Heavy metal is possibly the only genre where constant line-up changes are not only acceptable, but pretty much expected. This leads, in many instances, to unpredictable career trajectories. By 1995, Testament had already enjoyed 10 years as a respectable, mid-to-high table Tampa Bay thrash metal outfit who never quite attained the same heights as Metallica, Megadeth or Anthrax. Grunge caused their original lineup to dissolve, however, and the advent of nu metal should have finished Testament off. But, instead, after recruiting Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, they released their pi�ce de r�sistance, The Gathering.
This compilation draws from this 1995-2005 period and contains three songs from their best album, including Careful What You Wish For (but, unfortunately, no Do Not Resuscitate). Earlier tracks such as John Doe combine Slayer’s heaviness with pre-Psalm 69 Ministry machine-tooled precision (the song bears more than a passing resemblance to So What). If there is a dip in quality, it’s because of the questionable inclusion of material from First Strike Still Deadly, which featured pointless reworkings of early classics. This is made up for by the collection being topped and tailed by excellent live material from New York and London.
