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Wednesday, January 28th 2009
CLASSIC TESTAMENT TITLES TO BE REISSUED ON VINYL
Two classic albums by thrash legends TESTAMENT – 1997’s “Demonic” and 1999’s
“The Gathering” – will be reissued on gatefold double vinyl by Prosthetic
Records on Feb. 3. Each will feature etched artwork on Side D and be limited
to 1,000 copies worldwide. Additionally, 100 copies of “Demonic” will
feature red vinyl, while 100 copies of “The Gathering” will feature gold
vinyl. Pre-orders can currently be placed at store.prostheticrecords.com.
Over the last year, TESTAMENT made one of the most successful comebacks in
recent metal history. Their latest album, “The Formation of Damnation,”
featuring four-fifths of the group’s original lineup, debuted at #59 on the
Billboard Top 200, the highest-charting release of the band’s career. A
high-profile summer tour with Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell and Motorhead
followed. The band is currently preparing to tour Europe with Judas Priest
and Megadeth next month.
During the 1990s, TESTAMENT were one of the few bands unafraid to
unabashedly fly the flag of heavy metal. Although the group’s lineup changed
several times over the course of the decade, vocalist Chuck Billy and
guitarist Eric Peterson could always be trusted to deliver quality true
metal in an era dominated by short-lived musical trends.
Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. All Music Guide praises “Demonic” – mixed
by Michael Wagener (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne), and featuring Gene Hoglan
(Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad) on drums – as “the most evil-sounding
album of their career” to that point, saying that “‘Demonic’ rivals even
Slayer’s ‘Reign In Blood’ in terms of heaviness.” Meanwhile, Metal Hammer
calls “The Gathering” – mixed by Andy Sneap (Opeth, Megadeth), and featuring
guitarist James Murphy (Death, Obituary), bassist Steve DiGorgio (Sadus,
Death) and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo – “skull-flattening perfection,”
adding that “if there is a more important late ’90s metal album, we’d love
to know what it is.”
“Demonic” and “The Gathering” were reissued on CD in 2008 and are currently
available on all major digital platforms. Prosthetic plans to reissue
additional TESTAMENT titles later in 2009, including the first-ever official
CD release of the band’s complete performance at the 1987 Dynamo Open Air
festival.