The Ritual

Someone tell me why Testament didn't get huge with this album. If Metallica can become a household name with the Black album then Testament should have at least been a force amongst rockers with this. It's not as fast as the early stuff but it's still freakin heavy and they do the ballady songs right. Electric Crown and Deadline are outstanding and I love Billy's vocals on this thing.
Enlighten me.

I think it came too late. And it does sound sort of forced, as it is easily the most commercial Testament records. It was released by a band with lots of inner turmoil, and the album saw a band giving in for all kinds of compromise with the label, and a not-longer-so-fond-of-metal- guitar-player.

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Someone tell me why Testament didn't get huge with this album.

Don't know. Always sounded like a decent Testament album to me. Perhaps the songs weren't as memorable on past releases.

It's nowhere near as good as the black album.

If by not as good you mean kills it, I agree.

I always liked THE RITUAL too and i remember the UK HEADBANGERS BALL promoted this album a lot showing the great video clip of this record a couple of times. A underrated record in my opinion.

I don't think Testament is that good in general, but they ARE pretty much always the band named RIGHT AFTER the 'big four'....I think they established themselves decently all things considered.....there's tons of bands as good who don't have half the visibility..

It was obvious who the copycats were and what they were copying. That probably had a lot to do with why it was seen as second rate. Plus the production was nowhere near as good, nor were the songs themselves.

I remember getting this album the day it came out and being very disappointed with it. I used to listen to TESTAMENT all the time but this one didn't last long in my tape deck (remember those?).

Well I love this album! Not sure why, but I do. I thoiught this was the most musical they had ever been and to me there was quite a bit of thought put in this. But if you remember, around the same time this came out, metal was being pushed away for that grunge crap.

I am a huge Testament fan and they can do no wrong in my eyes.

However, I must say that this is their weakest and worst album IMHO.

I still like it though, but barely.

A pretty decent record with a couple of very cool songs. I won't knock the record, but there was more filler on that one than strong ones IMO.

Leatherface wrote:

A pretty decent record with a couple of very cool songs. I won't knock the record, but there was more filler on that one than strong ones IMO.

Exactly.

i thought that this was a good album. much like the "black album", it had commercial appeal. although it's not a thrash album, it's still a decent true metal album.

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I remember getting this album the day it came out and being very disappointed with it. I used to listen to TESTAMENT all the time but this one didn't last long in my tape deck (remember those?).

I know it's opinions and I respect yours but this is what you say 90% of the time.

I like this album, but what I think hurt it was that it all sounded to be much in the same tempo and dynamic range. It just kind of plodded along.

I remember getting it when it was first released and being let down.I was digging the stuff they did on Practice and Souls of Black then they come out with this.It has a darker feel to it IMO and not many of the songs stood out for me.

This one and Practice What You Preach are my two favorites. There are no bad Testament albums.

7thSecond wrote:

There are no bad Testament albums.

I agree!

Temple of Blood wrote:

It was obvious who the copycats were and what they were copying. That probably had a lot to do with why it was seen as second rate. Plus the production was nowhere near as good, nor were the songs themselves.

I remember getting this album the day it came out and being very disappointed with it. I used to listen to TESTAMENT all the time but this one didn't last long in my tape deck (remember those?).

Yep. I remember the general consensus among the thrashers at the time. That being The Ritual was just Testament trying to follow in Metallica's footsteps, and failing.

The songs, production, and performances just weren't at the level they needed to be at; as opposed to, say, Countdown to Extinction, which was the same type of album, taking the same direction, but superior to The Ritual on every level.

I dunno, I never cared for THE RITUAL much other than the track "Electric Crown." The follow up, LOW, totally smoked it.

^^ YES! "Low" and "The Gathering" both blow "The Ritual" completely & totally out of the water.

Temple of Blood wrote:

It's nowhere near as good as the black album.

BLUNT FORCE + NAIL + HEAD = WIN

You and I don't agree on all that much, ToB, but we're hand in glove on this one! Don't get me wrong - I'm a big Testament fan, and I think "The Ritual" is a solid disc, if somewhat uninspired. There ARE some great tracks on there, but overall it just isn't all that memorable, and the songs just don't hold up over the entirety of the album. With "the black album" however, it's a tour de force from the first track to the final seconds, and despite the fact that it's been drilled into my head via radio for the last 15 years, I still think it holds up today & is still a good listen. I suspect that "The Ritual" will remain the black sheep of the Testament discography, while TBA will continue its path to eternal infamy. The songs are key, and Metallica had them in spades during that period.

Here's the real test - I haven't listened to "The Ritual" in probably 3 or 4 years. It sits on my shelf, and other than the occasional track coming up at random on my iPod, it mostly collects dust. I haven't listened to TBA in about a year now. The only song I get stuck in my head from "The Ritual" is "Electric Crown" (awesome), whereas TBA has something in my head almost weekly. Now, I realize my buds & I played that CRAP out of that on cassette in high school, so that has something to do with it, but if "The Ritual" was even remotely in the same league of quality as TBA, I likely would have spun it more than 2-3 times a week after I purchased it. Never happened. I've probably listened to the whole album straight through maybe a half-dozen times (if that) in all the years I've owned it. I've played TBA countless times even since I've been married (12.5 years now). Sorry folks, TBA is just a better album.

I agree that Metallica's "S/T" 'black' album is far superior to "The Ritual".


Testament on the whole though is far superior to Metallica.

I'll take The Ritual over The Black Album or Countdown to Extinction any day! It's a good record with great lead guitar. And Chuck Billy is the most diverse metal vocalist out there...

I love the Ritual and it was my first introduction to Testament. I don't believe it is a weak album at all and apart from being slightly more commercial, I don't think a comparison to TBA is a good one. For me TBA is like Countdown & vice versa. The Ritual is more comparable to Overkill-I Hear Black, another great album tht differed from it's band's previous albums(and my first intro to Overkill as well). I guess for me it seems that a band's later albums I enjoy and that introduced me to them are the more berated (or less liked) albums from them (TBA, Countdown, The Ritual, I Hear Black, Fear Of The Dark, No More Tears, etc.).

BTW, Retrun To Serenity is one of the best songs ever IMO.

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The Ritual is more comparable to Overkill-I Hear Black, another great album

I agree.