Low (Testament album)

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Low
Studio album by
Testament
ReleasedSeptember 30, 1994
Recorded1993–1994
StudioA&M Studios, Hollywood, California
Studio D, Sausalito, California
Genre
Length47:08
LabelAtlantic (1994)
Burnt Offerings Inc. (1995)
ProducerGGGarth, Testament
Testament chronology
Return to the Apocalyptic City
(1993) 		Low
(1994) 		Live at the Fillmore
(1995)
Singles from Low
  1. "Low"
    Released: 1994
  2. "Dog Faced Gods"
    Released: 1994

Low is the sixth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on September 30, 1994 by Atlantic Records. It was the band's first album to feature a new lineup, with guitarist James Murphy and drummer John Tempesta replacing Alex Skolnick and Louie Clemente respectively, and the last album with bassist Greg Christian until 2008's The Formation of Damnation.

Background[edit]

Low would be Testament's last album with Atlantic Records, leading group members to create their own label Burnt Offerings Inc. as part of the change; like its predecessor The Ritual, it was released and distributed only by Atlantic, whereas their first four studio albums were co-released through Megaforce Records.[1]

Released at a time when grunge and alternative rock were dominating the mainstream, Low marked something of a major departure from Testament's earlier works, moving towards a groove metal style, while it saw the band staying true to their classic thrash roots. Regarding the album's musical direction, guitarist Eric Peterson recalled in a 2013 interview with Spotlight Report:

"We then got our last chance with Atlantic to do stuff a bit different. Their music director came to us and said: 'We want you guys to give us an alternative record.' According to the world alternative, that would mean something totally different; so I came up with 'Dog Faced Gods,' which is more leaning towards death metal, and I went: 'Here you go, this is our alternative!' But what they wanted was the name alternative. They wanted a mainstream song for the alternative movement. 'Dog Faced Gods' gave us a whole different perspective of what Testament was all about; we were now entering the realm of Swedish black metal, we were flirting with that vibe and mixing it with our stuff. It took on a whole new vibe; by the time we got to The Gathering we reinvented ourselves."[2]

Low was recorded with primary band members Eric Peterson (rhythm guitar), Greg Christian (bass), and Chuck Billy (vocals). It also saw the first of two Testament album appearances by John Tempesta (drums),[3][4] and three James Murphy (guitar).[5] Long time Testament collaborator Del James is given composer and vocal credits on the album. Additionally, a music video was filmed for the title track.[6]

Low is dedicated to Savatage guitarist Criss Oliva, who died while Testament was working on the album, and is thanked in the liner notes ("may Criss rest in peace").[7] Alex Skolnick, who had left Testament two years earlier, briefly replaced Oliva when Savatage was recording their eighth studio album Handful of Rain, which was released a month before Low.

Testament toured for approximately two years to promote Low, playing with bands like Machine Head, Downset., Korn, Forbidden, Kreator, At the Gates, Moonspell, Crowbar, Suffocation and Gorefest. As had happened during the accompanying tour for The Ritual, the band had faced a few lineup changes during the Low era. Tempesta left Testament right after the album was finished to join White Zombie, and was replaced by Jon Dette for most of the album's tour cycle in 1994–1995 before he left to join Slayer. Chris Kontos filled in for Dette for the remaining part of the tour before he, Murphy and Christian each quit in 1996, after which Billy and Peterson briefly put the band on ice and then reformed with a new lineup for their next album Demonic.

Artwork[edit]

Album cover artwork for Low was designed by Dave McKean. He would go on to do the next two Testament studio album covers Demonic (1997) and The Gathering (1999).

Reissues[edit]

On September 29, 2017, Metal Blade Records released the album on vinyl for the first time in the US along with the previous album The Ritual, limited to 1500 copies.[8]

Reception and legacy[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[10]
Kerrang![11]
Rock Hard8/10[12]

Reviews for Low have been mixed to positive. AllMusic's John Franck awards the album four stars out of five, and states, "Testament's sixth studio album literally saw the boys from the Bay Area fighting for their lives in the unfriendly surroundings of the alternative nation. Wisely, the band decided to try something completely different and join forces with Rage Against the Machine/Melvins producer GGGarth Richardson. With temporary drummer John Tempesta in place behind the skins, the band began tracking at A&M studios in Los Angeles. Wanting to return to the no-holds-barred yet musically challenging sounds of works past, the GGGarth teaming proved to be the perfect fodder necessary for Testament to regain their confidence."[9]

Low failed to match the critical or popular acclaim of Testament's previous albums, peaking at #122 on the Billboard 200, the band's second lowest chart position after 1988's The New Order, which debuted at #136.[13] "Low" and "Dog Faced Gods" were released as singles to promote the album, but did not chart.[14] However, "Low" and the cover version of Scorpions' "Sails of Charon" (which appears as a B-side of "Dog Faced Gods") received regular airplay on modern rock stations, the most notable being KNAC.[15]

In July 2014, Guitar World placed Low at number 40 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[16]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Low"Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson3:33
2."Legions (In Hiding)"Billy, Del James, Peterson4:17
3."Hail Mary"Billy, James, James Murphy, Peterson3:32
4."Trail of Tears"Billy, Peterson6:06
5."Shades of War"Billy, James, Peterson4:44
6."P.C."Greg Christian, Peterson2:50
7."Dog Faced Gods"Billy, James, Peterson4:02
8."All I Could Bleed"Billy, Peterson3:37
9."Urotsukidōji" (instrumental)Christian, Peterson3:50
10."Chasing Fear"Billy, Christian, James, Peterson4:56
11."Ride"Billy, James, Peterson3:16
12."Last Call" (instrumental)Christian, Peterson2:41
Total length:47:08

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[17] 25
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] 77
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 39
US Billboard 200[20] 122

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Testament(2)". Discogs. 2012.
  2. ^ "Testament: 'Grunge Plagued the World, Metal Was Obsolete'". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "Low (1994), First Strike Still Deadly (2001)". August 2012.
  4. ^ News, Archive (September 20, 2011). "TESTAMENT Taps Drummer JOHN TEMPESTA For ANTHRAX Tour". Blabbermouth. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ "Low (1994), Live at the Fillmore (1995), The Gathering (1999)". August 2012.
  6. ^ "Testament - Low - YouTube". Testament Official YouTube Channel. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Images for Testament (2) - Low". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "TESTAMENT's 'Low' And 'The Ritual' To Be Released On Vinyl In U.S. For First Time". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Franck, John. Low at AllMusic
  10. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 444. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  11. ^ Arnopp, Jason (October 15, 1994). "Albumz". Kerrang!. No. 516. EMAP. p. 44.
  12. ^ Schnädelback, Buffo. "Testament - Low". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  13. ^ "Testament - Chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  14. ^ "Testament - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  15. ^ "KNAC A to Z". KNAC Tribute Page. Archived from the original on March 5, 2000. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  16. ^ "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". GuitarWorld.com. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  18. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Testament – Low". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Testament Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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