Testament "The New Order" CD

Co-released Megaforce Records & Atlantic Records.

I've been jumping around a bit on my Testament reviews going from different points in their discography. For my fourth Testament review I'm going back to their peak period of releases from 1987-1990 and going to dive in to their 1988 sophomore effort The New Order. For a very rare bunch of people I see some say this is where they take their first dive in quality which is a pretty absurd opinion as the band for me would only maintain this masterful formula for the next few years never dipping in quality one bit. Testament released this album in May of 1988 coming off what is in my opinion the best thrash metal debut album of all time 1987's The Legacy, a record that laid the foundation for Testament to expand upon with each subsequent release afterwards. The New Order adds a bit more atmosphere to the Testament sound incorporating more clean guitar moments and subtle instrumental compositions that build up into the songs. The New order is also the first release where Chuck Billy had input on the writing process as most of the tracks on the debut were already crafted by the time he entered the fold. The only track Chuck contributed to on the debut was the song "Do or Die" rather than on this release he was involved with the entire writing process. This album is very dark and has a more sinister atmosphere compared to The Legacy and shows the growth in musicianship the band had taken within the time between The Legacy and The New Order. the songs here have a lot more variety to them rather than the pure thrash assault the debut had. Here we see the band delve into slightly slower tempos allowing for more breathing room and for the band to add a bit more dynamics to their sound. The production/mix is superb on The New Order it's got that classic analog sound to it and has its own vibe compared to any other thrash album just like they all did back then unlike the present day. Everything is doused in reverb on this release and the guitars are saturated in a eerie delay that gives this album the haunting atmosphere that Testament was so good at making. The guitar tone here is one of my all time favorites as it is just like Souls of Black but less punchy in my opinion however I feel the guitar tone on The New Order is slightly more clear than the Souls of Black guitar tone. Chuck is right up front in the mix and overall is a bit louder than everyone else here which isn't bad. Louie's drums sound incredible here and have a way more massive sound to them than the debut. Greg is kind of drowned underneath the guitars but you can still hear him a lot better than the debut. The New Order starts with the crackling of thunder while Eric and Alex blend their haunting clean and distorted guitar parts together on "Eerie Inhabitants". This track sets the vibe for this album with Eric playing a clean interlude while Skolnick sweeps arpeggios elegantly across Eric's playing before it kicks into the thrashy onslaught of riffs packed within the tune. The title track is a epic track that has a super catchy chorus and thrashes on at a more mid tempo pace. "Trial By Fire" has one of Testament's most signature intros as it features the same type of atmosphere as "Eerie Inhabitants" does starting out really mellow before diving straight in to business. "Into The Pit" is a fast pace face melter that is a live staple for the band it"s so iconic I shouldn't even have to explain its excellence along with "Disciples of The Watch" which is also another signature track for the band that is played live at almost every show. "The Preacher" and "A Day of Reckoning" are also really badass tracks that really hit hard with "The Preacher" being a fast paced banger that shows Chuck Billy's range getting really high up there at the beginning while "A Day of Reckoning" is a more mid tempo track that grooves along nicely. "Nobody's Fault" is a Aerosmith cover which is done so damn well that Aerosmith might as well sign the rights to it over to Testament because they enhance to the song to new heights. "Hypnosis" is a short instrumental that shows a more melodic and creepy side to Eric and Alex's playing. Last but not least we have another instrumental titled "Musical Death (A Dirge)" which is the best instrumental in the band's entire catalog showcasing Eric and Alex's elite playing and how good they mesh with one another. There is even a spanish sounding acoustic guitar part in there played by Alex which adds a new layer to the band's sound. The band even recorded an earlier track called "Reign of Terror" during this era but didn't put it on the record which is puzzling because The New Order version of the song is the best version of it but it did make its way on the Trial By Fire single.
The songs on this record are some of the most memorable tracks in Testament's discography. The clashing of the more clean haunting guitar moments with the heavier thrash moments set The New Order apart from the rest of their classic releases and gives the album it's own characteristics. Each of the first 4 Testament albums have something completely unique that sets them apart from the others as they are all chapters of the bands evolving thrash sound. Most of the tracks here are so classic that the band almost has to play a few of them at every show since this albums inception. People complain that they aren't as fast as they were on the debut but when you grow as a musician you start to add more dynamics and different types of techniques into your sound and that's just what Testament were doing during this period of the band. All the tracks on The New Order have some much depth and diversity to them it's hard to summarize how good they all are in their own right. The album cover is also pretty rad with a huge smoky blue skull looming over our earth.
Eric and Alex definitely grew as players and songwriters here and their chemistry was on the rise as they are still the best guitar duo in thrash. Peterson's song ideas and Alex's ever evolving lead playing make this album a classic along with Chuck Billy singing a bit more melodic here but with great power. His vocals are at his most versatile on The New Order going from low growls on certain parts all the way up to soaring high pitch vocals. Louie and Greg also stepped up immensely within the songs as there are more parts on this record that allow them shine as individual musicians rather than they just be viewed as the rhythm section. Don't get me wrong they definitely had their moments on the debut but with the way the songs are structured on The New Order they both have a lot more diverse moments rather than keeping up with the blistering pace of the songs. Everyone in the band had grew as musicians exponentially within the short time between The Legacy and The New Order and not many give the band the credit they deserve here. This growth would only increase rapidly throughout the next 2 releases before drifting away from thrash metal to create a more subtle, melodic, and groovier masterpiece in 1992. That is a story for another day though.
At the end of the day The New Order is a instant classic and a must own thrash metal album. This album is chalk full of classic material that is just straight up essential for anyone into thrash metal. The instrumental interludes here are badass and don't fault this album one bit. The Aerosmith cover is the best thrash cover song ever recorded as it beefs up the Aerosmith classic to a staggering degree and the rest of the tunes just crush. I'd highly recommend this record to anyone into any form of metal especially the old school stuff. It's hard to hate this record and some of the reasons people provide as to why it's bad is just absurd. This record is a bonafide classic and wrecks everything else going on at the time in 1988 and their dominance would only continue with the next few albums to come. Pick this album up and obey or they'll burn you to that cross.

Official promo video: 

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