For Week Ending:
23 November 2024

Testament - Practice What You Preach (1989)

[Thrash Metal]

By 1989 thrash metal had hit its commercial peak, and what once a small number of bands was now a torrent of second and third wave opportunists poorly imitating their heroes. Testament understood this all too well, and with album number three took their band into unknown territory to ensure they stayed ahead of the pack. Still undeniably thrash, Practice What You Preach was somehow different. It was compact and streamlined, showing a modern attitude and also a new maturity to the band's lyrics. From the moment the title track launches, this is apparent, as the song grooves rather than pummels. Gone are the lyrics of dark entities and demonic tales, and instead frontman Chuck Billy barks a rebuke at the self-righteous. If the listener wasn't hooked yet 'Perilous Nation' will certainly draw them in. A tale of the dangers of patriotism, it is one of the catchier tracks on the album, and although it also contains some of the fastest riffs it is infectiously listenable. Billy growls lyrics throughout, showing real conviction to his words, further strengthening the connection to the listener. Many of the songs are mid paced, and noticeably simpler than the previous albums, leaving the whole album feeling efficient. That doesn't mean the musicianship is sacrificed, and Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson again proved themselves as two of the best axemen in thrash metal. 'Greenhouse Effect' follows the trend at the time of songs about environmental damage, and the band even goes out on a limb to include a full-blow ballad (imaginably named 'The Ballad') which is a cry for help after losing someone. Quirky instrumental 'Confusion Fusion' ends the album, and 45 minutes has just pasted by in no time at all. The performances are loose in a way that many of the groove metal bands of the next decade would mimic, forgoing absolute precision for a more live feel. Although this makes the album feel organic, it does mean some of the dynamics of overdubs are missing, and the whole thing sounds rather one dimensional. Generally seen by fans as a 'safe' album by the band, it is rarely called a favourite, but it is certainly far from a bad album in any way, perfectly filling a whole for many headbangers upon its release.

Arist Information
Testament is an American thrash metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983 under the name Legacy. Labeled as one of the "big six" of the 1980s Bay Area thrash metal scene (along with Exodus, Death Angel, L??z Rockit, Forbidden and Vio-lence), Testament is often credited as one of the most popular and influential bands of the thrash metal scene, as well as one of the leaders of the second wave of the genre of the late 1980s. The band has sold over 1.5 million albums in the United States and over 14 million copies worldwide.

Release Information
'Practice What You Preach' is the third studio album by Testament. The album was a major breakthrough for the band, achieving near gold status and becoming the band's first album to enter the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart.