First Strike Still Deadly
First Strike Still Deadly is Testament's ninth studio album, released on 24 October 2001 by Spitfire Records. Rather than offering new material, it re-records songs from their first two albums, The Legacy and The New Order, along with "Reign of Terror", which dates back to an early demo and later turned up as a B-side to the "Trial by Fire" single. Some Japanese editions have a different cover and an enhanced disc with a documentary featuring live clips and interviews with Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson around San Francisco.
The line-up is what makes it interesting. Guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Steve Di Giorgio and drummer John Tempesta returned for the sessions, alongside original singer Steve "Zetro" Souza. Skolnick, Souza and Tempesta did not officially rejoin at the time, though Skolnick came back in 2005 and remains in the band. It was also Di Giorgio's last Testament album until his return in 2014.
First Strike Still Deadly: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 48:49Tracklist
- 1First Strike Is DeadlyPeterson, Skolnick, Christian, Souza4:00
- 2Into the PitPeterson, Skolnick, Billy2:54
- 3Trial by FirePeterson, Skolnick, Billy4:33
- 4Disciples of the WatchPeterson, Skolnick, Billy4:34
- 5The PreacherPeterson, Skolnick, Billy3:56
- 6Burnt OfferingsPeterson, Skolnick, Souza5:28
- 7Over the WallChristian, Peterson, Skolnick, Souza4:18
- 8The New OrderEric Peterson and Alex Skolnick4:43
- 9The HauntingPeterson, Skolnick, Souza4:37
- 10Alone in the DarkPeterson, Skolnick, Souza4:40
- 11Reign of TerrorEric Peterson and Derrick Ramirez5:06
- Recorded at
- Driftwood Studios, Oakland, California
- Mixed by
- Andy Sneap
- Labels
- Spitfire Records, Spitfire
- Length
- 48:49
Line-up
- Steve DiGiorgio · bass · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2001 | 70 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 24 October
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The best of 2001
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More on Spitfire Records
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 24 October 2001 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 24 October 2001 | |
| Wikidata | 24 October 2001 | |
| US release | 24 October 2001 | earliest US date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | DE | Spitfire Records | 5036369508326 | other |
| 24 October 2001 | US | Spitfire Records | 670211508321 | original |
| 13 March 2002 | JP | Universal International | 4988005293466 | other |
| 18 March 2008 | US | Prosthetic Records | 656191005524 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361422493 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361422400 | other |
| 26 January 2018 | — | Nuclear Blast | 727361422417 | other |
| — | — | Nuclear Blast | 0727361422462 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 1080×1079 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |