The Gathering (Testament album)
| The Gathering | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Testament | ||||
| Released | June 28, 1999 | |||
| Recorded |
Driftwood Studio, Oakland, California Sound Temple Studio, Oakland, California | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal, death metal | |||
| Length | 42:40 | |||
| Label | Burnt Offerings, Spitfire (1999), Prosthetic (2008) | |||
| Producer | Eric Peterson, Chuck Billy, Phil Arnold (2008) | |||
| Testament album chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Gathering is the eighth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on June 8, 1999. It was the first release the band had done with Spitfire Records. [1] Co-produced by band members, Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson, this was the first album featuring new musicians Steve DiGiorgio on bass guitar and Dave Lombardo on drums. Billy, Peterson and Lombardo, along with longtime Testament collaborator Del James, are also given composer credits on the album.
Release
The Gathering featured eleven tracks when it was released, drawing critic and fan acclaim for such songs as "D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)", "Riding the Snake", and "Legions of the Dead". [2] After release Testament embarked on the Riding the Snake World Tour to promote the album with "touring" lead guitarist Steve Smyth (ex-Vicious Rumors) and ex-Sadus drummer Jon Allen. The tour ended in 2001 shortly before frontman Chuck Billy was diagnosed with cancer. [3]
The Gathering is the first of five albums to date featuring engineering and mixing work done with artist Andy Sneap. It is also the first of five reissues that Testament has done with Prosthetic Records. [4] The album was reissued January 8, 2008, with an instrumental bonus track, "Hammer of the Gods," increasing the new track total to twelve. While "Hammer of the Gods" is listed on the track listing of the original American release, it does not actually appear on the CD. However, it does appear on the worldwide Prosthetic Records 2008 reissue.
Album cover artwork for The Gathering was done by Dave McKean who also did the cover art for the two prior Testament studio albums Demonic and Low.
Track listing
"Hammer of the Gods" did not appear on the domestic American re-release, though the song title was listed on the album cover. It is an instrumental bonus track originally only available on the Japan reissue; however, it was eventually added to the Prosthetic Records worldwide 2008 re-release. [5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)" | Billy, Peterson | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Down for Life" | Billy, Peterson | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Eyes of Wrath" | Billy, James, Peterson | 5:26 |
| 4. | "True Believer" | Peterson, Ramirez | 3:36 |
| 5. | "3 Days in Darkness" | Billy, James, Peterson | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Legions of the Dead" | Peterson | 2:37 |
| 7. | "Careful What You Wish For" | Billy, James, Lombardo, Peterson | 3:30 |
| 8. | "Riding the Snake" | Billy, Peterson | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Allegiance" | Billy, Lombardo, Peterson | 2:37 |
| 10. | "Sewn Shut Eyes" | Billy, James, Peterson | 4:15 |
| 11. | "Fall of Sipledome" | Billy, Peterson | 4:48 |
Total length: |
42:40 | ||
| Japanese Reissue and Worldwide Prosthetic Records Reissue | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 12. | "Hammer of the Gods" (Instrumental) | Peterson | 3:11 | ||||||
Total length: |
45:51 | ||||||||
Credits
- Band members
- Chuck Billy - vocals
- Dave Lombardo - drums
- Steve DiGiorgio - bass
- James Murphy - lead guitar
- Eric Peterson - lead guitar, rhythm guitar
- Production
- Phil Arnold - executive producer
- Steve Jennings - band bhotography ()
- Dave McKean - design, illustration, photography
- James Murphy - engineering
- Vincent Wojno - engineering
- Andy Sneap - mixing, additional engineering, mastering
- Chuck Billy - co-producer
- Eric Peterson - producer, engineering, mixing
- Kent Matcke - additional engineering
References
- ↑ "Spitfire Albums (1) The Gathering (1999), (2) First Strike Still Deadly (2001), (3) Days of Darkness (2004), (4) Live in London (2005), (5) The Spitfire Collection (2007), (DVD) Live in London (2005)". Aug 2012.
- ↑ "The Gathering Review". All Music. 1999. http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-gathering-mr0000103230.
- ↑ "About Testament". Nuclear Blast. http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/about/71065.testament.html.
- ↑ "Reissues with Prosthetic (1) The Gathering (2008), (2) Demonic (2008), (3) First Strike Still Deadly (2008), (4) Live at Eindhoven '87 (2009), (5) Live at the Fillmore (2011)". Aug 2012.
- ↑ Archive, News (6 November 2007). "Prosthetic Records To Reissue Two Testament Albums". Blabbermouth. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=84273.
