Testament have long been revered as the one band capable enough to have turned the Big 4 of Thrash (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) into The Big 5 and their recorded output over a career spanning 30 years and counting stands testament (pun completely intended) to that fact. Beginning life as 'Legacy' and with Steve 'Zetro' Souza on vocals, the band quickly adapted when 'Zetro' decamped to join fellow Bay Area Thrashers, Exodus. On the advice of S.O.D's Billy Milano the band swiftly changed their name to Testament and recruited man-mountain Chuck Billy to take over vocal duties, a move that paid dividends as he quickly became one of the most revered vocalists in the genre. In 1987, they released their debut 'The Legacy' (a sly nod to their past) and made an immediate impact on the Thrash scene. Critical response was positive and big things were expected although the band, unfortunately, never fully crossed over to the big leagues. Three decades later and thankfully Testament are stronger than ever, once again riding the wave of critical acclaim and releasing albums of far greater quality than the bands they were often left trailing. Long may they reign and we all know The Big 4 has always been The Big 5 really, don't we!
5. The Ritual
Recommended Track: The Ritual, an epic Thrash ballad stuffed with pummelling riffs, inventive lead guitar work and a colossal vocal performance from Chuck Billy who proves equally as adept at singing as he is at shredding his vocal chords. This is as much a Thrash album as Metallica's Black Album, Megadeth's Youthanasia Album and Anthrax's Sound of White noise album, elements of Thrash remain but this is simply a modern metal album at heart and one with eyes set firmly on the mainstream. This is not a criticism, Testament were right to follow Metallica's lead and attempt to enter the big leagues, Thrash was at its peak, bands with far less talent than Testament were selling millions of records and Testament instinctively knew that now was the time to do or die. Fortunatley, they produced a mature, skilled and riff-filled record. Unfortunately, not enough people cared. The record would go on to sell just short of half a million copies but in comparison to Metallica's 30 million sales of the Black album this was seen as a relative failure, signalling the beginning of the end for Testament's golden era. Discouraged, guitarist extraordinaire Alex Skolnick departed to join progressive metallers Savatage and it was 2 years until Testament returned with 1994's heavier, Death/Thrash opus 'Low'. It is a true shame that The Ritual did not elevate Testament to the elite as it is a stunning record that deserves greater acclaim and is a permanent reminder of Testament's class, versatility and courage to break away from Thrash metal's self-imposed restrictions.