Testament - The Spitfire Collection

Testament are one of the great Bay area thrash bands. They never reached the commercial success of some of their counterparts, but they have been highly influential in the metal scene. They are still making music and are currently working on a new album.

The Spitfire Collection is an interesting compilation. It takes songs from their five releases on Spitfire Records, including 1999's The Gathering and 2005's Live In London, featuring the reunion of Testament's original lineup. Because of that, there are both newer studio songs and their classic songs such as "Practice What You Preach, " "Into The Pit" and "The New Order" done live.

The album kicks off with a few live tracks, then goes to the studio songs, and finishes up with a few more live versions. Even though the band's heydey was in the late '80s and early '90s, the more recent albums are really heavy, and that is reflected in the tracks included here. Longtime fans of Testament probably own all the songs on this CD already, but for those looking to explore music from an outstanding thrash band, this collection is a good mix of new and old songs to get them started.