Testament

Essential Albums

  • Practice What You Preach
  • The Legacy

Artist Playlists

About Testament

One of Thrash Metal’s Big 8 and a creator of its second wave, Testament has influenced generations of artists since forming in 1983. ∙ Initially known as The Legacy, the group played their second-ever show at San Francisco metal nightclub The Stone, alongside fellow up-and-coming band Slayer. ∙ Testament first captured their signature sound on 1983’s The Legacy, a breakout album that propelled them to the forefront of the emerging thrash metal movement. ∙ The band’s 1992 grunge-influenced LP, The Ritual, was their best-selling album and featured their sole charting single, “Return to Serenity.” ∙ Singer Chuck Billy, who’s been artistically inspired by his Native American heritage, was recognized in the 2010 Smithsonian exhibit Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture. ∙ Dark Roots of Earth, their critically acclaimed 2012 release, was a worldwide hit that simultaneously topped three different Billboard charts in the US. ∙ In 2018, Testament was featured as an opening act on Slayer’s farewell tour, which was one of the most highly anticipated runs in metal history.

ORIGIN
Berkeley, CA, United States
FORMED
1983
GENRE
Metal

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