The Ritual
The Ritual is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on 12 May 1992. It followed Souls of Black from 1990 and was produced by Tony Platt. It was also the first Testament record to come out through Atlantic alone, after their previous four albums had been shared with Megaforce Records.
It finds the band stepping towards a more traditional heavy metal sound, a clear change of direction from their thrash roots. It is also the last studio album to feature drummer Louie Clemente and guitarist Alex Skolnick before Skolnick returned in 2005. For anyone tracing how Testament evolved, it is the record where the band loosened their thrash grip and tried something broader, and it rewards a listen on those terms.
The Ritual: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 54:29Tracklist
- 1Signs of ChaosAlex Skolnick0:30
- 2Electric CrownPeterson, Skolnick, Billy5:30
- 3So Many LiesPeterson, Skolnick, Billy, James6:04
- 4Let Go of My WorldPeterson, Billy, James3:47
- 5The RitualPeterson, Skolnick, Billy, James7:27
- 6DeadlineAlex Skolnick and Chuck Billy4:46
- 7As the Seasons GreyPeterson, Skolnick, Billy, James6:12
- 8AgonyPeterson, Billy, James4:00
- 9The SermonPeterson, Billy, James4:41
- 10Return to SerenityPeterson, Billy, James6:30
- 11Troubled DreamsPeterson, Skolnick, Billy, James5:02
- Produced by
- Tony Platt
- Recorded at
- One on One Studios (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- 1991–1992
- Mixed by
- Nigel Green
- Mixed at
- Battery Studios
- Engineered by
- Tony Platt
- Labels
- EastWest, Atlantic
- Length
- 54:29
Line-up
- Greg Christian · bass guitar
- Louie Clemente · drums (drum set)
- Eric Peterson · guitar
- Alex Skolnick · guitar
- Chuck Billy · lead vocals
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1992 | 48 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1992 | 55 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1992 | 40 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1992 | 58 |
| German Albums · 1992 | 73 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 12 May
Every year →
More from Testament
Full discography →
The best of 1992
All of 1992 →
More on EastWest
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1992-05-11 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 11 May 1992 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 12 May 1992 | |
| Wikidata | 12 May 1992 | |
| US release | 12 May 1992 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 15 May 1992 | earliest UK or European date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Atlantic | 075678239267 | other |
| 1992 | JP | EastWest | other | |
| 11 May 1992 | DE | Atlantic | 075678239229 | original |
| 12 May 1992 | US | Atlantic | 075678239229 | other |
| 15 May 1992 | US | Atlantic | 075678239229 | other |
| 15 May 1992 | XE | Atlantic | 075678239212 | other |
| 25 May 1992 | JP | Atlantic | 4988029041241 | other |
| 22 June 2011 | JP | Atlantic | 4943674109357 | 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) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×600 | upscaled |