Review by Ben for Testament - Practice What You Preach (1989)

Along with Metallica's "And Justice for All" album, Practice What You Preach is what got me into metal in the first place. It's therefore quite hard for me to listen to it now without getting all nostalgic. If I ignore those feelings, I must admit that it’s not one of the greatest metal albums ever released, no matter what I thought of it when I was 13 years old. It's not even the best Testament album. Objectively, Practice What You Preach is a lightweight thrash album, not coming close to the Kreator / Slayer end of the thrash spectrum. It is entertaining though, with a whole bunch of memorable tracks, especially the title track and The Ballad.

Once again Alex Skolnick's guitar is nothing short of breathtaking and Chuck's in fine form on the vocals front. The lyrics, if a bit contrived at times, are relevant and intelligent, and all up Practice What You Preach is a perfectly good introduction for anyone that enjoys some heavy music but doesn't want things to get too chaotic. Which is probably why I found it so appealing when I was a young lad. I've moved onto much more extreme pastures since then, but I'm sure this album will continue to make me smile and nod my head for years to come.