Testament (2) – The Formation Of Damnation

Fine pressing with some pretty loud mastering but it's much better in comparison to other loud pressings these days. The new reissue of Alice in Chains - Dirt actually made my stylus skip because of the loudness. These records played through pretty nicely, love the bonus tracks too from Alcatraz. Packaging is a bit cheap (but looks clean) too so definitely keep the records stored separate.

I have this set, but the matrix/runout does not completely match. The "DIDX-141025" matches the CD, but the rest is different on both discs. The bonus DVD and regular CD both start out correctly with the "DIDX and matching numbers that immediately follow it, but the rest is not a match. The CD reads as follows: "DIDX-141025 L4 1A 02"....and the DVD is "DIDX-245726 L4 1A 04". The CD/DVD come as shown in the deluxe packaging, not a bootleg either. Just not a correct match with the information provided.

Fuzzy, distortion throughout, an absolute brick wall of loudness. This isn’t a good mastering at all.

The pressing itself is fine. The mastering of the music is another victim of the loudness wars.

This is a smoking album! Why more people don't like this album is beyond me. This is the best album of Testament's career! The hooks are very catchy and memorable. And, as usual Alex Skolnik is a master at his craft! Chuck Billy's vocals are far more tolerable than Testament's previous efforts!

This is a good pressing and the sound is very vibrant. I recommend it.

Quite the commercial boom, but I'm already reaching for my copy of The New Order.