Souls of Black

by Alex Henderson

The first album Testament recorded without producer Alex Perialas, Souls of Black unites the thrashers with the better-known Michael Rosen. With Perialas having served Testament so well, many headbangers wondered how great an impact this change would have on the unit. But they needn't have worried -- Testament sounds very much like it did on its three previous albums and is as heavy as ever. The band's outlook was still far from cheerful. While it had moved away from gothic and occult themes, Testament still sees the world as a hellish, insufferable place plagued by evil governments and the threat of another world war. Like Practice What You Preach, Souls isn't in a class with The New Order, but is nonetheless a welcome addition to Testament's generally rewarding catalog.