Testament - Live at Eindhoven '87

The cover for Live at Eindhoven intrigued me for years. Testament seemed so godlike in front of that crowd of 14,000 (or 30,000 according to guitarist Alex Skolnick). It’s an iconic rock festival image, up there with a rain-soaked Def Leppard at Monsters of Rock ’86 and Pantera at Monsters of Rock ’91 in Moscow. I missed out on the original EP, so for years I could only fantasize about its contents.

The Haunting (Live @ Eindhoven)

Prosthetic turned my fantasy into reality by reissuing the five-song EP as a full-length of the entire show. Fixing what ain’t broke, the reissue has the blandest artwork ever rendered in Photoshop. The set, too, is a disappointment. The playing is sloppy, the sound is mediocre, and Skolnick’s solo is pointless wankery. (Now, after years playing jazz, he would probably do it much better.) Metal live albums are mostly forgettable; this one is no different. Two EP’s and two full-lengths are four live releases too many for Testament.

Yet this is still a cool historical document. With only The Legacy under its belt, Testament was already touring the US and Europe with Anthrax. Its hunger is palpable. Chuck Billy’s between-song banter is gloriously moronic: “Yeaaah! We’ll kick some fucking ass now! Are you going to kick some fucking ass with us?” He could read the Bible out loud, and it would sound metal. Speaking of which, check out Skolnick’s liner notes. Stryper headlined the festival!

Buy:
Amazon (MP3)
eMusic (MP3)
The End (CD)
Prosthetic (CD)