Band:	Testament
Album:	The Legacy
Style:	Bay Area thrash metal
Release date:	July 07, 1987
Guest review by:	nicaZe

01. Over The Wall
02. The Haunting
03. Burnt Offerings
04. Raging Waters
05. C.O.T.L.O.D.
06. First Strike Is Deadly
07. Do Or Die
08. Alone In The Dark
09. Apocalyptic City

For me Testament are one of those bands which peaked way too early. In my eyes they never ever topped their debut The Legacy and although they released many great subsequent releases, I do not think any of them match this.

Musically, Testament were never as direct and ferocious as on The Legacy, delivering harder, darker, and more energetic songs than on their subsequent albums and what the album lacks in variety it makes up for in intensity. Don't let that statement confuse you however: Testament still manage to pack in a surprisingly diverse collection of musically interesting songs on this album. What has been put together here is a collection of songs that rival the intensity of Slayer, the polish of Megadeth, and the sleaze drenched mayhem of Overkill. In each song there is an unmistakeable seal of virtuosity and intelligence, mixed with the permanent insanity and brutality in lyrics and music, which unfortunately never would be so intense in any later Testament releases.

Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick are great riff masters. 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 are dozens of killer harmonized riffs, such as the opening to "The Haunting" and the amazing verse riff of "Burnt Offerings. Alex Skolnick's guitar solos on this album are simply perfect. Every solo deserves a place in the Hall Of Fame. His style has something more than speed and technique, it has an incomparable feeling, a rarity within thrash metal, and a big highlight of Testament's trade mark. "Apocalyptic City" features arguably his best solo. Chuck Billy is so melodic and brutal, he can growl, grunt or scream, and he did his job here perfectly. His wide range gives more and more brutality and versatility to this record. The drumming is simple but very fitting. Very little double-bass which is very good. I couldn't imagine this album with much double-bass anyway. The production could be a bit better. The bass is sometimes hard to hear and the volume of the tracks is too low. You can realize it when you're listening to other stuff and then you play songs from this album. The production's not sloppy or dirty and doesn't make the record less enjoyable, but it's not perfect.

This is a killer debut, and is legendary. You don't want to miss out on this amazing piece of thrash, you have to hear it for yourself. Sometimes words can't really explain everything, and they can't here, plus I don't want to make a long review, but check this album out. The Legacy is a good record and it's definitely worth buying. Even if you dislike other Testament records, try this.