Why Didn't Testament Make It Big?

The term "Big Four" had more to do with the fact that Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth sold the most records.

It all comes down to timing just as MG says.Testament didnt release their debut until 3 years after the Big 4.Enough time to be considered second tier status.It has nothing to do with talent,musicianship or whatever.I agree Overkill should be in there.What other Thrash band has as many solid releases as them?

Don't shoot me, but I never considered Testament to be a "first-tier" band. The Legacy was a fine record, but (to me) they became less interesting with each successive release until I basically stopped paying attention.

Overkill on the other hand SHOULD be in the first tier and are more than deserving of being included in "the big 5".

Testament was a second tier band. I wonder more why there wasnt a big five of thrash that included Exodus...they were there during the same time as the others and actually had their debut recorded before kill em all and show no mercy...it just got released a few months later because of production issues.

Stender wrote:

Testament was a second tier band. I wonder more why there wasnt a big five of thrash that included Exodus...they were there during the same time as the others and actually had their debut recorded before kill em all and show no mercy...it just got released a few months later because of production issues.

In the case of Exodus, and this is just speculation here, but could switching lead singers from their debut to their 2nd release knocked them off course? Something like that could've made them lose some of the momentum they had with their hardcore fans that were there from the beginning.

I really think it has to do with sales as any of the bands listed deserve a lot of respect. I think Testament didn't do what the fans expected, going more melodic on The Ritual but not getting the mainstream exposure like Metallica did on the Black album hurt them.

NumbskullakaNazgul wrote:

I really think it has to do with sales as any of the bands listed deserve a lot of respect. I think Testament didn't do what the fans expected, going more melodic on The Ritual but not getting the mainstream exposure like Metallica did on the Black album hurt them.

True, but that came much further down the line, when all of these bands were established acts. Which leads me to some other questions...

When did people start using the term "The Big Four"? It seems like it's been around for awhile now, but who coined it and when? Late 80's? Early 90's?

Their name wasn't as marketable (Testament?). It doesn't stick to your senses like Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica and even Anthrax does.

Probably when people heard the name Testament or Exodus they thought more of Bible verses than music.

Personally Exodus is better than Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax combined!

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Don't shoot me, but I never considered Testament to be a "first-tier" band. The Legacy was a fine record, but (to me) they became less interesting with each successive release until I basically stopped paying attention.

Troublezone wrote:

Quote :

Don't shoot me, but I never considered Testament to be a "first-tier" band. The Legacy was a fine record, but (to me) they became less interesting with each successive release until I basically stopped paying attention.

Different folks different strokes.

Stender wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Quote :

Don't shoot me, but I never considered Testament to be a "first-tier" band. The Legacy was a fine record, but (to me) they became less interesting with each successive release until I basically stopped paying attention.

Different folks different strokes.

I guess but still strange...

Troublezone wrote:

I guess but still strange...

I never said I was normal.

Troublezone wrote:

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I also remember reading how Megaforce owner (name slips my mind right now) kept turning them down, demo after demo

Johnny Zazula

That would be him.

ultmetal wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Quote :

I also remember reading how Megaforce owner (name slips my mind right now) kept turning them down, demo after demo

Johnny Zazula

That would be him.

I thought John and Marsha (his wife) co-owned Megaforce. Or was John more involved in the actual day-to-day of the label?

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Quote :

I also remember reading how Megaforce owner (name slips my mind right now) kept turning them down, demo after demo

Johnny Zazula

That would be him.

I thought John and Marsha (his wife) co-owned Megaforce. Or was John more involved in the actual day-to-day of the label?

Whatever happened to those 2? Are they still in the music business?

MetalGuy71 wrote:

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Quote :

I also remember reading how Megaforce owner (name slips my mind right now) kept turning them down, demo after demo

Johnny Zazula

That would be him.

I thought John and Marsha (his wife) co-owned Megaforce. Or was John more involved in the actual day-to-day of the label?

Whatever happened to those 2? Are they still in the music business?

Still running Megaforce as far as I know.

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

SideShowDisaSter wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Quote :

I also remember reading how Megaforce owner (name slips my mind right now) kept turning them down, demo after demo

Johnny Zazula

That would be him.

I thought John and Marsha (his wife) co-owned Megaforce. Or was John more involved in the actual day-to-day of the label?

Whatever happened to those 2? Are they still in the music business?

Still running Megaforce as far as I know.

I woulda thought that maybe they sold off their rights or something like that after all these years. Good for them if they're still doing it.

John and Marsha are still running Megaforce.

I agree with Manny's post on this topic. 100% true.

bad timing, bad label, wrong location, bad luck, could have been any of them.

To answer the OP:
Because for all their efforts, they were too derivative of the early Metallica sound to truly achieve their own success. That, and their late entry (timing, as has been discussed) into the game probably sealed their position. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a fairly big Testament fan, so I'm not knocking their early Metallica roots at all. However, when you listen to their 1st 3 or 4 albums, you can hear that influence in there. As of "The Ritual" they started to go in their own direction, and from then on they truly had their own thing going. That said, I'm still a major fan of the band's early works and consider their interpretation of the early bay area thrash sound to be one of the top examples of the genre.

Overkill was as much punk as metal, from what I understand. In an interview w/ Blitz I have on VHS, he named off bands they were listening to early on: "We were into metal like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, The Sex Pistols, , so it was metal, but it was 'energy metal'". So their punk influence was pretty prominent, even in their earlier more trad-metal stuff before they became an out-and-out thrash band. I'll have to pull that interview out again & watch it so I can get the exact thing he said - I don't want to put my foot in my mouth!

Either way, both Overkill & Testament are worthy contenders of a "number 5" spot, and bands that ride that line between 1st and 2nd tier 80's thrash.

They were dubbed "Metallica clones" by some critics at one point. I never thought of them as such, however, and prefer them to Metallica (as much as I love 80s Metallica).

I think MetalfRo and Required Fields pretty much nailed it. Testament were too close to Metallica's sound back then. They would have encroached upon Metallica's niche. If there was anything that would have broken them big at that time it would have been 1989's Practice What You Preach. But that release was already probably too late for a Thrash band. But, they had their small following. I never listened to them at the time, but I certainly heard of them. It wasn't until the most recent Testament release that I began travelling back in time to inquire into their back catalog. The Gathering is an awesome, awesome album.

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Whatever happened to those 2? Are they still in the music business?

They were running a new label called "Bodog" or something, it's the label that put out the last Overkill album.

Chuck's voice.

DenimAndLeather wrote:

Chuck's voice.

Is versatile...