Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~60 minutes
Release: 15 July 2024
This week the Monster Shop heads into the Bay Area, plugging into Testament's "The New Order" and the brand new remaster that has both of you grinning like teenagers again. Neil digs into why this was the record that floored him back in 1988, when the combination of speed, melody and sheer precision felt unlike anything the big four were putting out at the time. Chris brings the producer's ear, hearing straight away how the remaster opens up the drums, bass and stereo field without losing the savage edge of the original mix.
Across the episode you trace Testament's journey from nearly‑there cult heroes to the band that should have been sharing stadiums with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. You unpack the story of their early days as Legacy, the Steve "Zetro" Souza connection, and how Chuck Billy's arrival cemented a voice that could ride both the brutal and the melodic sides of thrash. Woven through it all are personal memories of buying the LP for the artwork, wearing the shirt to death, and obsessing over Alex Skolnick's lead breaks as the ultimate guitar workout.
You focus in on "Trial by Fire" to compare the original master and the new remaster, playing back to back clips and listening for the way the drums slam harder, the bass finally claims space in the mix and the guitars sit wider without turning into a brick wall. Chris walks through the difference between mixing and mastering, explaining buses, compression, EQ and maximisers in plain language that still does justice to the tech heads. It becomes a mini masterclass in how a remaster can reshape the feel of a record without touching the performances.
From there you zoom in on "Into the Pit" as a definitive mosh anthem, and "Eerie Inhabitants" and "Musical Death (A Dirge)" as showcases for Alex Skolnick's neoclassical sweet picking, tapping and those soaring, melodic lines over Eric Peterson's granite riffs. You highlight how the acoustic passages, fret squeaks and roomy reverbs give the album unexpected space and dynamics, turning what could have been a straight ahead thrash bludgeon into something more cinematic and musical.
The episode makes the case that "The New Order" is a benchmark for melodic but utterly feral thrash, proof that the genre could be technical, tuneful and brutal all at once. By walking through the musicianship of Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick, Eric Peterson, Greg Christian and Louie Clemente, you show how tightly written songs and disciplined playing can still feel wild when the production gives everything room to breathe. Hearing the 1988 master against the 2024 remaster also becomes a way to talk about how listening formats, loudness standards and expectations have shifted over the decades.
Perfect for: Thrash fans who have worn out their big four staples, guitarists looking for a serious workout, and anyone curious why Testament's "The New Order" deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as the genre's supposed classics.