Metal Education: Testament
 

Long story short, I'm going to make it to the Metal Masters Tour near the end of the summer, and there's only one band on the bill I know nothing about: Testament. I found a couple free tracks from their new album on Amazon MP3, but obviously they've been around a while. What other songs/things should I know before I see them?

For the most part Testament followed the Bay Area thrash sound in the '80s and they had a lot of comparisons to Metallica in the early days. Some of their later albums (Demonic, The Gathering) delved a bit into the lower-tuned/growling vox death metal approach. These are the albums that I am familar with so here is a list of songs that they may include with their setlist. Hope it is a good show!

The Legacy
Over The Wall

The New Order
Eerie Inhabitants
Trial By Fire
Disciples Of The Watch
Into The Pit

Practice What You Preach
Practice What You Preach
The Ballad

Souls Of Black
Souls Of Black
The Legacy

The Ritual
Return To Serenity

Low
Low
Trail Of Tears
Dog Faced Gods
Ride

I'm a big fan of the Alex Skolnick era, so anything pre-<i>Low</i>, plus TFoD, is where I'd begin. Just download The Legacy, The New Order and Practice What You Preach and it'll give you a good idea of what to expect. I don't know how much of the new album they're playing, but it's a great listen and has a very similar sound to some of their older work.

from the Legacy to The Ritual are the Skolnick era, the band lost a lot when he left. All are great albums. The new album is awesome, among their best.