Testament
The Spitfire Collection

April 2007
Released: 2007, Spitfire Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Celtic Bob

Thrash Metal Masters: Testament unleashes what appears to be a contractual obligation compilation cd. This one focus’ on their latter catalog from the Spitfire label and serves as a decent counterpart to the previously released BEST OF. This release is aimed at the casual fan and along with the previous compilation serves as a good introduction to the band for newer fans.



The disc is bookended with a trio of live versions of classic songs. For the older fan that may have lost track of them since the early 90’s this will be the disc’s highlight. While the original studio versions are far superior these 6 songs are quite enjoyable. Hearing newer live versions of “Trial By Fire” and “Practice What You Preach” is great for the fan that don’t get to see and hear the band play shows in their town.



The middle section of the disc is a decent and slightly varied mix of Testament material. It has Thrash as well as Death Metal. It is this era where allot of fans from the early days jumped ship and lost track of the band. This disc should help gain them back and give a small sampling of what they may have missed. There are some good songs in that era that were definitely overlooked and never heard. Maybe this may change that??



As far as compilations go….this is as good as it gets. A sampling of old and new with no real surprises.