Testament is a band that has stayed true to metal ever since they first burst on the scene back in 1987 with the release of The Legacy. They were a part of the second wave of thrash metal in the 1980s, along with Exodus, following on the heels of bands like Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. They have put out strong releases for as long as they have been around, even with their members shuffling around over the past ten years or so. Of late, they seem to have fallen into the trap of releasing live stuff and best of collections rather than anything new. However, this collection is a bit different than the other three in their catalog, and it promises to be the last one before a new release of new material.

The prior three collections focused primarily on the early years. The first release being The Best of Testament, released in 1996, focused on everything up to Low, including a single track from that release. The following year saw the arrival of Signs of Chaos, which was made to include the Demonic release. A four year gap ensued, which saw the release of their last all new material album, The Gathering, within its frame, capped with the release of The Very Best of Testament in 2001, this was similar to The Best of Testament in that it included albums up to Low, with one track off of that release, this time it was "Dog Faced Gods."

Okay, by know I am sure you want to know what the difference is with this release. Well, it focuses exclusively on their years with the Spitfire record label. This period encompasses five releases, Live at the Fillmore, Demonic, The Gathering, First Strike Still Deadly (a re-recording of some of the classics), and Live in London (featuring the reunited original line-up, which I got to see live). Sure, there are only two albums worth of new material to cover, but factor in some excellent live cuts, and quality re-recordings and you have the makings of a decent collection.

If there is one thing I have learned about these collections, it's that they are rarely made for the long time fan, as you probably have all of the songs already. However, they do fill a market need, and that is making it easy to introduce potential fans to a new world of music. I know I would be more apt to pick up a collection like this over a regular release, as it would probably deliver a better cross section of their music. So, I have no problems with collections, although four seems to be a little excessive.

Now this collection covers what might be the heaviest period of their career, it would have been the definitive heaviest had Low been included. They always delivered quality thrash metal, but it wasn't until these albums of the mid and late 199s that the true extent of the heavy side of their sound would make its presence felt the most. The heaviness is only increased with the session drummers that played on the three studio releases, Demonic has the presence of the insane Gene Hoglan, who sounds great (also check him out in Strapping Young Lad for an even more impressive display).