Demonic
In the late '80s, Testament was one of the pioneers of California's Bay area thrash metal scene, but over the years the band mellowed a bit, and its two early-'90s records for Atlantic were well-crafted, but less than bombastic. Apparently, Testament aimed to make amends withDemonic, a furious album that blends the band's trademark hooks with ferocious death metal intensity. The only weak link is vocalist Chuck Billy, who has seems to have traded his melodic voice to the devil in exchange for a genuine "grindcore" growl.--Jon Wiederhorn