Review Summary: First Strike is Deadly
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.
