Testament - The New Order (1988) Reviews

Without a doubt the best Testament album, The New Order played a large role in my teenage years. While it was Practice While You Preach that first drew my attention, this was the album that made me absolute love this band. It's true to say that a big reason for that is due to the fantastic thrash metal song writing that the band produced with tracks like The New Order, Trial by Fire and Disciples of the Watch. But I have to say the main reason is due to the exquisite guitar work on this album, especially by Alex Skolnick. Listen to the instrumentals Hypnosis and Musical Death for examples of just beautiful guitar playing.

But I'll be the first to admit that The New Order isn't a perfect album, nor is it worthy of 5 stars. The first 6 tracks are quality, but then it loses its intensity with The Preacher, Nobody's Fault and A Day of Reckoning dropping the ball slightly. In particular, the Aerosmith cover Nobody's Fault, while being a decent enough cover, stands out like a sore thumb on this album. I don't like covers if they are going to shift the intensity and atmosphere of an album and this is a perfect example of that happening.

All this said, I still love The New Order and listen to it often, even after 30 years. Oh man that makes me feel old! 30 Years!!!!!!!!

"The New Order" saw Testament taking on a fresh new sound which included a growing reliance on melody & a more mature approach to song-writing. There are still plenty of the energetic thrash riffs that made "The Legacy" so appealing but the numerous acoustic sections & extra melodic content accentuate the heavier moments which gives them greater significance. Alex Skolnick's guitar solos are the clear highlight here & they lifted him to legendary status with me as a budding young shredder. His ability to create truly memorable lead solos without compromising on the technical wizardry was mind-blowing. Greg Christian's bass performance has plenty of energy & should not be overlooked either. He reminds a lot of Anthrax's Frank Bello at times while Chuck Billy's vocal display is top notch. Unfortunately there are some negatives to speak of though. The production is well short of the mark (especially in the rhythm guitar department) & this removes any chance "The New Order" had of reaching true thrash classic status with me personally. Louie Clemente's drumming is also pretty basic which leaves much of the material feeling like there's some untapped potential that could have been uncovered with a more adventurous & exciting approach.  

As for the songs themselves, we have a pretty consistent record overall. The Aerosmith cover "Nobodys Fault" is the clear weak point & sounds more like Skid Row than a thrash band. It should certainly have been omitted as it's simply not at the same standard as the originals but I think the rest of the material is very solid. Of the proper songs my highlights include the title track, "Disciples Of the Watch" & "Into The Pit" but the real highlight for me is two-minute instrumental "Hypnosis" which shows Skolnick's lead guitar skills at their absolute best. It's a soaring & highly emotive performance that easily manages to overcome the production issues that hold back the rest of the album (which is partly due to it's lack of rhythm guitars in all honesty).

Overall, "The New Order" is a quality thrash metal album that had the potential to be a real classic with a bit more care in the production department. It's certainly a worthy follow-up to Testament's more widely celebrated debut which has a slight of edge over it's younger sibling with me these days thanks to its raw & aggressive tone. 

For fans of Metaliica, Exodus & Death Angel.