consistent than any other thrash band, therefore they've had more hype than most. Couple that with the return of Alex Skolnick and apparently a few well received albums, and I'd like to further make the supposition that quite a few thrashers would like to kick Anthrax out and place Testament in their position. Full disclosure: As of this writing I have not really sat down and dissected For All Kings yet, and Lemmy forbid I pick it up and it sounds like the second coming of Darkness Descends. Point being, Scott Ian was quite possibly the second trendiest, scheming little douche next to Lars Ulrich. Joey Belladonna is only back now because Ian had no other choice, as a result of he pissing off the metal community by endorsing practically every questionable trend in metal for the practically the past 30 years, from I'm The Man to Slipknot. Testament didn't quite have that problem, or at the very least when they adopted new ideas they seemed to be ideas that the extreme crowd loved a lot more (e.g. the death metal vocals on Dog Faced Gods).

Alternate titles for this review include: "The original Trivium Crusade" because like it or not folks, this sound is that of a Metallica clone. Granted you could make that argument for thrash in general, but with Testament's first couple of albums in general it's inescapable. Now when you examine The Legacy's Pleauretokillium (an element I just made up that is the main structural composition of thrash; incidentally, its symbol on the Periodic Table is Dd), it is composed of a more melodic and controlled nature. The girls that ran away screaming from Bonded By Blood and Beneath The Remains may in fact stick around to give this a listen. I bring this up because at the time The Legacy came out, I imagine Metallica was in the position of ever increasing success, but they had just lost Cliff, and even then Master of Puppets wasn't universally accepted as much as people like to retroactively claim (just listen to Cliff's interviews on Cliff em All). There are some small bits of what some hessians refer to as "random hippie crap" on this album, but not as much as say, The New Order or Practice What You Preach.

Of course, there are some sonic differences as well. Tonally, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick choose to attack with a bit more reverb than the nightmarish amp army of Ride The Lightning. Not to mention, regardless of how one feels about Kirk Hammett's playing, I don't think anyone with two brain cells to rub together will deny Skolnick's superior soloing skill and composition efforts. Tempo wise, this is very much a fast album, but there is something slightly sloppy about the execution that keeps this from being hailed as an instant speed-thrash staple along with the likes of Reign In Blood. Then of course we have the voice of Chuck Billy, whose tone has forever cursed (or blessed, depending on your point of view) Testament to be compared to Metallica. His normal delivery doesn't quite have the apocalyptic menace of Hetfield during the Lightning through Justice days, but we see Billy execute highs that Hetfield just never could, even in his Sean Harris worship days (see: First Strike Is Deadly).

Highlights: I'd be hard pressed to find any thrasher that doesn't love Over The Wall, a world famous bugle call demanding one find the nearest crowd and surf on top of it with the masochistic intent of falling over the rail onto the hard concrete. Other favorites of mine include Do or Die, Testament's most infectious singalong with a little help from Evil Has No Boundaries; and Curse of the Legions of Death (shortened to an acronym presumably for space purposes), a brief but violent burst of speed with percussive punches throughout, just in case you thought this short trip to the corner-store wasn't going to involve a crash or two.

But the ultimate legacy of, well, The Legacy is the album's closing back-to-back salvo of Alone In The Dark and Apocalyptic City. Hell these just might be the high water marks of Testament's entire career. The former being where the band's melodic tendencies shine like diamonds in a sea of broken glass Jaegermeister bottles, despite sacrificing precisely zero percent of the band's thrash assault. Chuck Billy is particularly menacing here. Apocalyptic City stays almost too true to its title, showcasing a maniacal, frantic pace. Don't be fooled by the clean intro, within a minute you'll suddenly feel the ground beneath you give way courtesy of Louis Clemente's thrash attack, and if you have any brains at all, you better run for your life to whatever ground is still temporarily standing. One of the all time greatest closing numbers of any album ever.

The Legacy is the one album by Testament you must own. Take the cries of copycat, whiffle thrash or whatever invective that has been hurled at the band over these past thirty years with a grain of salt. If you want to know where to venture after you're done exploring the big four (possibly even during your thrash 101 lecture), one could do much worse than The Legacy.

Over the years, we've had several thrash acts from the San Francisco bay area. The most talented group to emerge from the bay area is without a doubt Berkley's own Testament! Testament were originally known as Legacy, formed in 1983 by cousins Eric Peterson and Derrick Ramirez. Mike Ronchette, 16 year old guitar virtuoso Alex Skolnick, and frontman Steve 'Zetro' Souza joined soon after, and the first line up was secured. After releasing a demo and playing local shows at Ruthie's Inn, the band were signed by Megaforce Records and recorded their debut record "The Legacy" shortly after. They changed their name to Testament and Chuck Billy, Greg Christian, and Louie Clemente replaced Zetro, Ramirez, and Ronchette. Let's take a look at their classic thrash debut...

The classic "Over The Wall" opens up the record, with some ferocious riffs courtesy of Peterson. Peterson is a riff monster, he is a master at writing thrash riffs. Clemente's drumming on this track in particular is great, he does some awesome fills here and there to keep things interesting. Christian's bass lines are great, but he's sadly hard to hear due to his bass being buried in the mix. Chuck Billy is one of the best thrash vocalists ever! His vocals range from thrashy shouts, to insane screams, to death growls. He is unhinged on this record! The real star of the show here though is without a doubt my hero, Mr. Alex Skolnick! Skolnick is the greatest thrash guitarist ever. There are some that rival him, but he is simply the best! His solos changed my life on this album. His "Over The Wall" solo made me fall in love with thrash, and I ended up listening to more thrash outside the "Big Four". Skolnick's performance is easily a 11/10!

The highlights? Well, "Burnt Offerings" is a rather technical thrasher with a sick harmonized main riff. Chuck's scream is awesome, "WON'T DIEEEE!!!!!!" Sorry got a little carried away there haha. "Raging Waters" is another badass thrash metal classic, with lyrics talking about the Bermuda Triangle! Chuck's vocals here are among the best on the album, his throaty growl near the end is the best part. "First Strike Is Deadly" begins with a killer drum solo by Clemente, followed by a awesome riff from Peterson. The solo is the best on the album, it sounds heavily influenced by classical music. It certainly wouldn't sound out of place on a Vinnie Moore album. It is one of the best solos ever, like EVER! "Alone In The Dark" has an amazing intro, with Skolnick doing an awesome solo. His solo during the middle of the song is a classic too! The album closes with "Apocalyptic City" which is another one of the album's highlights. The song starts slow, with a solo by Skonick, then a killer riff comes in and Chuck Billy signs about setting a city afire, these lyrics are amazing...

"Burn! Ignite the population
Burn! Causing mass cremation
Burn! Feel no shame or pity
Burn! Apocalyptic city!!!"

That is one hell of a memorable chorus! The main solo by Skolnick is from another planet. The sweep picking section sounds near impossible to play, yet Skolnick executes it effortlessly! Skolnick never ceases to amaze. This is an excellent way to close out what might be my second favorite thrash album of all time just behind Master Of Puppets.

Testament are THE band that should of been included in the "Big Four" to make it the "Big Five". Honestly though, it's just a commercial thing that represents the 4 thrash bands with the most record sales. Who the fuck cares about a "Big Four"? To us die hard thrashers, it's THE BIG 500! EVERY thrash band is amazing, not just 4 of them. If you haven't listened to any other band besides the Big Four yet, then The Legacy is the perfect starting album to get into thrash as a whole. Trust me, it will change your life. Forever...

Highlights: "Over The Wall", "Burnt Offerings", "Raging Waters", "First Strike Is Deadly", "Alone In The Dark", and "Apocalyptic City"

Holy freaking fudge this is a crazy album. There is a very fine line between what is actually metal and what is noise, and this album pushes that line to it's absolute limit without being just noise. This record will DESTROY you listen after listen. No two Testament albums are the same, they have always been a band that has had a few different takes on metal, but their debut, The Legacy, is by far their fastest and heaviest album. Their 90's stuff would try to get this close, but they would end up falling way short of this. The Legacy fuses absolutely wicked raw power with insane riffing and ferocious vocals in a very surprisingly masterful fashion. Sure, there are bands who played way faster than this, and other bands who played as heavy as this, but usually not both of these aspects combined in such a way. It's rare that you hear an album with this much aggression and energy. I cannot get enough of this album, it is insanely good; and there is not very much out there that can match this in terms of power and aggression. At first I felt that this album was a bit too, well, insane. But once I got used to it, I really started to dig it, and now it is definitely one of my favorite thrash albums.

The songs on The Legacy are all very heavy and most are fast as hell. I'm serious here, I cannot stress how much this album is so wickedly ridiculously INSANE. I don't mean those as in synonyms for "good", but it is literally freaking out of control. Even the really extreme thrash albums out there can't match this level of holy shit-ness. There are some all out thrashers like "Over the Wall", "Curse of the Legions of Death" (Which can be abbreviated to 'C.O.T.L.O.D')", "First Strike is Deadly" and my personal favorite: "Raging Waters". But there is no lack of melody either, the best example of this is "Alone in the Dark", with it's unique eastern sounding leads at parts. "Burnt Offerings" and a little bit of "Apocalyptic City" have these elements as well, but the majority of this album is a torrent of facepeelery. None of the songs are very long, with the longest ("Apocalyptic City") clocking in at just under the 6 minute mark. The lyrics are the most brutal and badass Testament has ever written, ranging from breaking out of Alcatraz to human sacrifice, to torture by demons and being attacked by satan while sailing through the Bermuda effing Triangle ("THE TRIANGLE! THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE!!"). Yeah, I know, BADASS. The production here is not very good, but unlike The New Order, I think the production adds to the charm of the album. On the second album it robbed from the clarity and made some parts muddy, and it hurt what was a great album, but here it adds to the heaviness and the classic metal feel this one has. Don't get me wrong, it is not at all great production, but in my opinion it is not a problem here. All of these elements come together to make one of the most brutal and aggressive albums ever while still maintaining a strong sense of musicianship and class. My favorite song is definitely "Raging Waters" which has the most epic riffing and Chuck spits out the lyrics with such speed and aggression it's awesome. The chorus is actually very catchy, and the ending is wicked. Some of my other favorites are "Over the Wall", "First Strike Is Deadly", "Do or Die" and "Alone in the Dark".

The instrumentation is absolutely savage at times, with a lot of the riffs having that classic Eric Peterson style of riffing, in which he quickly alt picks a palm muted note and throws a triplet in the middle of the sequence then playing a chord etc. Testament fans know what I mean. He does this extremely fast and throws in lots of epic runs and licks in between. Above all of the chaos is Alex's masterful lead playing, he is definitely one of the best thrash lead guitarists out there and his debut here is ridiculously good. Some of his solos and leads are just fantastic, namely "Do or Die", "Apocalyptic City" and "First Strike Is Deadly". The solo to "First Strike Is Deadly" is one of my favorites of all time, it has this awesome classical scaling to it that is extremely clever and works very well. Then we get to the vocals which are insane. Chuck Billy is an animal on this album, he roars and bellows with unstoppable force that is unmatched by any other vocalist. Greg Christian plays great bass here too, and you can actually hear it. He has a unique and gritty bass tone that does a great job of adding to the riffs. The music on here sounds like it was played by a bunch of pissed off kids who armed themselves with the ability to thrash, and they do a wicked job.

Overall, this album is an absolute beast. It is not at all polished or clean. It is a monster that will assault you. I love this album and I listen to it regularly, it never ceases to put a smile on my face with its raw energy and power. I wouldn't exactly recommend this to everybody, while I believe it is one of the very best of the genre, it is not everyone's cup of tea. It is seriously intense, and those who prefer their metal more polished might not enjoy this, however I just so happen to be one of those who prefer their metal that way, but this is still one of my favorites. If you are a Testament fan or a hardcore thrash fan buy this right freaking now, you will love this if you haven't already heard it. If you want something to seriously get you headbanging or if you want some seriously intense metal, check this beast out. "Restart my life or self destruction! To climb this wall of dark construction! Holding the quest for freedom That BECKONS ME!!"

I'd like to open with a point about the year 1987, more specifically about what music in general sounded like in that year. I'm talking about production here, and mixing, and all the issues that are conventionally attached to those things. There is a disclaimer on the CD jacket for a couple of the early Testament albums that the format (CD was then a new format) may reveal some limitations in the quality of the recording equipment, or vice versa. Maybe someone is reading this and shouting at me: "Buy it on vinyl, you bellend!", but I answer this well-articulated criticism with my well-worn response, "Age, money" - I was born too late and remain too poor have bought or to currently invest in that particular format. The reason I bring this up is because the recording quality is compromised on my version of this album and, to some extent, inhibits some of the enjoyment that the music should offer. Two more words and you'll be on my side - quiet thrash.

Volume aside, there are certain undeniable things about The Legacy. It sounds like an '80s thrash album, and a good one at that. The energy is peaking for 38 minutes and some of that fury and frenzy overcomes the restrained sound. Considering the general weakness of the noise, the mix is actually quite an accomplishment, with a level of clarity that always surprises me. The guitars come through with full detail and tone at every pitch (better when not palm-muted, but that keeps the riffing sharp), the bass certainly crumbles and pops with a slightly loose timbre, Chuck Billy is prominent yet never overwhelming, while only the drums lose a bit of impact and precision, which - all things considered - suits my personal preference. The pace is of course fast and escapes being one-dimensionally thrashy by including a lot of cool melodies ('Burnt Offerings', we're looking at you) and some more traditional/NWOBHM riffs that are amped up to thrash intensity. Leads follow the same basic principles and give the songs an exquisite amount of detail at times, such as on the super-melodic opening of 'Alone in the Dark'.

I'm searching for songs I dislike and quickly running out of options. Each one of the 9 offerings here has enough diversity, skill, and hooks to interest and impress, plus I don't have much difficulty remembering songs separately, as I sometimes find on older thrash albums. Because the riffs are mostly fast, it is actually Chuck Billy's vocals that give songs their distinctive characters, since he is great at singing different melodies or forming variations of rhythm in his delivery: check out the simple technique in the chorus of 'Do or Die' or the slightly delayed rendering of 'Raging Waters' for evidence. He has several different tones as well, none of which annoy me, a few of which excite me. The only bad moment on the album is the stupid voiceover that commences 'First Strike is Deadly'. That song represents a dip in quality, nor do I rate 'C.O.T.L.O.D' so highly as the rest, because it's too straight-up in its thrashiness and doesn't have the hooks or detail of the other songs. However, 7 great songs and 2 passable ones is nothing to complain about.

Now, permit me to conclude with my brief take on thrash politics. Testament were perhaps unlucky not to reach wider acclaim and to be ignored in the whole Big 4 thing, although I've always thought that was stupid and pick my favourite bands by their sound, not their randomly attributed stature (I mean, Anthrax?). The problem is, the following 2 Testament albums didn't deliver on the promise of this one: at least all of the Big 4 bands strung a few great albums together in the '80s, regardless of their eventual inconsistency, and were pushed into the wider consciousness while the thrash sound was forming. In fact, maybe I would rather be Testament, who stayed freer than their more popular contemporaries and lost little during their '90s period of experimentation. In the end, no one hates these guys and almost everyone loves The Legacy.

We can all agree that Testament played a huge role in establishing the Bay Area thrash metal scene in the mid to late 80's. Previously known as Legacy, Testament released the album that would bear their former name, "The Legacy", and would also be a staple among thrash metal fans the world over. Calling it one of the greatest wouldn't be kind enough for this album, 'cos believe it or not, it contains more than just the standard e-note rhythm that all thrash metal bands tend to do.

At the time of its release, "The Legacy" was as state-of-the-art as thrash metal could get, and that's mainly due to the presence of the band's lead guitarist, Alex Skolnick. Many newbies or non-metallers would point to Kirk Hammett as the greatest guitarist ever to play thrash metal, but they could never have imagined the talents of Skolnick. He was classically-trained at a very young age and was just fifteen years old when he joined Testament. His talents are clearly evident in songs like "Over the Wall", which, on the surface, sounds like a more traditional thrash metal song, what with the standard e-note rhythm riff, but going into the solo and the interlude, you can hear Skolnick work some classically-based magic with his fingers. Another prime example is the solo in "First Strike Is Deadly", 'cos in that one, it's more obvious. The classical influence can clearly be heard in his soloing, and it's not very often in thrash metal, and it's bound to show up more in power metal. Besides, could a crybaby pedal do justice with that? Sorry, Mr. Hammett, you need to up your game.

There's also the intro of "Burnt Offerings", which has this creepy guitar effect that makes it sound like an organ being played with staccato. I'm not really sure if he used any special pedal for that, but knowing the sheer talent of Alex Skolnick, he didn't need to use much. Even if he did use something, the melodic and haunting vibe of it, and other songs like "The Haunting" and "Alone in the Dark" set it apart from the abrasive and obvious power of Exodus and Metallica, whose songs are totally rock and metal-based from start to finish. I know it sounds a little hard to believe but jazz has also played a key role in Skolnick's guitar playing. He even has made his own jazz ensemble, the Alex Skolnick Trio. With this knowledge, we can hear him use that influence in the main riff of "Burnt Offerings", which also counts as a classically-based riff, as he might have mixed that in there. Yeah, we do get that e-note rhythm that other bands made famous, but since we have the more melodic nature of most of them, thanks to Eric Peterson, they're more memorable than the riffs of any other band at the time.

As an added bonus, we get the more original vocals of Chuck Billy. When the band was known as Legacy, their previous singer, Steve "Zetro" Souza, is more gruff, nasally, and when he uses more energy, more like shrieking. When Chuck Billy does it, his shrieks are longer, more powerful, and more clean. Speaking of clean, we also get some clean vocals to go with his more gruff and aggressive vocals. We hear them in the chorus of "Alone in the Dark" and parts of "Raging Waters". Of course he has to have the James Hetfield-style growl every now and then, but they're more refined, more violent, and in some cases, heavier than Hetfield's. It's his vocal style partially that defines the mystique of Bay Area thrash metal vocalists. The album wouldn't be as effective had Steve "Zetro" Souza been still involved with the band instead of joining Exodus, 'cos while he does deliver some good screams and shrieks, his nasally vocals can get annoying to quite a few people. Instead, Billy's more unique voice helps dominate the sound.

I know it's a little redundant for me to say this, but "The Legacy" was practically unlike any Bay Area thrash metal album ever released during its heyday. Having a classically-trained guitarist really did quite a bit of help in making Testament one of the great, if not one of the greatest of many bands overshadowed by "The Big 4". There are reasons as to why some people would say that Metallica didn't really deserve the recognition it got. Sure, they did release some cool stuff, but Testament's "The Legacy" is one that is unending, even with the presence of James "I am the Table" Hetfield.

This is the best and first album Testament ever crafted. The songs are all fairly consistent, with only one or two real standouts, but no stinkers or obvious filler. The only thing holding this album back is the production and sameness. The rest of this album works very well for me, though I'm not sure if this is really essential.

The production really harms this record more than you would expect. Testament were, I know this is cliche, a more melodic and somewhat technical thrash band. Rough production doesn't work for a band of that nature. Rough techniques work for bands like Celtic Frost, they rely on atmosphere and other elements to mask their sub-par playing. Rough production will generally lessen the impact of good playing, as it blurs the music together. This results in it being harder to hear a very talented bassist, and the solos sounding pretty thin.

The music on here, and to a certain extent all their albums, isn't very diverse. They have a well-honed and enjoyable style, but they don't deviate. To an extent, this really holds the record back. Ride the Lightning, for example, works partially based upon its variety of songs. It runs from quality balladry, to strong thrashers, to mid-paced stomp numbers, and even a few more epic numbers. This relies pretty heavily upon the strength of its formula. Toss in the production, and much of this can start to run together.

I keep referring to the formula, and it is good. This is their debut, so this is essentially the formula in its purest form. They take a forceful, albeit mediocre, riff, well-played and creative bass playing, solid drumming with flashes of something better, elite thrash vocals, and some of the best soloing thrash had to offer. They do this song after song with very little variation, and it usually works. The problem is that by the end, it can feel a little bloated. I'm not saying there are no changes, C.O.T.L.O.D. is faster and shorter, but these changes are largely superficial. I tend to think that this is part of the reason that this album is held in such high regard. Testament didn't deviate all that much amongst their first four albums, the tempo slowing a little is about it, so the first feels awesome in comparison.

I feel like addressing the accusations of being unoriginal. I don't see how Testament weren't different from their contemporaries. None of the Bay Area bands sound very similar to me. I suppose they all have a kind of "crunch" to their guitar playing, and Billy's vocals are slightly similar to Hetfield's, albeit better. I don't see how anyone could really argue that Over the Wall, Piranha, Trapped Under Ice, or Devil's Island sound very similar to each other without making some weird sweeping generalization. That's the same kind of logic that made older people claim Maiden were ripping off Priest. The influence is there in both cases, but you'd have to be pretty deaf or a pretty casual listener to think that they were really that similar.

This is actually a rather tough review for me. On the one hand, I feel like this is a very consistent release and almost all enjoyable. On the other hand, this just doesn't do as much for me as Metallica or Megadeth's best. I'd honestly probably rather listen to Heathen as well for this general style. This album is very good, but not really elite, or at least not as elite as many claim. For an album many hold as a thrash masterpiece, I was expecting a little more. Having said all this, I'd still recommend this to any thrash fan. I just feel I'd rather have at least twenty thrash albums over this, and the best song on here is just top five in their catalog. Their next few were more inconsistent, but if anything have more elite moments. To reiterate, I do think this is their best and recommendable, but it's not as great as some claim.

The Legacy has never exactly been my favorite West Coast thrash opus of the 80s, but it's nonetheless a superb debut that warranted all of the respect and attention foisted upon it, and it remains one of Testament's finest offerings in their their 25+ years of existence. After changing their name from the less exciting 'Legacy', the Californians had just about everything going for them that any band could have wanted at the time. Distinct and memorable vocalist? Check. Potent and forceful selection of riffs? Check? Lead guitar god? Check. Even the band's name and logo were the sort you'd glance at once and never forget, so it's no wonder that the quintet was chosen as one of Atlantic Record's 'champions' in the metal arena of the 80s, alongside Savatage and Overkill, both of whom coincidentally released their career-spanning masterpieces in the same year this dropped...

...and while my feelings for this debut might not be so strong as for Taking Over or Hall of the Mountain King, there is no doubt that this thing has more heart than Mola Ram's pantry, and more fire than an oil drum in some Oakland ghetto back alley on a cool winter night. Testament's modus operandi was admittedly a wilder response to Metallica more than anything else, and there's not much use in denying the correlations of sound. The dense, chugging tone of the guitars, and their constant, forward-barreling charge riffs are highly redolent of Master of Puppets. Chuck Billy's vocals were like a feral James Hetfield if he had been raised by wolves and then later rescued by Native Americans and missionaries, who taught him English as part of his salvation. His howls are like beefed up approximations of James' screams on Kill 'Em All, and he cuts a far more imposing figure for such an insanely nice guy. There's also an epic, dramatic structure to this early Testament songwriting which recalls Puppets' high ideals and ambition. I wouldn't place this on quite the same pedestal of quality as its forebear (after all, that album is about the tops for me and this genre), and the mix of the guitars in particular can get a little muddy, but it certainly does daddy proud.

Where the two greatly diverge, however, is in the melodic structuring of guitars. Where Metallica's leads were borne off NWOBHM and hard rock/blues, Alex Skolnick had a heavy outside influences from jazz and classical music, and this translates heavily to both the solos and harmonies, despite both he and Hammett sharing the esteemed shredder Joe Satriani as a teacher. The result is this very ominous, spectral (and often surgical) feel to the tunes, well groomed to the concrete dynamics of Eric Peterson's strong palm muting rhythmic ability. Louie Clemente was a harder hitting drummer than Lars Ulrich, though his beats are regulated through the album and never indulge themselves beyond the necessary. Greg Christian is a firm, dextrous bassist, but he'd really shine later with Practice What You Preach, where you can hear his playing more clearly outside of the rhythm guitars. Here's he rifling along, smothered in the weight of the primordial, processed cellulose of the chugging. All told, though, Testament was loaded with weaponry from the start (even when they had Steve 'Zetro' of Exodus on vocals before Billy), and it really shows through in the compositional level of this debut.

There are about a half dozen tunes here standing out from the rest, but there isn't one among the nine that drags its feet behind in terms of sheer energy and momentum. "Alone in the Dark" is a particular favorite, for the melodic chorus vocals, ghostly melodies, and the percussive meter of the vocals in both the verses and the kickass breakdown. But then you've also got the equally ambitious "Apocalyptic City", with an excellent intro of clean guitars, leads and Christian's lines at long last muscling onto the listener's radar (this whole sequence is also a nice foreshadowing for various moments on The New Order). This is followed by a pair of the best, most melodic rhythm charges of their career, and the pre-chorus and chorus sequences are likewise brilliant as they erupt into ballistic speed. Truly an anthem worthy of a post-nuclear dystopia in which bands of rabid, ravenous mutants battle with motorcycles and spiked chains over the last surviving mate-flesh; and you can envision all of this in your mind while listening. Further notables includie "Burnt Offerings" with more of Alex's haunted, unforgettable leads, and some killer scale-driven verses; and "Raging Waters", which no swarthy thrashing sea-dog worth his salt should ever live without!

The other popular tracks, like "C.O.T.L.O.D. (Curse of the Legions of Death)", "Over the Wall" and "First Strike is Deadly" haven't resonated with me quite so much, but they're still a deadly arsenal of pent up, volatile riffing patterns that provide a lot of the album's mosh-worthiest moments, and in truth you could listen to the full 39 minutes of the album front to back to front again for 20 years and never get tired of it. My one real complaint about The Legacy is that the production seems a little dated, not nearly so pristine or immortal as Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets, or other A-listers of the scene. Both my cassette and CD versions have both suffered from the punchy, semi-muffled tone of the rhythm guitar, and in my own ignorance I've never looked up or tracked down a worthy remaster. Not necessarily a deal breaker, and it hardly can distract me from songs this well-written, but I always felt there was a level of polish missing from this album that would have amplified my appreciation, and to this day it slightly skews the album's value to the negative (though The Legacy's successors do a fine job of cleaning it up).

That aside, who in the disreputable fires of Hell wouldn't wanna own this thing? If not, you are one sloppy, unprepared cockroach who won't last long in the crud and cracks once Armageddon rains from the sky in a metallic nuclear symphony. It's a fantastic start to a largely consistent repertoire, and instantly established Testament (for good reason) as one of the go-to bands beyond the 'Big Four' of US thrash. The lyrics are steeped in horror, violence, even some political relevance as in the opener "Over the Wall". The Legacy is one of those records that, with ease, helped validate thrash metal as a viable artistic playground in which to forage and toil. It was sophisticated enough for guitar gurus, heavy enough for pitbreeds, dark enough to let the listener's imagination soar through its dark network of urban and subterranean corridors. Not the best of '87 by any means, but a survivor, through and through.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Testament is oft regarded as one of the best of the Bay Area thrash offerings, and one of the most underrated. They have a lengthy, solid, though admittedly inconsistent career, but keep a strong following of metalheads today. Much like their fellow California brethren, their first strike is the one most revered. Exodus has "Bonded By Blood", Metallica has "Kill 'Em All", Vio-Lence has "Eternal Nightmare", and Testament stands supreme with the untouchable "The Legacy".

Testament's technical thrash hits hard with their lineup here. The indomitable Chuck Billy provides the vocals, and holy mother of FUCK can this guy rock it! He takes the usual thrash style and makes it his own, letting loose with an array of killer growls, mean-as-hell screams and even some honest-to-fuck singing. The rest of the gang helps out with classic thrash gang vocals.Speaking of whom, how 'bout that Alex Skolnick, huh? Only 20 years old at the time and he was ripping that lead like a master! Highly technical and classically-influenced, he makes the thrash solo into brutal art. Assisting him is Eric Peterson on rhythm, who may not be quite as gifted, but the man is still a great player in his own right, unleashing great riffs and some cool intros to start things off. The only downplayer of course here is bass, played by Greg Christian, who, like many others, gets lost in this album's somewhat overly-quiet mix, but he helps keep time and rhythm all the same. Rounding it off is the great Louie Clemente on the kit. He's a highly technical artist in his own right. He wildly mixes typical double bass thrash hammering with more creative moments including awesome fills and mini-solos to help keep things sounding good and heavy.

The song have the privilege of being highly varied, always a welcome experience on any metal album. There's, of course, great aggressive numbers like the ferocious "Raging Waters" or "COTLOD" with Billy's mean vocals, fast drumming and memorable riffage, particularly on "Raging". "The Haunting" is a slightly slower but still wicked number with a catchy main riff and its memorable chorus. The more mid-paced but still heavy "Do Or Die" hits hard with some great gang vox amd another killer main riff, though the solo is a tad boring save for some neat riffage in the middle. "Alone In The Dark" reigns as the most commercial track on here, but still it's probably one the best with its hammering vocals, a good solo, and its unforgettable main riff, which gets mixed with a wonderful filler riff.

Overall, if you want to start with Testament, start with "The Legacy". You'll be ripped to shreds by the awesome vocal work, the incredible guitars, and vicious drumming. But be warned...FIRST STRIKE IS DEADLY!!!

I’ve never cared a whole lot for the media created terminology used to label various waves of metal beyond perhaps as a casual point of reference in history. This is doubly so with regards to the various waves in the 80s thrash metal movement, where artificial tiers were put together by certain media outlets in order to qualify those who came first or sold the most as being the standard. Never was this line of categorization proven to be more misleading than with regard to Testament’s somewhat untimely, yet utterly astounding debut “The Legacy”. This is an album that, regardless of sales numbers, could stand toe to toe with anything put out by the so-called Big 4, and even some of the alleged 2nd tier, whom were on many occasions wrongfully upstaged by said bands.

What has been put together here is a fast, aggressive, dark, and downright nasty collection of songs that rival the intensity of Slayer, the polish of Megadeth, and the sleaze drenched mayhem of Overkill. This is a Testament album that is defined not by its lead guitarist, though Skolnick makes just as tantalizing a racket on here as he’s done since, but by an all out, collective mastery of the craft. This is an album where the rhythm riffs put forth by Eric Peterson (among the more underrated rhythm guitarists in the style) and the rest of the rhythm section play a pivotal role in shaping the character of the album. But perhaps even more auspicious than the whole of the instrumental arrangement is Chuck Billy’s wild vocal performance, upstaging both Hetfield and Araya in the nastiness department, and all but outright challenging Blitz Ellsworth in the higher end, gritty screamer’s club chairmanship.

It is often asked, why is this album regarded as a classic? The answer is, to put it bluntly, that this album came out in 1987 rather than 1985 (when half of it was written). Given the strong melodic underpinnings of many of the riffs and the general tendency towards older, NWOBHM infused speed metal, the character of this album is a bit old fashioned when considering where the scene was headed by this point. Some of this is taken into account within many of these songs as the riff set is up to snuff with the technical tendencies of post 1986 thrash, but when hearing the singing, catchy tendencies of much of “Over The Wall” (arguably the greatest speed/thrash song ever put out) and “Alone In The Dark”, it’s almost easy to mistake much of this album for a wannabe “Show No Mercy” emulation. In similar fashion, “Burnt Offerings” makes several riff paraphrases of “Four Horsemen”, to the point of sounding almost like a 2nd working of “Mechanix” in a slightly faster and more intense fashion than the famed song that ultimately came out of it on “Kill ‘Em All”.

However, at the same time that this band seemed to be looking backward to a few years prior, there is also some material on here that is actually looking ahead to thrash metal’s soon branch out into death metal. Perhaps the most obvious example is “The Haunting”, which while having a conventional thrash growl with a handful of banshee shrieks, has an overall atmospheric and dissonance to it that isn’t all that far removed from what Chuck Schuldiner was putting behind his guttural ravings on “Scream Bloody Gore” and “Leprosy”. “First Strike Is Deadly” also really brings home the Slayer influences, to the point of almost flirting with the intensity that was picked up on by Possessed and Morbid Angel, though the overall character of the guitar sound and vocals is still very firmly entrenched in the thrash paradigm.

Of all the albums ever put forth by Testament, this is the one that really demands not only continued consumer activity, but also recognition as a true classic that was the victim of a lack of attention by the recording industry in the earlier 80s alongside Overkill. This fully embodies the outward intensity, fury, and virtuosity that has been exemplified by other powerful Bay Area bands such as Vio-Lence and Dark Angel. This band gets a bum wrap as being a Metallica clone with some heavy Exodus influences, but the truth is that at their peak (ergo this album), this band was able to outclass the former at just about every turn except the originality department. It all depends on what is more important, being the first to do something, or doing it well in spite of what has happened before.

Now Testament are far from a all time great thrash band, thats for sure. They had good songwriting ability, but lacked enough good thrash riffs to save their lives. They had a mega-talented guitarist in Alex Skolnick, and a weak supporting cast besides maybe the drummer and bassist. Now they had some of the tools to make a great thrash band, but at best are a above average thrash band. They really didn't introduce any ideas that hadn't been tried before with this release, and its got alot of Master of Puppets structure worship with lots of repeated riffs.

Now onto the songs as usual."Over The Wall" has a nice main riff, and is interesting enough to have me sold. What the band fails to do here is follow it up with other great riffs, but the original concept is more than good enough to call this a highlight. "The Haunting" has alot of good riffage and even a solid tempo shift, and has brilliant catchy song writing. "Burnt Offerings" contains simply some of the best ever riffs in thrash history, so its ok that this song doesn't deliver in bulk. This song is the best song Testament has done besides "Reign of Terror". "Raging Waters" bores me half to death admittedly. Nothing new tried here at all. "C.O.T.L.D." is their hardest attack on the senses, but that only really works if your new to thrash.

"First Strike Is Deadly" has an absolutely brilliant solo, but besides that used the same generic Testariff's that we see in later albums amplified. "Do Or Die" is a catchy midpaced number, the pace is the only thing that makes it stand out from the rest. "Alone In The Dark" is good, well written, but lacks meaty riffs. Once again Skolnick delivers an amazing solo, but its obvious that the solo has been made longer to make up for the song writing. "Apocalyptic City" has nice lyrics, but lacks the playing to back it off like so many songs on the album.

Overall the album's production leaves a lot to be desired, with way too much emphasis put on the rhythm guitar and a semi-muddy guitar sound. The albums lack of riffs is made up for by truly innovative riffs, and creative songwriting. However, its painfully obvious that the band was running out of good ideas as soon as the second half of the album began.

All in all its good, especially for a Testament album. Some highlights include "Over The Wall", "The Haunting", "Burnt Offerings" and the solo in "First Strike Is Deadly". Despite this most of the material is painfully average, especially compared to other albums released in '87. Despite this, the album suceeds in enough ways for me to call it above average or even good.

Overall: Buy this album if your a Testament fan, or if you want mid-quality (occasionally high) thrash metal. Otherwise, just download the highlight songs and be done with it.

Outlook: Above Average-Good

Testament are considered one of the best thrash metal band of the second period in that genre, more exactly the period from 1985 to 1990. These bands, along with Forbidden and Vio-lence, were formed in the second half of the 80s and released their first albums in that period. The Testament (ex-Legacy) debut is called exactly “The Legacy” in honour of the former band and it can be considered as their true masterpiece.

Testament belong to those thrash metal bands that give a big importance to melody in their songs, like Metallica, for example, or Anthrax. And exactly from the band of James Hetfield that Testament take the songs structure and most of the melody. The Skolnick’s guitar solos are fucking great, with slides, tapping are shreds, so inspired to Hammet’s one; a good example is the solo in the great “Raging Waters” that shows also the power of Chuck’s vocals, so bad ass and violent, sometimes in the borderline between thrash and death.

The incipit is one of those who made history with the devastating “Over The Wall” song. A classic that contains one of the most beautiful solo I’ve ever heard in thrash metal . The violence is always well balanced with the essential importance of melody. Tracks like “C.O.T.L.O.D.” or “First Strike Is Deadly” shows a compact and brutal rhythmic session, extremely good screamed vocals and sometimes very melodic lead guitars lines. Sometimes the production, the distortion of the rhythmic guitars, along with the drums reminds me Metallica from 1986 to 1988.

“Burnt Offerings” has a melodic beginning with a solo that seems a violin for the sound and the technical level, always very high. Even in the rhythmic parts the guitars continue to play quite complicated riffs, perfect cut for the powerful Chuck’s vocals. The only song I dislike is “The Haunting”: quite common, without epic moments compared to the level of the other ones. When Chuck’s vocals become clearer and less raw, in my opinion they loose power because they are not so good, like in “Alone In The Dark” song, “saved” by the great music and solos.

The violent and obscure “Apocalyptic City” ends this great album, still very influenced by the past first thrash metal scene but always quite original. Another thing I disliked a bit is the drums , a bit too monotonous in the way of playing…Clemente is not Hoglan at all!! Anyway a debut that made history in this music and surely deserves to be in every metal freaks collection.

This is one of those albums everyone knows to be a classic. When something is considered a classic (this album has been that for 20 years now), newcomers tend to listen to it in a prejudiced way, purposely looking for negative aspects. I myself, I grew up with it, so I know why this is a classic.

‘The Legacy’ is Testaments best album. All their strong points are on this single album. Chuck Billy is at his best here. He never ever again achieved sounding as good as he did on this album. Aggressive with incidental high pitched screams. His youthful enthusiasm is dominant. You can hear this young boy trying to conquer the world. Maybe Chuck never sounded this good again since most of the lyrics and vocal lines on these songs were actually written by Steve Zetro Souza? Who knows (and who cares) since this sure as hell is Chuck’s best performance ever.

Skolnick’s solo’s are melodic as always and on the Legacy they are catchy and heavy as well. Some of his best material is here. Just try ‘Apocalyptic City’ and ‘Over The Wall’ for instance. Riff monster Peterson just blazes through the album with his best riffs and dirtiest sound ever. Louie Clemente has never been thrash metals best drummer but because of the dense production and his overenthusiastic playing it simply convinces. Too bad Greg Christian isn’t as audible as he would be on later albums. I love his metallic Ibanez sound ripping through the walls of guitars.

‘First Strike is Deadly’ is a superb song. Everyone shall agree. Can you imagine it being the worst song on an album? Well, on The Legacy it is. All the other songs simply blow it away! And that is saying enough I presume. This album remains one of the best thrash metal albums of 1987 and stands firmly as the ultimate Testament album to this day. Worship this or die!

I can remember the very first time I listened to The Legacy. It was on a pair of shitty headphones in a used music store and at the time, it was one of the most intense and technical thrashers I'd ever heard, quickly becoming a personal favorite. Though I've since discovered faster and heavier things, I've always seen this as a prime example of a thrash debut done perfectly right. Imagine my surprise to find that the album that had so often kicked my ass was somewhat panned here on the Metal Archives. Had my youth blinded me from seeing it as it really was? These negative reviews prompted a relisten, which I'm quite pleased to admit that it only reinforced my opinion on this album's greatness.

I really can't understand why more people don't like this. The Legacy is a solid display of pretty much all the aspects you could want in an '87 thrasher. First off, Chuck Billy rules. Though the band kicked ass as Legacy with Zetro as frontman, Billy has far more presence. This album was released a few years before he started pulling James Hetfield impressions, and he still maintained the ability to let off a stellar shriek every now and again. No complaints there. So what about the rhythm section? Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick are fucking riffmasters. Most of this is full-force thrash insanity, with the frantic pace kept by the proficient Louie Clemente, but it's in the mid-paced and half-time riffs that these guys really show their stuff. There are some absolutely brutal crushing riffs in the bridge sections of "Do or Die" and "First Strike is Deadly" as well as throughout the album and there's dozens of killer harmonized riffs, such as the opening to "The Haunting" and the fucking amazing verse riff of "Burnt Offerings." These riffs flow perfectly with the soaring vocals of Chuck Billy to create a uniquely occultic atmosphere that you'd be hard pressed to find on another thrash album. This is only strengthened by the album's lyrics, which cover a variety of topics from said paganist ritualism to prison breaking and arson. I admit that Greg Christian's bass work doesn't play as much of a role on here as it will on future albums, but it's nice nonetheless.

The absolute highlight of the album, however, is the lead work of Alex Skolnick. Technically impressive beyond his years, his solos are far more melodic than the brunt of thrash players at the time (your Kerry King imitators, for instance) and undeniably skillful. Listen to that epic lead buildup in "Over the Wall," the harmony section from "First Strike is Deadly," the absolute insane sweeping passage from "Apocalyptic City," hell, listen to them all! Every solo on here is masterfully crafted and the only thrash guitarists even comparable to Skolnick here are Jeff Waters (of Annihilator notoriety) and perhaps Lee Altus. Dimebag Darrell could be considered, though at the time (1987), Pantera weren't exactly a thrash metal band.

So surely there must be something amiss here that has caused The Legacy to achieve the criticism it gets, and I think I've figured it out. Some of the songs on here are a bit longer, lyrically, then thrash songs of this period traditionally are, excepting Dark Angel of course. But rather than progress the song and create new verse riffs as the lyrics unfold (see pre-Reign in Blood Slayer), Testament chose to simply repeat the established verse riffs a few more times to match the length of the lyrics. This never really appeared as a problem to me, as the songs aren't long enough to end up sounding repetitive, but I can see how this might bore some people, especially those used to faster, more diverse albums. Take "Alone in the Dark," a catchy mid-paced thrasher that has something like three or four verses, all using that same verse riff. But again, I've never seen it as a problem, so why should I subtract points from my score because of it?

Thrash fans, I implore you: give this a chance. If not for the great lyrics, the classic riffs, or the vocal performance of Chuck Billy, at least check it out for the killer soloing.

Highlights: Every damn one

There's an unhealthy degree of Testament animosity out and about, and while I certainly don't understand the hatred, the dislike of their later albums is not wholly unjustified. Nothing after the New Order seems dangerous, and even that album sounds tame in comparison to the Legacy. And holy shit does the Legacy sound wild...it's like taking Kill 'Em All and adding better songwriting.

The Legacy comes out of the gates a bit late in the game--Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood had both already been released, Kreator and Dark Angel were pushing the boundaries ever further, and thrash had certainly climaxed by 1987. Hell, let's not forget that Seven Churches had been out for 2 years at this point. Testament, however, managed to fill a niche between the wickedness of Slayer and Metallica's penchant for musically sophisticated songs. "Over the Wall" and "Burnt Offerings" are perfect examples of Testament's thrash glory--a few melodic passages amid nasty riffs and punishing drums, but "Alone in the Dark" is the best (and catchiest) song of the whole bunch. When they opt to go for something outright balls to the wall, like "C.O.T.L.O.D." or "Raging Waters" it comes across sincere--those apocalyptic lyrics hit you right in the fucking balls.

Chuck Billy's vocals never got this awesome again. Much like Tom Araya, once he lost his upper range, Chuck started to slightly suck, but on here he's hitting those high notes in such a maniacal way. There are a few moments where he dips into his lower death metal growl ("Do or Die" and "C.O.T.L.O.D." have a couple grunts/growls) and this sparse use of harsh vocals works to great effect, coincidentally the exact opposite of how they hampered 1997's Demonic. And much like the polar opposite of that confused piece of shit, Alex Skolnick's shredding on here lends a majestic edge that Kirk Hammet could only dream of hitting.

Big kudos to the production team on this one--the dry, hollow production adds a touch of obscurity to the whole album, and with it comes an evil atmosphere. Even Louie Clemente, who probably ranks one level higher than only Lars Ulrich, sounds pissed off and vicious. The cymbals especially cut through everything like broken glass shrapnel. In fact, the whole band sounds like they're playing at the edge of their abilities, and possessed by such passion that you can't help but bang your head.

None of the other debuts of the bigger thrash bands hit like the Legacy, except maybe Bonded by Blood, but I personally prefer this. It's such a shame that Testament came late in the game and never managed to get an edge like this on any of their later material.

Testament were never really all that good. Sure, Skolnick could pull out some great soloing and they have a few songs that completely own the living fuck out of you, but for the most part they were a 2nd rate thrash band that eventually changed their sound to Groove Metal with a new guitarist. Their debut album 'The Legacy' is their best effort, having the best riffs of their career and some truly awesome soloing.

Yet it still doesn't feel like a great album. It feels as if it is trying to break through to greatness at times but it never really does, feeling content to stay on second gear and only occasionally going up to 11. The main culprit of this problem is that a lot of the riffs are similar to each other and hence a lot of the songs seem to blur together with only a few highlights along the way. I can distinguish songs such as 'Over the Wall', 'Raging Waters' and 'Alone in the Dark', but play me any other songs and I can't pinpoint what exactly the name of the them are. This blurring problem is most evident during the first half of the album, in which there are a few songs in a row that sound remarkably similar to each other, only sounding a little different by some different melodies here and there. What amplifies this problem is the poor production. Usually I don't mind badly done or raw productions, but on here it affects the songs. The guitar tone doesn't have much weight to it and seems to be sort of 'fluffy', and when you consider the fact that the riffs sound the same on a lot of occasions this is even worse.

When you strip away these complaints however, this is still essentially an above average speed/thrash album, albeit a repetitive one. The guitar solos are the greatest thing seen on here, with Skolnick being able to pull off some great melodic leads. And while a lot of the riffs do sound similar to each other, this album still gets the head banging throughout, only pausing every now and then for a melodic intro. The pace is kept very fast throughout, and whilst occasionally sounding a bit too overfast adds to the good points of the album, as well as the brutality factor which despite not being too present is still there in a number of songs. The riffing is competent for the time it was released, and there are a number of really good riffs here and there. Chuck Billy's vocals are great, and sound aggressive yet melodic and every now and then he'll unleash a great scream.

As for highlights, the first that comes to mind would be the opener 'Over the Wall' with it's great main riff and the excellent solo that comes after it. 'Raging Waters' has some catchy vocal lines as well as a nicely done melodic riff while 'Alone in the Dark' starts off with an amazing intro solo after which it speeds up into a great midpaced riff combined with a great vocal performance.

While having a few major things wrong with it that drag it down, 'The Legacy' is still a pretty good album and Testament's best before they slowly deteriorated in quality. Anyone who likes good speed/thrash should definitely check this out.