Testament "First Strike Still Deadly (USA, Spitfire Records, SPT-15083-2)"

First Strike Still Deadly is the ninth studio album by Testament, released in 2001. It consists of re-recorded songs released on The Legacy and The New Order, as well as a re-recording of "Reign of Terror", which was originally on Legacy's Demo 1 and appeared as a B-side from the "Trial by Fire" single; the latter version also appeared on the 1993 EP Return to the Apocalyptic City. On some Japanese versions of this release, a different cover is present, and the disc is an enhanced CD and includes a bonus documentary produced by Reality Check TV/RCTV Studio with live clips of various incarnations of the band and interviews with Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson in various settings in and around San Francisco.

First Strike Still Deadly saw a Testament reunion with three former or current members (guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve DiGiorgio and drummer John Tempesta) as well as their original singer Steve "Zetro" Souza. Souza, Skolnick and Tempesta did not officially rejoin Testament at the time of its recording, though Skolnick did in 2005 and is still a member of the band to this day. First Strike Still Deadly was also the last Testament album with bassist DiGiorgio before his return in 2014.

First Strike Still Deadly has received mostly negative reviews. AllMusic writer Brian O'Neill awards the album one star out of five, and criticizes, "Re-recording one's hits is worse than live albums because it tries to be something it never can be, and this disc is no exception. Get the originals, or even the two Testament hits compilations, for the real deal; check this out if karaoke is your idea of contemporary entertainment.

Track listing

1. "First Strike Is Deadly" Steve Souza, Greg Christian Alex Skolnick, Eric Peterson "The Legacy" 4:00
2. "Into the Pit" Chuck Billy, Skolnick, Peterson Skolnick, Peterson "The New Order" 2:54
3. "Trial by Fire" Billy, Skolnick, Peterson Skolnick, Peterson "The New Order" 4:33
4. "Disciples of the Watch" Billy Skolnick, Peterson "The New Order" 4:34
5. "The Preacher" Billy, Skolnick Skolnick, Peterson "The New Order" 3:56
6. "Burnt Offerings" Souza, Peterson Skolnick, Peterson "The Legacy" 5:28
7. "Over the Wall" Souza Skolnick, Peterson, Christian "The Legacy" 4:18
8. "The New Order" Skolnick, Peterson Skolnick, Peterson "The New Order" 4:43
9. "The Haunting" Souza, Peterson Skolnick, Peterson "The Legacy" 4:37
10. "Alone in the Dark" Souza Skolnick, Peterson "The Legacy" 4:40
11. "Reign of Terror" Souza, Derrick Ramirez, Peterson Ramirez, Peterson "Demo 1" 5:06

Total length: 48:40

Dedicated to Chuck Schuldiner.

Re-recordings of old songs from Legacy's demo, and albums 'The Legacy' and 'The New Order'.

'Alone in the Dark' and 'Reign of Terror' recorded with the original Legacy vocalist Steve Souza.

At first, the band wanted to remix old recordings, but copyright infringements did not allow them to do that. So they re-recorded the songs.

Recording information:

Produced by Testament.

Recorded at Driftwood Studios, Oakland, California, USA, between July 27th - August 23rd, 2001.

Mixed at Backstage Studios, Derbyshire, England, between August 27th - September 7th, 2001.