Simon Rushworth
In the first of a series looking back at rock and metal’s seminal albums we kick off by celebrating the 25th anniversary of Testament’s commercial breakthrough Practice What You Preach.
Featuring MTV favourites in the shape of the title track and The Ballad, the follow-up to The New Order has shifted close to 500,000 copies since its 1989 release.
Featuring a familiar musical approach – pedal-to-the-metal thrash fronted by the fantastic Chuck Billy – the record nevertheless showcased Testament as rapidly maturing lyricists.
And despite failing to break the Billboard Chart’s Top 75, Practice What You Preach gradually emerged as a genre classic at a time when thrash metal’s Big Four were making their presence felt ever more keenly.
Greenhouse Effect was released as the album’s second single and the Alex Skolnick-penned tune remains one of the band’s standout compositions – reinforcing its writer’s burgeoning reputation.
Skolnick remains one of metal’s most rapid-fire guitar heroes and Testament continue to go from strength to strength more than 30 years after coming together.
2012’s Dark Roots Of Earth peaked at 12 on the Billboard chart and demand for the band as a live draw is higher than ever.
Practice What You Preach track listing:
| 1. | “Practice What You Preach” | Billy, Peterson, Skolnick | 4:54 |
| 2. | “Perilous Nation” | Skolnick | 5:50 |
| 3. | “Envy Life” | Peterson | 4:16 |
| 4. | “Time Is Coming” | Billy | 5:26 |
| 5. | “Blessed In Contempt” | Billy, Skolnick, Peterson | 4:12 |
| 6. | “Greenhouse Effect” | Skolnick | 4:52 |
| 7. | “Sins of Omission” | Billy, Peterson, Skolnick | 5:00 |
| 8. | “The Ballad” | Skolnick, Billy | 6:09 |
| 9. | “Nightmare (Coming Back to You)” | Skolnick | 2:20 |
| 10. | “Confusion Fusion” (Instrumental) | 3:07 |
The budget Original Album Series box set – featuring Practice What You Preach and four more seminal Testament releases – is out now via Rhino. For details visit www.originalalbumseries.com