The Ritual (Testament album)

Occupation

  • Vocals: Chuck Billy
  • Guitar: Alex Skolnick
  • Guitar: Eric Peterson
  • Bass: Greg Christian
  • Drums: Louie Clemente

The Ritual (English: the ritual ) is the fifth studio album by the American thrash metal band Testament. It was released in May 1992 with Atlantic Records. It was their previous studio album with guitarist Alex Skolnick and drummer Louie Clemente with the last. The band recorded at The ritual before a significant change of style from Thrash to Heavy Metal. There was a music video for piece Electric Crown.

Genesis and style

Already around since the recordings of Practice What You Preach it had come between Alex Skolnick and the rest of the band increasingly to differences over musical direction. Skolnick, who himself did not hear any more Metal and wanted to play, but was concerned about jazz or the music of Joe Satriani and Jeff Beck, urged increasingly to a shift away from the Thrash and in softer climes. After the album Souls of Black, the sale also technically meant a step forward, Skolnick went on tour with Stuart Hamm, while Eric Peterson and Chuck Billy is the songwriting for the new album dedicated. As Skolnick joined the band after the tour, he refused to play the written material in this form, prompting the band to significant changes. The band was faced with the choice to dismiss Skolnick or modify the pieces and chose the latter. In autumn 1992, after a successful U.S. tour together with Corrosion of Conformity in the interlude of Iron Maiden, in which the band 7000-12000 spectators, had hinted the separation, which was then carried out a little later if desired Skolnicks. Skolnick then founded a solo project and played for about Michael Manring or Savatage.

Even before the recording of The Ritual, the band was finally changed to Atlantic Records after the sales contract of this company with the little Thrash Label Megaforce Records, the will had been under contract had expired. Atlantic had an option to take five bands of Megaforce, among other things, they chose Testament. The band expressed their dissatisfaction over this fact and the promotion for the album. The Ritual for the Briton Tony Platt selected as a producer and sound engineer Nigel Green, the latter had already worked for Def Leppard, Mike Oldfield or Bryan Adams. The band did this to get away from a Metallica - like sound, with which it was previously often compared. The aim was rather " as the old Sabbath " sound. Testament were also satisfied with the production and certified platform despite minor disputes "good work". Nevertheless, the result was compared with the band again, especially in the wake of Metallica's Black Album. For change of style Chuck Billy said at the time:

" What we do is not exactly the same thrash, but our thrash roots are still present in the music. "

Later Chuck Billy said, Skolnicks intervention had broken the original geschaffenene dynamics. The record company have contributed with their search for " the next single", " the next video " to do so. Eric Peterson called The Ritual as " good record ", but also called it a "great compromise":

"The whole record was just a big compromise. "

Texts

For the texts Chuck Billy worked the first time with an external songwriter. Del James, a friend of Billy, had already worked for Guns N ' Roses. According to Billy of these " stories " from the previous 've done " collections of words." The texts were kept " in a critical tone ," to make judgments without. The title track is about the aging, of things that you do daily. Agony is about prisoners of war, Let Go of My World by people who believe everything in the newspaper.

Reception

Although Götz Kühnemund of RockHard pointed out that The Ritual would disappoint " fans of the first hour" and probably also Chuck Billy places " to limp a little " singing criticized, he gave the album yet eight out of ten. " Clearly structured songs with catchy melodies " would be particularly singled out by Skolnicks guitar work " out of the mediocre ". Kuehne mouth mate Michael Rensen describes the " creative differences " in the band as prolific and called the album " a wonderfully versatile, despite all disagreements very homogeneous sounding album ."

Also on www.metal- observer.com The ritual is described as " a really good album ", the only "mistake" was not to sound so "how will actually sound ". www.metal- crypt.com calls the board an " undervalued " diamonds four of five points were awarded. In allmusic The ritual was called " microcosm " of the former thrash scene. The uncharacteristic piece, the ballad Return to Serenity, was " ironically " the best of the plate. Here is the rating 4.5 out of five stars.

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